Last Saturday our members had the good fortune to experience something that very rare and special. The occasion was Classical Partners pre-Christmas get together at Craxton Studios in London. This is one of our favourite venues, a little hard to get to by public transport but well worth it once you get there. The house is steeped in music and the main performance space is delightful. Have a look at their website if you would like to know more http://craxtonstudios.org.uk/
We arrived at six to set up the bar so that our guests could have a glass or two of pink bubbly on arrival at six thirty. Only a slight panic when the musicians phoned to say they were stuck on the Piccadilly Line and did not know how long they would be. We started to look around our guests for someone who could entertain us! One of the catering staff arrived on a bicycle and was surprised the other was not yet there with the food. Another slight panic! What did we do before mobile phones?
As the guests arrived and started to mingle the food also arrived. Things were starting to fall into place. Just as we were starting to serve the main course the musicians arrived and shot off upstairs to change and warm up.
Well fed and with our glasses recharged the recital began:
The first half of the performance featured pianist William Cale. He started with Beethoven’s Sonata no. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique" I – Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio. At just 22 years old he is a very accomplished pianist but the Beethoven did not suit his style. However he was in his element for Rachmaninov’s Etudes Tableaux op. 39 No. 5 – Appassionato There was real feeling in his playing and the audience responded. He also played Liszt Liebestraume, S. 541 No. 3 – Nocturne in Ab Major which was beautifully tuneful and Debussy’s Pour le Piano I – Prelude, II – Sarabande, very colourful. For the second half William was joined by Russian born Zhanna Tonaganyan to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35. And boy did they perform it! All of the beautiful melodies were delivered with aplomb and the interplay between piano and violin were perfect. It has to be said that Zhanna was the star of the show. She played with great passion yet still managed to convey the subtler emotions in the quieter passages. We found out after the performance that she has just won the RCM Concerto prize playing this piece. I am sure we will hear a lot more of this gifted young lady.
Something rather wonderful happens when music is played in this environment. With the musicians just a few feet from you and not separated by a podium you get everything that the music brings. Every breath, smile, grimace and contemplation of the musicians is bound up in the performance in a way that often gets lost in the concert hall. I always feel privileged to have been at a performance like this. It exists just for that moment but lives on in my memory in the sure knowledge that it can never be repeated. If that is not the definition of intimacy I don’t know what is.
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Grey is Good
A question we often get asked when people are thinking of joining Classical Partners is “What is your success rate?” This is of course a perfectly reasonable question but one we find difficult to answer as success means different things to different people.
It is obviously a success if we introduce two people and they get married.
On the other hand should we not introduce you to anyone then that would obviously be a failure.
In between these two extremes are a whole host of possibilities and it is quite difficult to know where to draw the line.
To start off with not everyone wants to get married. A large number of people are quite happy living together and do not want a formal marriage. Also, increasingly common, is what has become known as living apart together. I would consider both of these outcomes to be success.
To add to the difficulty, we have the long term relationship. When does a relationship become long term? A month, a year, five years? In reality most people would think a relationship was long term after the first six months or so.
Indeed when is a relationship a relationship? This gives us another problem. Do we keep sending more introductions once we know that two people are seeing each other? Sometimes one person thinks something is developing and the other is not so sure and only one of the couple tells us? This is certainly a success but we are getting into more difficult territory.
I don’t think that many people would argue with any of the above, but the next one is a little trickier.
When we introduce two people who meet up a few times but then decide there is no romance between them, yet they are happy to meet as friends as they enjoy each others company and shared interests. Does this count as a success? In my view yes it does. Of course this is not what they were looking for when they joined Classical Partners (although it has to be said that it is exactly what some people are looking for) but a new friend has friends one of which may turn out to be “the one” and you would not have met them if you had not met the first person through Classical Partners.
In all honesty success means different things to different people. Once real people get involved in practically anything very few things are simply black and white. The great joy of Classical Partners is that we are dealing with real people and as a result grey is a very interesting colour indeed!
It is obviously a success if we introduce two people and they get married.
On the other hand should we not introduce you to anyone then that would obviously be a failure.
In between these two extremes are a whole host of possibilities and it is quite difficult to know where to draw the line.
To start off with not everyone wants to get married. A large number of people are quite happy living together and do not want a formal marriage. Also, increasingly common, is what has become known as living apart together. I would consider both of these outcomes to be success.
