Eurodan in English

Last night I went to the Bozar (a play on words on Beaux-Arts), Brussels' main classical music concert venue, to treat myself to a concert.

It was the sort of thing I rather like - symphonic music written by Russians - and the perky opening piece of Prokofiev had me feeling like it had all been a very good idea. Better was to come, with a Rachmaninov piano concerto, the classical music equivalent of Bird's Angel Delight. You enjoy it, but feel a bit guilty about liking something so... well... erm... obvious. "Nothing we can't hum there, then," as Victoria Wood's bitchy continuity announcer would have said.

It was nice to be back in the Bozar, though. The last time I listened to a concert there was in my previous life as a record company person back in 1997, when I spent six months seconded to EMI Belgium and had to go backstage, shake the hands of the artist and say "Darling, you were wonderful".

I rather prefer just being a punter.

But one thing that seems to have changed for the worse since I was last there is audience behaviour. So much coughing! And always at the most dramatic moments. And some people were even talking (or whispering) to each other at times. Needless to say they benefitted from a Paddington stare from yours truly.

It's things like that which convince you you're getting old...

Posted by Eurodan at October 9, 2004 10:36 PM