Intimate Letters, From my Life

Normally when I wake on a Monday morning that feeling of another week about to commence hits you.

Today when the alarm went off I could relax as I was off today. Well it is my birthday!

I was off to the Wigmore Hall! I slipped by Panasonic GX1 with 20mm f1.7 in a pocket and headed off.

I headed off to Cavendish Square which is always good for a photo.

Apparently you can play this piano.

Game of table tennis?

Who look the birthday boy!

I sat in the park reading until Trish arrived. When she treated me to a Pain Au Raisin at Pret.

As we waited for the doors to open Trish spotted John Sergeant! He looked much as he does on telly!

The concert was the Pavel Haas Quartet playing two Czech composer:

Janacek - String Quartet No. 2 'Intimate Letters'
Smetana - String Quaret No. 1 in E minor 'From my Life'

The first surprise was when the quartet came on because there had be a change of 2nd Violinist (must be recent I believe).

The programme wasn't one I'd have chosen ordinarily but given it was my birthday.....

I was nervous about the Janacek (20th century music can be "challenging") but I needn't have feared as under the hands of the Pavel Haas it was a delight. Not music that is easy listening, it is the type of music that demands your attention. How well the Pavel Haas succeeded could be told by the spontaneous applause.

Smetana is famous for his masterpiece Ma Vlast, a piece I like. His string quartet is, unsurprisingly, more intimate. Its intention is to act as a tone picture of his life. A very striking piece of music.

It was a nice change not to hear a concert at the Wigmore dominated by core Austro/Germanic repertoire.

Whilst there I picked up the brochure for the 2012/13 season. I've got a few booked already but I'll be going through 2013 later!

Oh you remember that Piano?