On Thursday 20th March 2003 the BBCM visited the Royal Festival Hall. We heard luminous sounds from a combination of instruments. We heard the music of Russian composers Prokofiev and Shostakovich.. While we listened, a film was shown on the big screen. The people spoke Russian in it as it was about the Tsar and leading people to victory fighting other cities of Russia. The music was also playing to a short film about a person being thanked by many people for what great things he has done to change their lives the best way the people of Russia could imagine. The conductor was Vladimir Ashkenazy and he told us a story about this person whose name was Stalin and he said that if composers had not written music in his praise they would have been put to prison or even executed. Although there were many instruments involved in this performance no one can forget the professional singers that joined in with the instruments. The men and women added an extra touch of magic in the breathtaking performance. Everyone enjoyed the concert and gave a huge applause after each piece.

Becky Galfalvi, age 11
Intermediate class

Postscript by Agnes Kory:

Thirty of us (including young children as well as adults, with eleven BBCM children between ages 5 and 11) attended this magnificent midweek concert in spite of school the following morning. Not only did we have a full orchestra, full chorus and a solo pianist but we were also treated to three film excerpts (one by Sergey Eisenstein) from films to which Prokofiev and Shostakovich composed the music (from which we heard excerpts on this concert). 16 years old Lukás Vondrácek amazed us with his controlled virtuosity as concerto pianist in Shostakovich's The Fall of Berlin. Conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy impressed with his full control over his large forces while having to follow the films; in spite of technical complexities involving such an undertaking, Ashkenazy delivered truly authentic and highly musical performances. I for one will never forget Ashkenazy's exceptionally beautiful rendering of Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony: it was a 'once in a lifetime' treat.