To add to the difficulty, we have the long term relationship. When does a relationship become long term? A month, a year, five years? In reality most people would think a relationship was long term after the first six months or so.
Indeed when is a relationship a relationship? This gives us another problem. Do we keep sending more introductions once we know that two people are seeing each other? Sometimes one person thinks something is developing and the other is not so sure and only one of the couple tells us? This is certainly a success but we are getting into more difficult territory.
I don’t think that many people would argue with any of the above, but the next one is a little trickier.
When we introduce two people who meet up a few times but then decide there is no romance between them, yet they are happy to meet as friends as they enjoy each others company and shared interests. Does this count as a success? In my view yes it does. Of course this is not what they were looking for when they joined Classical Partners (although it has to be said that it is exactly what some people are looking for) but a new friend has friends one of which may turn out to be “the one” and you would not have met them if you had not met the first person through Classical Partners.
In all honesty success means different things to different people. Once real people get involved in practically anything very few things are simply black and white. The great joy of Classical Partners is that we are dealing with real people and as a result grey is a very interesting colour indeed!
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Dance... its not just for girls
After another hectic week at Classical Partners, we took a group to see Mark Morris' production of Romeo and Juliet at The Barbican. It was fantastic and with a happy ending although I was not sure if the star crossed lovers' love for each other lived on in the heavens or if they really did zoom back to Verona to live happily ever after and the two warring families made up.
The music was Prokofiev's original score which was originally rejected and rewritten to the now famous score. Yes it was more repetative but personally I do not find that a bad thing when the repeated parts are so beautiful and allow Mark Morris' choreography to take flight. It has to be said that the stand out dance performance came from Amber Darragh as Mercuitio, both Romeo and Juliet were weak by comparison but perhaps that is what Mr Morris intended for the young lovers. All in all though it was a fabulous evening. I left uplifted.
But what is it about men that so few of them want to go to ballet? Maybe they find the beautiful scantilly clad women a bit threatening? I can get men to go to concerts and the opera but it is always a struggle to get them to the ballet. This time the men that did attend had a real treat those that didn't missed out.
To find out what we are doing next go to www.classicalpartners.co.uk
The music was Prokofiev's original score which was originally rejected and rewritten to the now famous score. Yes it was more repetative but personally I do not find that a bad thing when the repeated parts are so beautiful and allow Mark Morris' choreography to take flight. It has to be said that the stand out dance performance came from Amber Darragh as Mercuitio, both Romeo and Juliet were weak by comparison but perhaps that is what Mr Morris intended for the young lovers. All in all though it was a fabulous evening. I left uplifted.
But what is it about men that so few of them want to go to ballet? Maybe they find the beautiful scantilly clad women a bit threatening? I can get men to go to concerts and the opera but it is always a struggle to get them to the ballet. This time the men that did attend had a real treat those that didn't missed out.
To find out what we are doing next go to www.classicalpartners.co.uk
Monday, 27 October 2008
Introducing Tchaikovsky
I'm sorry that it has been a while since I last posted anything, but it has been very busy at the Introduction Agency, which is good news.... Anyway, I read with interest Geoff Brown's article in Times2 where he confessed that he did not like Tchaikovsky! To give him his due, he does admit that Tchaikovsky is "one of the world's greatest writers of melody, a superb orchestrator, a piercing musical dramatist...." but then states"It's that self-dramatising, neurotic and morbid aspect of Tchaikovsky" that he finds hard to take. The piece is basically about the Revealing Tchaikovsky concert series currently at the Southbank and Mr Brown goes on to say that he plans to listen hard and widely perhaps away from the emotional blockbusters. So here we have a man who knows what he likes but wants to know more. Just like me really.
So with a great deal to think about off I went to the Barbican with a group of Classical Partners for an evening of Russian music performed by the St Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier, who had stepped in to replace Yuri Temirkanov who was ill. A Frenchman guiding a Russian orchestra through a programme of Russian music, surely there will be some insight here to the problems expressed by Geoff Brown. The first half of the concert was beautifully played, Liadov's Kikimora introduced us to the wonderful depth of sound from the strings. Natalia Gutman gave a fabulous rendition of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 1. As with most of Shostakovich's music it elicited the full spectrum of emotions from me. At times I felt anger only to be replaced by romantic contemplation. A strange mix but very stimulating.
