As we’ve established, I’m no classical music expert, but was excited for my first ever visit to the Royal Albert Hall (surprisingly comfortable). The programme was Brahms’ 2nd piano concerto, with Emanuel Ax at the piano, and then Brahms’ 4th symphony. Both were played by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and (82 year-old!) Bernard Haitink… Read More
Category: Music
I feel less qualified to talk about classical music than any other art form, so will just say that I saw Jukka-Pekka Sarastre conduct the London Philharmonic. The programme was Beethoven’s Overture, Egmont followed by Bohuslav Martinů’s Violin Concerto No.2 with Frank Peter Zimmermann as the soloist. After the interval, there was a performance of… Read More
The day that London got its head round the imminent closure of Kilburn’s Luminaire saw me there amidst a sea of Canadians listening to Joel Plaskett accompanied by his Dad Bill. Imagine a young Ralph Feinnes crossed with Neil Finn to get a sense of Plaskett’s mix of boyish charm and folk-inspired songs. The crowd… Read More