Anthony Marwood's Serenade in Sydney

Anthony Marwood playing Enescu

A concert hall was a good place to be in Sydney yesterday with temperatures of 33-38C forecast and listening to star-violinist Anthony Marwood play with the ACO was a particular pleasure.

They played Stravinsky, then a very beautiful Serenade for Strings in E Major by Dvořák. Truly a serenade.

The second half of the program was the Octet by Enescu. Marwood is championing music by Enescu and when you hear the Octet you understand why. It is romantic and dramatic and well worth a place in the repertoire.

Marwood and the ACO are playing around Australia until the end of November.

Steven Isserlis and the ACO

Steven Isserlis's cello runs away with itself
(12 x 17 cm)

The virtuosic cello player Steven Isserlis is one with his instrument and the way he plays it makes you feel as if you are an extension of it as well. So yesterday when my watercolour cello ran away with itself, I let it go.

I was listening to Isserlis and an augmented Australian Chamber Orchestra with over 40 musicians play Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor. They were wonderful. The ACO are always exceptional and we are so lucky to have such an orchestra call Australia home.

Concerts are not usually the place where people discuss politics, especially not in Australia, but yesterday I ended up in political discussions with both the retired couple I met in the coffee queue beforehand and the people seated next to me at the concert. There seems to be an increasing awareness of the infiltration of our political system by big business and people want to talk about it.  Perhaps the recent pronouncements by our environment minister has tipped the balance?