What was the last concert you went in 2015?

Me too. Maybe it was the fab seat I had that night or the pleasant company for dinner before the show but Gilmour was on top form that night.

Gig season is now in full swing and in recent weeks I have seen King Crimson in Aylesbury, David Gilmour Brighton and London twice, Steven Wilson for two nights at the RAH, Opeth at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Steve Hackett in Southampton and Riverside in Islington.

All good gigs but it was Gilmour 25th Sep, Steven Wilson show 2 at RAH and Opeth that stole the shows.

Next up Nik Bartsch London, and two Keith Jarrett shows in Dublin and London.

On Thursday we were bumbling along in the Village, looking for somewhere for lunch and we found the Blue Note..... It's certainly not Emsworth. 

Anyway, later this month we are off to see Joan Armatrading at Chichester Festival Theatre. She is Hilary's favourite singer, so it should be good. Rigoletto at the Met on Wednesday was a fantastic experience - it's by far the best opera hall I've been to. The Champagne was a bit pricey though, and in a plastic glass....

HH,

Who was in the Rigoletto?

Levin as a conductor?

It's a rare treat to get to hear a full symphony orchestra play along with a full chorus, but that's just what was on offer at the RCM on Friday night.  With the usual front row seats, we were totally blown away from the off.  The power of such an "instrument" reminds you that even the finest hifi system can get nowhere near in recreating such an event.  

Michael Rosewell conducted the RCM Chorus and Symphony Orchestra in a programme of Rossini's William Tell Overture, Verdi's Prelude and Ballet from Aida, Puccini's Intermezzo from Suor Angelica, Mascagni's Prelude to Iris, and finishing with the entire of Puccini's Messa Di Gloria.

It's really turning out to be a wonderful Autumn season at the RCM.

"The power of such an "instrument" reminds you that even the finest hifi system can get nowhere near in recreating such an event.  "

Explains why so many musicians have average music systems. 

Totally agree, I thought the same after a recent visit to Symphony Hall Birmingham for Brahms German Requiem.

Not so sure about sitting in the front row though, does this not create some balance issues, I normally like to sit about 8 rows from the front.

Morton,  I rather like the front row as it puts me right "there", as a part of it, and I prefer not having anyone else between me and the orchestra.  

Excuse me for being lazy, but rather than typing it all out, here is an extract from the Met's website. It was set in 60s Las Vegas, which worked wonderfully well.

But the problem is that you will never get the intended balances of musical lines that is prepared for those half way back and more - to get the true balance. All you get is the violins, and woodwind [rather further back on the stage] are so diminished, so that the result cannot be anything but lopsided  in musical balance terms. That is why the front row is sold cheap - as cheap as the back row, but at least the back row gets a proper musical balance if quieter than the best seats ...

As Sir Adrian Boult used to say, “Play for those in the back row. They have the least money and are the best part of our audience."

Said to the newly formed BBC SO in the early 1930s. Boult certainly understood the musical audience, quite as much as her knew the music ...

ATB from George

Gazpacho @ O2 Islington Sunday night

Good god it's wild!

The Met website lists Pablo Heras-Casado who I am not familiar at all. What a cool idea to transport it to 60's Rat Pack Vegas act!

We booked the tickets at the last minute, so didn't realise it was set in the 60s, so were initially a bit wary. But as soon as it started we were transfixed. It was just so well done. 

yeah.

I was gonna say this type of transformation could be terrific or it can totally fall flat on the face.

An American mid century Rigoletto. It's amasing that they've got balls to pull it off.

This reminds me of Jonathan Millers old Mafia Rigoletto, set in Little Italy Manhattan which he directed for the English National Opera in 1982, it has revived many times since but has now been retired.

Here’s the quartet from Act 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bclVgvgY4M

They even had a topless pole dancer. All good fun, and well worth seeing. 

Whatever it takes to get the new younger opera goers!

It's a good thing.

Sarah McLaughlin a few months ago. Absolutely fantastic. 

Motley Crue & Alice Cooper, Wednesday night at the NEC( or whatever it is called this week).

Very entertaining evening, Alice played the hits and had his head cut off again,Motley Crue had huge stage show that made up for the fact that Vince Neil can't sing,and its always good to see a drum kit upside down above your head!

Karl

Carcass / Obituary / Napalm Death / Voivod at Bristol Motion. Taking me back to my youth but most of these bands are all still right at the top of their (live) game. As extreme music goes it doesn't get much higher than this but the groove and musicianship shines right through. 

Kansas Smitty's at Ronnie Scott's in the late late session - they were on top form and Jazz is usually best heard late at night...

Joe Satriani - Sheffield City Hall - 26 rows back from stage and bang centre - perfect to see and hear a master at his work (I'm not a guitar fan - i went to see the drummer - Marco Minneman gave a solid lesson in how to tub thump)

I was last afternoon and night at the So what's next festival in Eindhoven. It's basically a festival with the more recent discoveries or cool guys in the Jazz scene. It's a very good festival where you can choose between a couple of stages and every concert takes 75 minutes and you could switch in the middle. So very similar to North Sea Jazz but on a smaller scale, less stages, less artists, not three but one day. I will later in the day talk about my experiences concerts when the pictures have synced with my iCloud. I attended concerts of James Farm, Christian Scott, Kamasi Washington, Thomas Echno, Mark Turner Quartet.

So the photos and some comments on the concerts. First concert was with James Farm. Great quartet, special and modern composition executed by a tight quartet, so really great. I hated that I had the leave this one as I had to visit the concert of Christian Scott

Chistian Scott is a special favorite of me. Every album he has made so far is renewing and fundamental in the scene. The last one Stretchmusic not being an exception. Christian played of course numbers from this album. And he was the 2nd one in the evening who was playing with two drummers. And African based kit and a normal kit. While he was again in top form the sound was not perfect in my position and Christian Left a lot of space for the others of the band..