Was chatting to a mate yesterday and we were talking about all the performances we have travelled to see. Trying to decide which outshone all the others I came to the conclusion that the best I've seen was Christian Lindberg playing Don Quixote, a theatrical all singing, dancing and extraordinary playing concerto written by Jan Sandstrom (who, remember wrote the Motorbike Concerto). What's your pick that puts the rest in the shade?
Went and saw Canadian Brass at the QEH in the mid-80s. It was the night before I had an important interview at work. They were tremendous and I left the hall on such a high I could have done the interview there and then @ 10 o'clock at night. Obviously paid off as I got my promotion as a result of the interview next day. Must go and see them again as I haven't had any promotion since! :-(
the recording of faireys live at the nationals in '93 (?) playing devil and the deep blue sea!! awesome
Grimethorpe Colliery Conducted by Lt Col FRANK RENTON Yorkshire Area JOURNEY INTO FREEDOM Just TOPJOLLY PLAYING FROM 1st-Last note. Fair enough they won but it should have been by 10 POINTS!!!! not 1?:-D
For me, the PJBE's afternoon concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in (I think) August 1981 where they played The Battell (Byrd arr. Howarth) in the first half and Pictures in the second. The Pictures was to my ears even better than their recording. They repeated the concert at the QEH a couple of years later, which was good but the first one was truly awesome.
PJBE in St David's Hall, Cardiff in the 80's. Amazing. Perfect balance, perfect intonation. Perfect. Heard nothing like it since!
Hmm, maybe I should have a talk with my boss then tomorrow (I just returned from a Canadian Brass concert - great music, great performance, great atmosphere, packed audience of over 800 people...)
