This was the first classical concert that I had been to, so at first I did not know what to expect as I thought that classical concerts were really an ‘adult thing’, but to my surprise I really enjoyed it and at the end I left eager to attend another. In this concert the music portrayed London, in the present and in the past, how it has brought many different nationalities together and how we have altogether shaped this wonderful city.
Normally, my feelings towards classical music are neutral, but this concert was incredible.
Before the concert had even started, it was easy to see that there was more to this than straight classical music. There was an enormous percussion section, which was later manned by 7 percussionists in total, which gave a glimpse of the wonder to come. I was also slightly surprised by the bass guitar on stage. The average age in the audience was much younger than any other 'classical' concert I had been to.
I enjoy listening to classical music on the radio, but this was the first professional concert that I had attended and I definitely was not disappointed! As I entered Christ Church, Hampstead, I noticed that the majority of the audience were middle-aged or over; and young people might have felt slightly uneasy in this environment as everyone was dressed quite formally too. Everyone waited eagerly for the entrance of the Carducci Quartet, and as the four walked into the main church, there was a warm round of applause. Michelle Fleming (violin) and Emma Denton (cello) both emerged in beautiful evening dresses, whilst the men, Matthew Denton (violin) and Eoin Schmidt-Martin (viola) both followed in smart black suits.
It was the first professional concert I’d been to and certainly the first time I’d heard live professional piano playing. The Cadogan Hall where it took place was lovely and not so big that you were too far away from the performers. Katia and Marielle Labeque were fascinating to watch as they communicated across at least nine foot of grand piano. Their eye contact and nods were discreet and they played in complete unison.
I enjoy listening to all kinds of classical music on CD and radio but this was the first time I’d been to a live concert.
It started with Dvorak’s Cello Concerto which I hadn’t heard before. It was in three movements. The ‘Allegro’ was an energetic, fun, toe-tapping piece that at times almost sounded like folk music. It was a great start to the night. The ‘Adagio ma non troppo’ was slower and calmer but the orchestra and the cellist, Raphael Wallfisch, still maintained the sparkle from the Allegro. The solo flute also stood out as particularly beautiful.
The ballet production of Angelina Ballerina brought the stage alive! Angelina is ecstatic as she has been invited to the Palace to perform her very first ballet. She decides to perform The Sleeping Beauty but as her fellow dancers keep disobeying how will she manage to display an outstanding performance for the Queen?
This production brings to the stage Prokofiev’s traditional story of a boy, Peter, and how he saves his friends from the wolf which dominates his grandfather’s meadow. However this version has a whole new act added on at the beginning, a prequel with a new score. The orchestra was the Philharmonia Orchestra who played really well and obviously enjoyed the piece and the audience’s positive reaction.
This opera is a modern tale about a girl named Miranda who lives in a fishing village with her father. The village is on a lake, and when the story starts, the fish in the lake are not biting. The villagers are getting upset. They think that the ‘Beast Man’, who is the giant, is scaring them off. But Miranda is curious about the giant and takes a boat into the lake. She falls into the lake, and the giant rescues her. When she awakes, she learns that the giant is not mean but gentle. She watches him care for his pet swans, and he is kind towards her, offering her his food.
Before the actual performance of The Adventures of Pinocchio, there was a workshop. The instructor of the workshop was very good at both acting and singing. We went gradually through the whole story, and it was interesting to know how much better it was than the dismal Disney version. Pinocchio certainly was no saint. The instructor started with warm-ups such as “Tony Chestnut”, and then showed us many of the movements and songs from the real opera. With the cat and the fox, for example, we did movements imitating the two animals in pairs, one person being each animal.
