I told myself- I promised myself- that I wouldn't buy and more internet on this trip. I get free wifi at the Barbican and at the flat to which I will be moving tomorrow afternoon.
But I couldn't wait.
Tonight's LSO concert was unlike any I had yet seen. Two hours and fifty-five minutes of LSO+a gypsy band. It was spectacularly entertaining and energetic. After sitting through 2 and playing one encore after an intially long concert to begin with, I'm sure the orchestra members will all sleep well tonight. Many extended solos were added tonight- amazing. The cembalom player snapped a string in one of the encores. The audience wasn't alone in its reaction to the solos- Joost (bassoon) walked past me in the lobby during the interval. He said nothing, but looked at me and violently scrated away at an air violin. I responded with some mean air cembalom.
I ended up sitting next to a man who happens to be a friend of the leader (i.e. concertmaster). We had a lovely conversation about many music-related topics. He told a story about when Carmine (said leader/concertmaster) played the Tchaik concerto at the last minute for another English orchestra but was not nervous in the least, yet he played solo for fun at a party thrown by my concert-neighbor and was nervous out of his mind. It is funny how nerves work that way. We compared tales of our meetings with Sir Colin, he asked me about what I've done and will be doing on my trip, and, at the end of the concert, wished me well for the future and asked my name so as to look for it in the coming years. It turns out that he was sitting right behind me at the Brahms concert on the 24th. Perhaps I'll run into him again sometime this summer.
Tomorrow will be spent taking a few of my belongings down the street to my new address. I'll move the rest of the things in Saturday morning, most likely...or perhaps I'll just take it all tomorrow and get out of the hostel a day early (yay!). Tomorrow night, I will be going to see the King's Singers at a hall with which I am not familiar. I need to take a peek at a map.
5 comments:
Moving Day..you do sound excited!!The music programs you describe sound like somethng the average person would never experience. You mention the names of musical pieces, maybe if I heard them I would recognize them, but the names mean nothing. Uneducated musically!!!!
This certainly seems to be living up to your "once in a lifetime opportunity!" It sounds like you are still enjoying everything and everyone you meet. I, too, am musically uneducated!!
You're having an amazing time i see......i'm making shephard's pie today! (i wish it were a cornish pastry)
May I kindly ask to which of my many Josh acquaintances I am speaking? I have a guess, but I could easily be wrong.
Arsenal Josh......I think I'll just refer to myself as this from now on lol
Post a Comment