Suspicious mind

Is ‘Runnicles Weekend’ the BBC SSO’s answer to the RSNO’s ‘Au Revoir Stephane’? That little thought popped into my head as I sat in the City Halls waiting for the closing concert of the weekend to begin. I’m very cruel, I know, but it certainly put ‘Scotland’s Maestro’ in the spotlight at a time when the MD of the RSNO is waving a long goodbye to Scotland.

The first half lasted around 15 minutes, and featured Principal Cellist Martin Storey in the beautiful, haunting ‘Mariel’ by the Argentinian-born composer Osvaldo Golijov. The second half was given over to Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, an epic and loud piece needing five horns, four trumpets, four trombones and four Wagner Tubas. What’s a Wagner Tuba? It’s a tenor-bass horn (in other words, a big tenor horn). I bet you’re thinking that I hated the whole thing. Well, I didn’t. I actually enjoyed it.

Earlier, I took a drive out to the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch. I created a bit of controversy when I said that I might have seen a Wood Warbler. If I were to believe the experts, I saw a Willow Warbler (wearing a yellow scarf or bib). Apart from the usual suspects, I also saw a Blackcap.

Back to work tomorrow, but it doesn’t stop; one rehearsal and two plays still to go before I can stay at home and be miserable, instead of going out and being miserable.