and my first proper post in years...

... not like a "boohoo i'm ending this blog plz" or "he-hey i'm starting this shit again" post...

The BBC Proms are back - were back a couple of months ago actually... and this season is brilliant (it always is, really).

Just heard the Leipzig Gewandhaus with a fantastic concert... Beethoven Violin Concerto and Brahms 4th. Brilliant pieces by two of the greatest composers ever. Ok and there was Coriolan but that wasn't quite as brilliant. Good nevertheless. The concerto was magical, pretty good vln work there. I'm no violinist myself so I'll refrain from commenting... just that I think it was great playing. The orchestra had lovely sound, really musical accents in the right places that just managed to bring out the best of the Brahms. This is Brahms' dramatic best... shaking his fist at the puny crumbling rotting world.

And then my respect for Riccardo Chailly × 10 when he intro-ed the encore. Priceless kokstering!:

And now everybody's expecting a Hungarian Dance [audience laughs] A music full of songs of young students: the fantastic Academic Festival Overture [appreciative applause]

And then he launched the orchestra straight into the most hair-raising exciting reading of the Overture i've ever heard. It's usually played around crotchet=72 but (and I checked) they took it at around 100 - what... 50% faster?! That's a hell lot of adrenaline. And for the sedate parts they actually managed brilliant tempo changes that, although sudden, made perfect sense... different songs, different mood, that sort of thing. One hell of a musical joy-ride rofl.

If you're into classical music you really should check it out before the week's out and they take the listen again link off. It's fabulous playing, literally unbelievable...

But I really should go off & sleep now. Or my revision tmrw will be screwed.