fantastical journeys

lsso barbican london 23 september 2015 7.30 SOLD OUT

a concert of romantic orchestral pieces evoking a journey across europe and beyond.

london's premier youth ensemble journeys through many landscapes in this concert, from chabrier's evocation of spain to schumann's homage to the forests of germany. the journey concludes with a symphony inspired by the fevered fantasies of a romantic composer’s lovesick imagination; berlioz’s symphonie fantastique, written in 1830.

programme and performers

chabrier - españa       

schumann - konzertstück for four horns and orchestra

berlioz - symphonie fantastique

peter ash conductor

horns

richard watkins

nigel black

michael thompson

katy woolley

what a journey!!! standing ovations! click here for a review.

ciao yogi

husband sadly announced that yogi berra died a few days ago, this is what he says: boyhood idol, baseball player for the ny yankees. something like 15 consecutive years on the major league all-star team, 10 championships as a player, 3 more as a manager, etc. etc. a man everyone liked. never pretentious, always gentle, but a fierce competitor: one of the great clutch hitters of all time. maybe also a legend and an icon for his very well-known sayings. some of these are useful:

It's like deja-vu all over again.

It ain't the heat; it's the humility.

Baseball is 90% mental - the other half is physical.

I never said most of the things I said... Take it with a grin of salt.

If you don't know where you're going, you might end up some place else.

He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.

You can observe a lot by watching.

The future ain't what it used to be.

Never answer an anonymous letter.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.

If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be.

Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours.

and the winner is

... rike and her cym piano sextet who just won the national award in the music for youth 2015 competition in birmingham sponsord by the birmingham conservatoire. and the price? coaching for more music and a masterclass session. look at the classic fm website for more pics. congrats girls, well done!!!

life at the new school

last wednesday the child was despatched to her new school and now all kinds of funny things creep up into the vocabulary, for example that she now is a boarder with a house mistress and that there are house rules and lights out times. couldn't help to feel straight out of 'the twins at st clare's' (or hanni und nanni, as the german version goes), but first reports have been good and there is undeniably a lovely atmosphere at the school. rike's only worry so far is that she will have to work fairly hard, but with only five or six pupils in the class there is no hiding, as she figured out already. smart girl!

watch this video on the boarders if you want to see more...