It is always a pleasure to listen to good music making and the concert in June at the Barbican was no exception. This was the first opportunity I had had of seeing Bernard Haitink perform live and I was immensely impressed by the delicate and sensitive way that he handled every item on the programme.

The concert began with Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G minor. Unfortunately, it seemed that the LSO needed the first movement to get their respective musical brains into gear! However, after that they gave a very spirited and enjoyable performance, which was furthered by the way Haitink conducted, with no false emotion but a great variety of colour, dynamic and mood.

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, K467, played by Andras Schiff, was next on the bill of fare. For me the highlight of this performance was the opening bars of the beautiful middle movement and what must be one of the most musically taxing instrumental entries ever written. Simple in conception, yet incredibly difficult in execution it is rare to hear it so well imagined and played. The left hand accompaniment came as one with the orchestra whilst the melody soared high above its musical surroundings, almost disembodied from them, yet at the same time inextricably linked. Mozart's piano concertos allowed him to be composer, performer and director. Musically speaking, this must have proved a unity of intent and purpose well nigh impossible to surpass. I felt, however, that Haitink, Schiff and the music and spirit of Mozart blended in such perfect harmony that for that moment at least they could have all been one entity.

The evening finished with Don Quixote by Richard Strauss. Whilst I enjoyed the playing of this piece I could not help but be reminded of Strauss's own comment on his compositional abilities. "I am not a first rate composer but I am a very good second rate one." This certainly does not hold true for all his music but I felt that the music of Don Quixote lost direction and the musical thread which binds such a work together was for me broken in several places. Having said that, there were moments of really exquisite beauty which I shall never forget. Many thanks to Agnes for arranging these outings and I hope we have many more of the same.

James Boyd, student at the Royal Academy of Music
Adult Class