Years ago (1986 to be exact) we arrived in Wells in a
pouring rain, to discover no room at the Inn -- or
actually, room only at the Inn, and no room at the
cheap B&Bs. It didn't make sense until we walked up to
the Cathedral, now after dark, and standing at the
doors of the Nave heard the surreal sound of Mozart's
Requiem, London Phil, & chorus, which we discovered
was part of the Bath Festival. Streaming wet, we
streamed the concerts with our ears to the door.
Poetry it was.
Last night we heard the 25-year old concertmaster of
the Richmond Symphony (Karen Johnston) play the
Sibelius violin concerto, with her new old fiddle. The
audience for Classical music may be dodgy as Douglas
says, but the quality in places like Richmond,
Virginia, is better than ever.
David Latane
http://www.standmagazine.org (Stand Magazine, Leeds)
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