An awesome racket

In order to further fulfil my resolution to take in more live music and to augment my recent efforts to better familiarise myself with classical music, I found myself at the Barbican Centre in Thursday evening - "found myself" in the sense that I bought a ticket weeks ago and very deliberately got on various modes of public transport to arrive there at the allotted time. "Pray, Sir, to what end?" you might ask; calm yourselves, for I shall divulge my reasons.

I happened to quite deliberately arrive at said time and place for the purpose of attending a concert given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra accompanied by the BBC Symphony choir. The programme for the evening included a rendition of Johannes Brahms' Fourth Symphony and, more significantly, the United Kingdom premiere performance of Krzyzstof Penderecki's Eighth Symphony (Songs Of Transience).

What can I say? (Apparently, judging by the last two paragraphs, an awful lot about not very much at all. Damn that Sterne fellow and his accursed Shandy novel.) 'Twas - excuse me - it was a wonderful concert. First of all was the Brahms, a composer with whom I am not yet acquainted but, after this recital, I am about to rectify that.

Following the interlude came the main event, Penderecki's Eighth. I've owned this on CD for a month or so but my humble speakers have not done it justice, not by a mile. To hear this symphony performed live with the full orchestra and choir was spine-tingling. The sound was simply huge, the players and the venue fully projecting the beauty, subtlety and sheer power of the music. In a word, awesome.

As a result of this experience I have decided that I must:

1. go to more classical music concerts and,
2. get a better home sound system.

On an unrelated musical issue, I have got into the habit of listening to David Bowie on Sunday mornings. I don't know why but Sunday morning is Bowie-time - it somehow feels right. Just one of those curious little rituals.