One good thing about this bloody weather - visiting the RAH for our annual Prom concert (s) is approaching comfortable for the first time in years! Although they've made some effort recently to renew the ancient old building, the airconditioning is still far from adequate and it's normally so frustrating to have to put up with sitting there sweating, and people around you annoyingly constantly fanning themselves with their programmes (a rip-off £5 now) and opening bottles of pop at the most quiet of musical moments during the performance. But refreshingly, there was none of that on our last two visits recently. The first one was the 'French evening' - that was Debussy (L'apres midi..), Ravel and Faure a couple of weeks ago, and instead of racing home at midnight like we normally do, we decided to make a weekend of it and treat ourselves to another (leisurely) late lunch at my favourite: Bibendum, and stay over at a cheapy hotel in Kensington.

It was a busy concert as you can imagine, and we had left it too late to get any decent seats, but managed to get two in the choir seats for the same price as the prommers. I can never understand why they don't sell of the cancelled tix cheaply just before the performance if they haven;t managed to re-sell them. Seems such a waste to see those good seats not taken up! Anyway, it was a wonderful performance and as usual a great atmosphere. We said no thanks to the rather sad looking over-priced breakfast under the hotlamps at the hotel and instead stopped at a great little Italian cafe for a full english. The sun was shining and we sat outside watching all the different Londoners taking their dogs for walks in the nearby park.

Last week we went to see some of the 'Brass Day' (J's choice) and your know that this was the first one they had celebrated in 20 years apparently. The programme was vast including:
Monteverdi
Orfeo – Toccata (2 mins)
G. Gabrieli
Sonata pian’e forte (5 mins)
Grillo
Canzon Terza, from Sacri concentus ac symphoniae; Venice 1618 (5 mins)
Traditional Uzbek Music (15 mins)

Vaughan Williams
Overture – Henry V (9 mins)
Hans Werner Henze
Ragtime and Habaneras (14 mins)
Heaton
Toccata (Oh, the Blessed Lord) (7 mins)
Philip Wilby
...Dove Descending (18 mins)
Elgar
Severn Suite (22 mins)
Musorgsky, arr. Elgar Howarth
Pictures at an Exhibition (35 mins) (One of my favourites, which for sone unknown reason always reminds me of Henry Moore sculptures)???!!!!!!!

I almost wished I played a brass instrument as I saw the streams of brass-playing people carrying their beloved huge instruments across The Gore from ICL, all ages and abilities, joining-in with an afternoon of rehearsals with the Black Dyke Brass & Grimethorpe Colliery Bands. What a great opportunity!

Just down for the day this time, we had lunch at our favourite little Italian Restaurant just down Prince Consort Road (fantastic seafood Linguini) and were at the afternoon performance for 2pm. Interestingly we sat next to one of the trumpet players who would be performing in the evening concert although he was very distressed during the first half as his (new) girlfriend had to be seated the other side of the Circle as there were no seats left together for them (Oh the joys of new love and being separated for a devastating 35 mins)!!! Fortunately, a member of staff managed to re-unit them after the interval (!!) The most unusual part of the concert was a small group of traditionally dressed Uzbekistan horn players, standing in the centre of the Arena. They had meter long single note horns, and played long monotones whilst simultaneously turning around so that all the audience felt they had been 'spoken to' personally. The sound was amazing and a bit spooky too! There was a drummer involved also, but very simple and haunting...

I've re-asserted one of my life's ambitions (along with flying in a balloon): to rent one of these wonderful grand Victorian apartments next to the RAH, overlooking Hyde Park for the Summer, buying a Season Ticket and going to every single Prom' concert of the season. Of course it would also involve sitting by the Serpentine in the sun (or maybe in a rowing boat) and drinking lots of champange whilst having picnics bought from Harrods..... MMMmmm maybe one day...