Hi-fi has been a great solace over the past 15 months... but there ain't nothing like
live orchestral music. I went yesterday to one of the CBSO's pilot season of Wednesday concerts for a socially distanced audience (600 of Symphony Hall's 2262 seats available), and it was wonderful.
The Symphony Hall stage has been flattened out and most of the choir seats removed to maximise room. This probably makes it the largest stage available to a socially distanced orchestra in the UK. The audience is asked to enter the hall at least 30 minutes before the start time.
From the stalls the three of us couldn't see the rear of the orchestra, but the sound was just as good as we remember and every player was on fine form. The strings were reduced, I think, by one desk per section; each string player had their own music stand. Harp, celeste, tuba and percussion were all audibly present and correct.
We heard Britten's Nocturne sung by Ian Bostridge, and then (with no interval) Malcolm Arnold's 5th symphony. We were at the matinee; each Wednesday's programme is being given at 14:00 and again at 18:30. The conductor was CBSO stalwart Michael Seal, and he did a terrific job. The symphony is one that I know very well - I have five recordings - yet still I heard new sounds and, in places, a
vehemence which is just not reproducible at home. It was a very fine performance, and those of us there gave it as much applause as we could manage between us - it's hard when there aren't enough of you!
Then out into the sunshine, and an enjoyable meal at the New Street Wagamama before the train home... altogether a great outing
Let's hope that the news on June 14th is positive and that either concerts for much larger audiences become possible, or that a formal system of subsidy allowing concerts to continue to be given to limited audiences is announced.