Looking back, looking forward

It feels distinctly odd sitting in my office at the moment. For one thing, it's really quiet. This time last week my head was full of stuff about the last concert - final preparations, big quantities of brochures arriving, last minute tweaks to my pre-concert talk and so on - but now it's back to the more prosaic world of distribution. This week is all about mailing lists, merging and de-duping, vast amounts of photocopying for covering letters, and preparing the ground for several thousand brochures to go out next week.


For that very simple reason, this blog is going to be a short one. But I couldn't let the final concert go without a couple of comments. It's great to finish on such a high note and I trust those who heard it will have enjoyed the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony as much as I did. Though in my case the feeling was mixed with one of relief that our electronic organ had really delivered the kind of awe-inspiring experience that you'd expect of a Romantic titan like the Saint-Saens. The finale was every bit as exciting as I could have hoped but actually it was the calm of the second movement that held the most fascination for me. The deep-breathing sounds of the organ pedals had a wonderfully physical impact and I enjoyed watching several members of the audience in the front left of Tier 1 leaning over to see what Jonathan was doing. As the Widor encore really revealed, he's a fabulous organist and I don't think I've ever heard such a range of expression (including a magical whispered quiet section) in this spectacular favourite. It's really got me thinking about what opportunities there would be to get Jonathan back here soon.

As I say, it was a really great way to end the season and it was also good to see how many people styed to hear the Halle's tango Frambuesas after the concert. All in all it felt like we'd ended the season in just the right way. The feedback I've had is that 2009-2010 has been really successful and it's been hugely encouraging to get the kind of positive comments that we've had throughout the season.

But what were your highlights? I'd really love to know. There are several for me and it's difficult for me to choose. Mahler 2 is an obvious candidate, but what about Nielsen 4 or Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez? Very different pieces, evoking different responses, but all wonderfully played. If you've got a particular memory, why not let me know by posting a response? - it's always fascinating to hear your thoughts on this.

Looking ahead I'd also love to know what you make of 2010-2011. The last season's going to be a difficult act to follow, and getting the blend between the popular and more adventurous elements in the programme continues to be the biggest challenge we face. Have we got it right? And how do you view the new piano series - the biggest development in the programme for several years and, dare I say it, a bit of a calculated risk on our part?

I'm sure that gives you plenty to think about. If you've got a couple of minutes, fire me a quick reply. You can be as brief, expansive and as candid as you like.

Looking forward to hearing your views.

See you in the autumn!


Neil