Last night I was listening to Paul Lewis playing Haydn, Brahms & Beethoven, which formed the BBC Radio 3 evening concert on Tuesday May 5 (a re-run of a live broadcast from October 15, Royal Festival Hall).
Nothing remarkable in that you might be thinking, and you’d be right, save October 15 is significant for me, for with fifteen minutes to go before the relay I had a fall at home. Nothing broken, but I was a prisoner to the floor (my dodgy right hip prevented me getting up and probably caused me to be there in the first place) and the kitchen radio was tuned to the wrong station, so I missed Lewis’s recital. Many hours passed in the company of Radio 4 and the World Service.
That fall started a chain of events that soon found me in one hospital for observation then another for physiotherapy, then home for Christmas, all the while awaiting a date for hip-replacement surgery (I had seen the surgeon months earlier for a preliminary consultatiion), and occasionally wondering how Lewis’s recital went – when you are denied something looked forward to it tends to hang around in one’s consciousness.
Anyway a date finally arrived for the operation, and if the appointment got moved a couple of times, it did go ahead – and I still think it a god-given wonder that I was out of the surgery just in time to hear Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, of all great works, on Radio 3 live from the Barbican conducted by Donald Runnicles, March 4. Despite a portable radio and a low volume, It was inspiring.
That was in the days when we had concerts. The irony is this, that without the Covid-19 pandemic Radio 3 would not currently be trawling its archives in order to fill the concert brief of its schedules and Lewis’s recital would remain to me as Lost; as it is it’s now Found.
I have no comment to make on what I heard from Lewis (I wasn’t listening in order to write it up, but if I did it would be positive), more to say that it is ticked-off the list. Anyway, Alexander Hall reviewed Lewis’s evening for Classical Source, and Peter Reed covered the Missa:
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=16847
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=17101
Great that we have these listening facilities Col and that so many of us draw solace, inspiration and nourishment from taking in great music at times like this. You’ve had a pretty nasty run of luck but it’s heartening to read how music has helped you come through it. Long may you thrive! Best, as ever. Rob.
Shows all your humaneness and humanity Col. You’ve had a truly bad run, good to see you back, your hunger for music and music making as passionate, discerning, informed and unstoppable as ever. Ates
Nice story, Colin, with a very positive outcome which you deserve, and which we deserve to read about to disabuse us from any pretentiousness with regard to music and the listening experience.
What an uplifting post Colin.You have had an extraordinary run of misfortune recently and it looks like Lady Luck is smiling upon you once more.
Why not send your post to Radio 3 and let them know how vital their service can be?
Thanks Liz. I am ahead of you regarding Radio 3; a line was dropped in that direction a few hours ago. Col x