Summer songs 1 and 2: Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain plus Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Do you uke? Yes? You'll come away inspired. No? ha - ditto anyway - the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain come highly recommended. Not just a musical show but a real evening of entertainment. I was far too busy laughing for taking photos - whilst trying to follow the very intricate arrangements and playing styles.

In between jokes, the 8-strong orchestra played a variety of old and new songs arranged very skillfully for their ensemble of ukuleles - from 'fridge magnet' tiny to a bass ukulele. Some of the set pieces are available on the Orchestra's YouTube page. Amongst classics such as Morricone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly were inspired takes on songs such as Get Lucky, Kiss and even Teenage Dirtbag. Party in the aisles of the Alhambra.

In complete contrast, a midday break from touristing round Amsterdam led us to the Concertgebouw for a bite-sized free concert. Within the calm of the Kleine Zaal - packed with a mix of locals and tourists - we heard members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perform a 35-minute programme:

Weber - Finale - Allegro (from Trio in g, Op. 63, J 259)
Schulhoff - Andante con moto; Andante; Rondino - Allegro gaio (from Concertino)
Brahms - Scherzo: Allegro - Molto meno allegro (from Horn Trio in E-flat major Op. 40)

The Weber movement suited the summer's day perfectly - bright and warm. The Schulhoff which followed was rather more complex but equally rewarding. The movements from the Concertino showcased a sound derived from the Carpathian folk tradition - lots of complex rhythmic motifs and contrasting melodies, with a very lively folk dance in the Rondino. The exuberance continued into the final section, with the lively lighter movement from Brahms' Horn Trio.

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Pigeon Funk

Notes on a very random purchase. Earlier today I acquired Venetian Snares 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Sz ü letett ' purely on the basis of the language and artwork. Its certainly something different - and most definitely not pop. After a bit of searching: Venetial Snares is, according to Wikipedia, the performing name of Aaron Funk, who seems to specialise in experimental tracks in odd time signatures. Article here . The sleeve notes for this album (whose title is Hungarian for 'Born under a bad star') poses the question: what if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons? Interessant. Apparently this concept (a day in the life of a Hungarian pigeon) is non-typical of Venetian Snares sound, but one could ask, does Mr Funk do 'typical'? On first listening, the sound of this CD mixes classical/traditional Hungarian sounds and breakbeats. but aside from that? Definitely a 'listen for yourself' artist; try the website , fan site or myspace .

Lang Lang: a little bit of stardust in Southam Hall

Lang Lang with Anita Pari Like many National Arts Centre regulars, the idea of a Lang Lang concert sounded fantastic... except that for me the Gala tickets are rather too expensive. As a result the turnout for today's masterclass with young artists Anita Pari (Ottawa), Alexander Malikov (Calgary), and Tina Chong (Banff) in Southam Hall was pretty good. No surprises that there were photographers and a TV camera all over the stage... so much so that during Lang's analysis of Malikov's rendition of Transcendental Étude No 8 'Wild Hunt' (Liszt), someone shouted at the cameraman to move. To my mind they seemed a little intrusive on the performances, but none of the artists seemed to take any notice. Lang Lang with Tina Chong Up first and for me the best performance was Anita Pari with the captivating Ballade No 1 by Chopin. In comparison, Malikov's performance did not have anywhere near as much projection. Final performer Tina Chong seemed

New talent at Southminster

As a follow-on from last weekend's excellent Chopin concert, there is an afternoon of New Artists from the NAC's Summer Music Institute at Southminster United Church on 17th June. Entitled 'Dover Beach and other works for summertime', the concert features new artists Katarzyna Sadej , Emily Nenninger , Drew Santini, Hannah Min, Paul Casey , Karen Kang and Bryan Wagorn. I had the chance to hear Bryan Wagorn at one of University of Ottawa's Concerts at the NAC 4th Stage concerts back in February and thoroughly enjoyed his performance. The proposed programme is very enticing: MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 MONIUSZKO Sen (The Dream) Prząśniczka (Spinner Girl) SZYMANOWSKI Lecioły Zórazie (The Swans Were Flying) Ściani Dumbek (The Dark Forest) CHOPIN Piosnka Litewska (Lithuanian Folksong) Moja Pieszczotka

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