It’s Proms season at the moment, and I’ve been making the effort to get to the Albert Hall on several evenings. I mean, at 4 quid for a standing (or sprawling on the floor) ticket, you can’t complain, can you?
As well as going to hear pieces by composers I know I like (Stravinsky and Copland, f’rinstance) I’ve been trying to hear lots of different stuff. Even music I normally dislike can sound tickety boo in a live situation with a top-notch orchestra. Better still, I’ve made a couple of pleasant discoveries… Respighi’s ‘Pines of Rome’ in all it’s multicoloured wonderment, and the total and utter genius of Gustav Mahler. Why did I never try listening to Mahler before now?!