Composing

Writing this  trying not to pay attention to the crashes and bangs as scaffolding is being brought through the house ! Having has indoor rain every time there is a downpour( particularly bad yesterday)  we're having the back roof done. Apart from dodging showers to cut down the overhanging tree where the scaffolding  is going and clearing out the conservatory, been spending the weekend gathering my art materials for acrylic  painting course at Slapton in a couple of weeks time and revisiting the pieces I started to put together at CQ Summer School.

On Friday Ian and I were in the RNIB Box for the First Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall  Fantastic atmosphere and music ( hear it here on iplayer)  The  Brahms Festival Overture made me nostalgic for my University days in the college choir when I sang the same piece  on the same stage for the graduation ceremonies. The Liszt Piano Concerto No 2 was pretty special but what blew me away was the Janacek Glagolitic Mass - even the organ solo was fantastic (I'm not usually a fan) ! Both the Liszt and Janacek had many  passages of just a few notes or scales taken up by different instruments and voices , continually repeating but changing. The Glagolitic Mass also had close harmonies contrasted with  sounds veering on discordant.  I was thinking all though this of  how that also  works in textiles- repetition with subtle changes, sections pleasing and harmonious but needing the odd juxtaposition of something surprising.

Another Prom on Thursday - Sibelius, Bartok  and Janacek again, looking forward to it.