Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Guildford international festival.




Chloe has been managing some concerts for the Guildford festival . It has been quite hard work, but a valuable career experience. Among the rush and stress, her and Jo did just manage to pose with the Steinway!!.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

show and tell











I had a "show and tell"dinner party with a few friends this week. ( great fun!! plan to do it again with more friends). Each person had to bring a track of music to play and share , and an object to show. It was a really great evening and very interesting to see what everyone brought ( and what their musical choice was). My friend Rake had found a retro recipe book at her mums house and brought that, and also some "party cone cakes" she had made from it. Pinder made a rainbow jelly ( with vodka) from the same book. The tastes reminded me of Christmas party's we went to at an Aunties when I was a child. Simon brought what was left of his favourite childhood toy Clownie ( a foot!). Chris showed his favourite gardening jumper. Another friend (also a Chris) brought her favourite kitchen utensil.
The evening developed into a bit of a jam session , and a few people had tuba lessons (!!).

Monday, March 9, 2009

Cambridge University Chinese Orchestral Society


We went to a splendid concert yesterday presented by the above. Our trip was mainly to see a Chinese virtuoso harmonica player called Jai-Yi He who is doing three concerts in England, but we were enchanted by the performance in the first half of the orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments. It was so refreshing to hear unfamiliar instruments playing delightful music with titles like. "Ode to a yellow river", "Azure waves" and "Altar of the golden flower". There were some virtuoso players among the ensemble who played solos on instruments I am ashamed to say I cannot even name. But it was a "red letter" experience to hear them.

Mr Yi He's performance on the Harmonica ( actually four harmonica's at once at one point!) didn't disappoint. He was truly a technician, and played a stunning duet with himself playing a ( not simple) two part piece using the right and left sides of his mouth to play each part simultaneously ( How??????).

We likened his masterclass to that of a stunt footballer doing trick shots before the real sport begins, but we did have a taste of his virtuosity as he played a Gypsy violin standard with the "Western Instrument orchestra" in the second half.

I'm so glad we went to Cambridge in the rain for this concert. it was a treat.