Ghost Variations is nearly here. Just three more days, I believe I narrate, they play the appropriate music and thus we tell the story together.
The first concert is on Wednesday 7 September at the exquisite 12th-century church of St Mary's, Perivale , tucked away behind the A It's an intimate venue with a magical atmosphere and a marvellous concert series. Admission is free and seats unreserved though you may make a donation at the end. The "pilot" for the project took place, to a very warm reception, at the Hungarian Cultural Centre back in March and we have now extended it a little and added an interval, creating a full-evening recital.
Incidentally, there will also be a shorter version, available for coffee concerts in the new year. Every piece has been chosen with forensic care to match the story, its protagonists and the necessary atmosphere. Above, Dave plays at the premiere Songs from the Thirties will welcome the assembling audience, creating the ambience in which the story unfolded and I'm on the lookout for some vintage clothing Further performances very soon Monday, August 29, Whence Mirga?
Cometh the hour, cometh the woman: with a performance like that, wonderfully sculpted, full of conviction, detail and blazing emotion, it couldn't be clearer that the orchestra has snapped her up because she is a fantastic conductor, not because she is female in an era when at last equality is being demanded.
UK listeners can hear the concert on the iPlayer here. It's also clear that quite a few people haven't much idea of where Lithuania is, or why it should produce such an excellent musician. When Lithuania and the other Baltic states joined the EU in , I was lucky enough to be invited over to the Vilnius Festival to write some articles about the place, its musical scene and its artistic history - and to do some roots-finding at the same time, as my ancestors were from there in the 18th century.
