PrettyInScarlett

The end of the month brought more exciting musical events. Not least en route to Vienna - since my last trip through St Pancras International there are now two 'Play Me I'm Yours' style street pianos in the station.  Played a little Philip Glass prior to check in... hearing snippets of performances and doodles was so much more relaxing than piped music! Our afternoon date for Saturday 26th April was a trip to the Wiener Konzerthaus (Mozart-Saal) to hear Valentina Lisitsa with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra . The programme was a real time-spanning treat, from Mozart's Overture to Cosi fan tutte K588 and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D minor, K466 , via Tchaikovsky's Elegie for string orchestra in G major (in memory of Ivan W. Samarin) towards Shostakovich's wonderfully funny Incidental Music for Hamlet Op 32a from 1931-32. From the start the Vienna Chamber Orchestra were excellent - warm, tight, fluid sound easily filling the hall. Valentina, on a Bös...

Hebden Bridge marina Continuing my week of high quality concerts, M and I set off for Hebden Bridge yesterday with tickets to a sold out concert by renowned pianist Noriko Ogawa . Another new place experience too; for a small town there is a lot going on in Hebden Bridge. A fun afternoon exploring the town and sampling the culinary treasures of places like The Olive Branch ... and a visit to the local record shop, Muse Music . Hebden Bridge Piano Festival (this year part of Yorkshire Festival ) was based in the recently renovated and community run Town Hall . A very bright, comfortable space with a cosy cafe as well. Arriving for the evening concert we heard most of Dale Storr 's early evening set in the cafe, performing New Orleans style blues piano. An excellent performance including a rendition of Stairway to Heaven in homage to James Booker . The sold out Waterfront Hall held around 200 people, all of whom were very excited to see Noriko. The concert programme inc...

A bit of careful googling brings up information for a good few concert societies in the region, including the very well established Sunderland Pianoforte Society . I have been meaning to attend one of their events and finally made the trip to Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens yesterday for the final piano concert of the current season, featuring Margaret Fingerhut with a full programme including Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, Debussy and more. A first for me in artist as well as location! Arriving in the Museum I had chance to at least glance at the displays in the Pottery room; enough to notice that the Museum is definitely worth a detailed visit. I also noted the fabulous Steinway ready and waiting. I had heard about the ' Sunderland Steinway ' from a few musical friends and even from the first few notes the character of this centenarian Model D shone through: warm, mellow and very classy. Fantastic. Margaret's programme for the evening was centred around ballade...