Famous People I've Sat by at a Concert

[Osborn]

IHelene Grimaud took a seat next to me at the Anvil, Basingstoke, in the second half of a concert in which she's played a concerto in the first. She asked to borrow my programme.

That would have made me happy; a brilliant, brilliant pianist to hear live when fired up; I heard her perform a wonderful Brahms PC 1 not long ago. Mind you she has her moments - notably recording Mozart PCs with Abbado, refusing to back down on using Busoni cadenzas and getting dismissed from 3 engagements at (pretty much) Abbado's Lucerne Fesrival (all fees paid in full). I'll hear her again in the Spring (long wait!)

[EdgeleyRob]

Jean-Bernard Pommier sat close to us for the 2nd half (Brahms 3) of a Halle concert at the Bridgewater Hall last year,after he had played the Schumann concerto in the 1st half.

Gordon Burns (remeber him ? Krypton factor,local news presenter in Manchester) was sat about 3 seats away from us at a Beethoven 8 & 9 concert a few years ago.

[Nick Armstrong]

That would have made me happy

And yet....

What a daft thread! Shouldn't you be tweeting to Breakfast rather than publishing here? Were you London cabbies in earlier life?

I 'ad that 'Ellen Grimmo in the back of me cab...

It's actually quite a fun little thread, ain't is Ossie?

If non-concert events are permitted, I recently filed out of the Olivier Theatre at the NT just behind a gaudily-attired Michael Portillo... waiting to order at the bar ahead was the Rt Hon. G. Osborne... and so I was able to see and hear Portaloo glide up behind him, grasp him and murmur plummily "Chancellor..." ...

[EdgeleyRob]

[QUOTE=Il Grande Inquisitor;218227Helene Grimaud [/QUOTE]

[scottycelt]

If that Bruckner 5 was Abbado/Berlin Phil, I was there too ... unbelievably sloppy performance, in truth ... not telling who was sitting next to me though ...

No, it wasn't Amateur51 ..

[amateur51]

And yet....



I 'ad that 'Ellen Grimmo in the back of me cab...

It's actually quite a fun little thread, ain't is Ossie?

If non-concert events are permitted, I recently filed out of the Olivier Theatre at the NT just behind a gaudily-attired Michael Portillo... waiting to order at the bar ahead was the Rt Hon. G. Osborne... and so I was able to see and hear Portaloo glide up behind him, grasp him and murmur plummily "Chancellor..." ...

A remarkable feat given that his tongue must have been otherwise engaged

tuktuktuktuk

[amateur51]

If that Bruckner 5 was Abbado/Berlin Phil, I was there too ... unbelievably sloppy performance, in truth ... not telling who was sitting next to me though ...

No, it wasn't Amateur51 ..

In your dreams, Cardinal Sin

[Nick Armstrong]

A remarkable feat given that his tongue must have been otherwise engaged

tuktuktuktuk

You'll catch it !!!

[Tony Halstead]

That would have made me happy; a brilliant, brilliant pianist to hear live when fired up; I heard her perform a wonderful Brahms PC 1 not long ago. Mind you she has her moments - notably recording Mozart PCs with Abbado, refusing to back down on using Busoni cadenzas and getting dismissed from 3 engagements at (pretty much) Abbado's Lucerne Fesrival (all fees paid in full). I'll hear her again in the Spring (long wait!)

I too once sat a row behind Helene Grimaud.. and why should she not have been allowed to play those superb Busoni cadenzas?
The one he wrote for Mozart K467 1st movement ( Piano Concerto no 21 in C - I refuse to give it its 20thC 'invented' sub-title) is the only Cadenza in all classical music I know that actually makes me tearful ...not tearful as in 'sad' but simply marvelling at its inventiveness, its superb harmonic mastery, and its confident re-working of traditional 18th century formulae
If you want to hear this wonderful cadenza, played superbly, I can recommend Annie Fischer's sublime recording ( of the whole concerto obviously) with the Philharmonia and Sawallisch.
Hopefully it will be available on 'Amazon' or such, but I will investigate.

[Pianorak]

. . . I can recommend Annie Fischer's sublime recording ( of the whole concerto obviously) with the Philharmonia and Sawallisch. . .

If you like that - you might like this:
Mozart: PC No. 22 K482, Annie Fischer, PO, conductor W. Sawallisch
R3: 27 Oct 2012 8.20pm (should be on iPlayer)

[salymap]

I too once sat a row behind Helene Grimaud.. and why should she not have been allowed to play those superb Busoni cadenzas?
The one he wrote for Mozart K467 1st movement ( Piano Concerto no 21 in C - I refuse to give it its 20thC 'invented' sub-title) is the only Cadenza in all classical music I know that actually makes me tearful ...not tearful as in 'sad' but simply marvelling at its inventiveness, its superb harmonic mastery, and its confident re-working of traditional 18th century formulae
If you want to hear this wonderful cadenza, played superbly, I can recommend Annie Fischer's sublime recording ( of the whole concerto obviously) with the Philharmonia and Sawallisch.
Hopefully it will be available on 'Amazon' or such, but I will investigate.

However, a trap for the unwary. Someone I knew asked me if I had a recording of 'Elvira Madigan'. Not having seen the film or heard of the music in it, I said 'No'. 'Friend' 'Thought you knew a bit about music'.

[mercia]

judging by the number of mentions he's had on this thread, our chancellor seems to be a cultured fellow

I wonder if he goes t' football too

[Sir Velo]

I too once sat a row behind Helene Grimaud.. and why should she not have been allowed to play those superb Busoni cadenzas?

For a moment I thought you meant you'd had a row (i.e. slanging match) with Grimaud.

Surprising story this as well, considering that Isabelle Faust in a recent "CD Review" interview with Andrew McGregor said how much interpretative freedom Abbado had allowed her in their recent recording of the Beethoven and Berg VCs. Perhaps, La Belle Helene unearthed another side to the usually placid maestro; or more probably, how Abbado was content to give Faust her head so long as her ideas agreed with his.

[PhilipT]

I can only conclude that I am "known to the management" and that concert hall managers are careful to seat celebrities well away from me.

The best I can offer is that I once met Richard Hickox in a lift at Heathrow Terminal 1.

[Tony Halstead]

However, a trap for the unwary. Someone I knew asked me if I had a recording of 'Elvira Madigan'. Not having seen the film or heard of the music in it, I said 'No'. 'Friend' 'Thought you knew a bit about music'.