Sometimes the universe is against us, like last year when I broke my leg before the North Sea Jazz Festival, which was first organized again after two years Corona Absence……, but then again things can turn around…
what did they play?
Ouch. I hope everything healed ok Bert. Planning to go this year?
Brahms and Mozart, it was so good.
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Yes absolutely, now just praying nothing comes in between…
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Tonight I bumped into the one and only @crispyduck at the Alison Goldfrapp gig in London. Some tracks from the new album plus some Goldfrapp classics. Apologies for the photo standing near the back.
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Brilliant concert - Alison Goldfrapp utterly imperious in a synthpop extravaganza. Wonderful stuff. Great to bump into @badger1963 and I believe @TheKevster there as well but didn’t get to see him. Great venue - full on club experience
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Ugh I am green with envy. I’d love to see Goldfrapp live.
I did however get to see the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and soloist Paul Lewis perform Beethoven’s 1st and 4th piano concertos tonight.
They are performing the 5 Beethoven piano concertos over three days, 2nd and 3rd tomorrow tonight then the Emperor on Sunday afternoon.
The orchestra sounded excellent; dynamic and vibrant and the soloist was fabulous. The 4th especially was magnificent.
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@crispyduck Sorry to have missed you too Chris. Basically we were at Le Beaujolais gassing away over a couple of bottles of red when we realised what the time was, and we only just made it inside for the first number. It was a great show, great visuals, Alison looked and sang great. The sound was fantastic. But I thought the venue was poor (“sub-optimal” as my friend Bex described it) - a soulless concrete box with woefully overpriced drinks and dreadful sightlines if you weren’t in the centre of the floor. If that show had’ve been at the (currently closed) Brixton Academy, the place would have been rocking.
Looking forward to seeing AG at Somerset House in July. That’s a venue more to my taste.
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Entirely agree about the venue Kev - it’s a club rather than a music venue I guess. No aircon and I shudder to think how we would all have got out from the subterranean box if there was a fire. But AG great!! I’ve seen her at Somerset House before and it’s a great venue
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Just realised I wrote ‘great venue’ in my post last night under the influence of alcohol! NOT a great venue although good atmosphere
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Paul Lewis is an excellent pianist! Love his Beethoven’s 1st!
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Yes, he really was very good. I can’t wait to hear the Emperor tomorrow afternoon, I’ve listened to it since I was a teenager but never seen it performed live.
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His Beethoven’s 3rd was spectacular. The unaccompanied section in the first movement, wow. I pinch myself that, despite living on an island with only a million or so inhabitants, I get to pop into town to a world class venue and hear world class musicians.
I do wonder how we will achieve carbon budgets to transport musicians around the world. Perhaps it will be a case of minimising the carbon impact (the fabulous excesses of past tours requiring two jumbo jets).
You meant the 4th? which starts with a solo piano. Very unconventional at that time as usually concertos always started with an orchestra intro. This was one of Beethoven’s genius!
That was great too, the 4th has been my favourite so far, although what I’m referring to is an unaccompanied section in the first movement of the 3rd. Last night we heard the 2nd, 3rd and Mozart’s Don Giovanni overture as a filler.
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Christchurch Town Hall. The Emperor was fabulous today. I have dreamed of seeing it performed for 30 years, I’ve listened to it so many times before exams, competitions, all sorts over the years. Very special!
Cheers Ian
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That’s great, it looks like a lovely concert hall.
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