Violins

On Thursday to the QEH to hear Christian Tetzlaff play Bach & Bartók, in place of Midori who had called in sick (see reference 1). A replacement which led us to wonder how such things worked. How many violinists were there likely to be around and available who could do anything like the advertised programme? Would the promoters be prepared to pay top dollar to make sure the show went on? Would that run to first class air fare for the performer from his home on the other side of the world?

All we learn from Midori's web site is that all her concerts in March had been cancelled (including one in Belgrade. Pleased to see that they do culture there as well as blood sports), but she still has a string of concerts in Aachen and Hamburg in April.

I had thought not to buy a programme, as the SBC is apt to sell you a portmanteau, series programme, programmes which seem poor value for money if you are only attending one or two of the series. So I printed off a clip from the SBC web site,  added a piece from wikipedia about the Bartók and thought that would do. Maybe the confusion about Bartók version and Menuhin amendments would be sorted out on the day. In the event, I think because of the replacement, the concert got its own programme, cut price, so we got one: the confusion was not resolved but we did read that Menuhin had commissioned the work as a way of getting some money to the composer, too proud for charity.

Tetzlaff turned out to be an entirely satisfactory replacement, with a quiet platform style, and leaving version aside, the Bartók turned out to be an excellent foil to the otherwise Bach programme. Altogether a splendid concert. Only slightly marred by a confusion about clapping in the first half, with clapping half way through both pieces. Tetzlaff got the hang of it in the second half, turning towards the back of the stage when he paused, thus keeping the clapping at bay.

Played without score on a modern German violin made by Stefan-Peter Greiner, born shortly before I left secondary school.

Irritating powerpoint reinstated at the back of the stage.

Closed the evening with some toasted hot cross buns from Gillespie's on West Hill. Not bad, and BH liked them, while I thought that they lacked the fluffiness appropriate to such buns. Not enough like bread, a bit flat. At least there were no cranberries, peel or other alien elements, such as have been introduced by some of the box stores.

Reference 1: http://www.gotomidori.com/.

Reference 2: http://www.christiantetzlaff.com/.