During the interval I started to think again about Tchaikovsky as we were about to enjoy his Symphony No 6 "Pathetique". Incidentally this is not being performed as part of the Revealing Tchaikovsky series on the Southbank. The organisers clearly making a statement there! The first three movements were performed with great gusto. The strings again dominating with their depth and warmth. There is a morbid aspect but with the music played at this pace there is also an uplifting impression of hope. There was brief spontaneous applause at the end of the third movement which would normally distract me at the very least but on this occasion seemed an appropriate reflection of the mood of the entire hall. The final Adagio lamentoso was indeed mournful and faded away leaving a feeling of darkness. I suppose that Geoff Brown would have hated this. For me I ended up thinking that Tchaikovsky is a bit like a pint of Guinness: it would not be so good or have the same impact if you had a pint without the creamy head.
So with a great deal to think about off I went to the Barbican with a group of Classical Partners for an evening of Russian music performed by the St Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier, who had stepped in to replace Yuri Temirkanov who was ill. A Frenchman guiding a Russian orchestra through a programme of Russian music, surely there will be some insight here to the problems expressed by Geoff Brown. The first half of the concert was beautifully played, Liadov's Kikimora introduced us to the wonderful depth of sound from the strings. Natalia Gutman gave a fabulous rendition of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 1. As with most of Shostakovich's music it elicited the full spectrum of emotions from me. At times I felt anger only to be replaced by romantic contemplation. A strange mix but very stimulating.
During the interval I started to think again about Tchaikovsky as we were about to enjoy his Symphony No 6 "Pathetique". Incidentally this is not being performed as part of the Revealing Tchaikovsky series on the Southbank. The organisers clearly making a statement there! The first three movements were performed with great gusto. The strings again dominating with their depth and warmth. There is a morbid aspect but with the music played at this pace there is also an uplifting impression of hope. There was brief spontaneous applause at the end of the third movement which would normally distract me at the very least but on this occasion seemed an appropriate reflection of the mood of the entire hall. The final Adagio lamentoso was indeed mournful and faded away leaving a feeling of darkness. I suppose that Geoff Brown would have hated this. For me I ended up thinking that Tchaikovsky is a bit like a pint of Guinness: it would not be so good or have the same impact if you had a pint without the creamy head.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
The Best Music is Live Music
So I have had a little moan about the cost of Opera tickets in this country when compared to Italy, but it does not stop me going, so I suppose my love for music wins at the end of the day. I know that I am incredibly lucky position as my work with Classical Partners means that I get to go to a live music event nearly every weekend. If you want to have a look at what concerts I plan to attend in the near future you can see our events diary on our website www.classicalpartners.co.uk I do not claim to have a great musical knowledge, but I do know what I like and am always willing to try something new. Variety is after all the spice of life. I now find that I listen to less and less recorded music as it can never deliver anything like the emotional impact of a live performance. If I feel the need for a little musical stimulation I am generally happy to turn on the radio and let them do the choosing although I do have a few personal favourites to suit most moods but I will keep those to myself for now.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
First Post
Hi and welcome. I am new to this and yes I hope you may be interested in Classical Partners. You can find out more by going to www.classicalpartners.co.uk OK that is the end of the advertisement. I hope that this blog will allow me to share some experiences with you that you will find interesting. So here goes... I have just come back from a weekend in Florence. We had great weather and great food and went to see Tosca at the Teatro Comunale. It was fantastic. It was such a nice change to see an opera that was staged as it was originally intended. There were no spaceships or anything like that and the sets were truely spectacular. There must have been at least 60 people on stage for the Te Deum at the end of Act 1. Marco Berti as Cavaradossi was magnificent. What a voice! Unfortunately the same can not be said Daniela Dessi as Tosca. She was clearly unwell and having struggled through Act 1 was replaced by Annalisa Raspagliosi who really gave it everything. Have a look at http://maggioblog.splinder.com/ for some great pictures. Even though at times the orchestra was a little overpowering the standard of playing was superb. I am sorry but I don't know who the cellist was but they deserve a special mention. Anyway this all set me to thinking. How do they do it? Good stalls seats were just Euro 50 but if you go to a touring opera in a provinchal theatre in the UK you will have to pay that much and as for a big production at Covent Garden well you know what I mean.
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