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[babyjane]

I have a signed photo of Vladimir Ashkenazy.  Mum adored his Emperor Concerto especially.  I wrote to his office and asked for a signed photo for her.  It was a photo of him in his prime and she was thrilled.  I still have it in my photos of Mum file.  I will look it out and see if I can work out how to post it here 

Right, let's have a go



oh, it worked  at least you can see it, sort of.  I blanked out mum's name.

[Dulciana]

Amazing!  Lucky you!

[Dulciana]

Don't suppose anybody watched tonight's Prom on BBC4??  Wow, and wow again.  I honestly think this violinist must have a hotline to J.S. Bach.  Oh to be able to learn something from her.  I feel humbled and inspired at the same time.   

[babyjane]

who was playing Dulciana, was it Nicola?

[Dulciana]

No babyjane.  It was a most wonderful Russian violinist by the name of Alina Ibragimova.   If you can give a listen to her performance last night from the Albert Hall, on BBC i-Player, you won't be disappointed.   

[babyjane]

I will look it up over the weekend, thank you x

[Dulciana]

My pleasure!
D.

[CLKD]

Lovely photo BJ - thanks for sharing.

Off to find the '8 discs on my Desert Island' thread

[babyjane]

is it all right to bump up this thread for member LellyM who is also a musician.  It could be of interest to her 

[CLKD]

Yep!

[LellyM]

Hello fellow Musicians,

well I thought I would find this thread as I am also a semi-pro musician. I have been playing one instrument or another since I was 4 and now I am the lead clarinet / alto sax and musical director of a swing band in Nottingham.

It is all good fun. We do quite a few gigs around the country, mainly 40s events but the odd wedding also.

It is a bit difficult for me at the moment as I went to the music school that is in the press again (the ex violin teacher who shot himself). I was there at the time of the abuse scandal so it all feels a bit too close for comfort. Not that I was aware of anything going on mind you.

I was just thinking the school was out of the press finally (after the ex head of music was sent for 6 years at Her majesty's pleasure a couple of years ago). But then Chris Ling shoots himself before being extradited back to the UK. The worst bit was my dad asking if I had been involved!

Lxx

[babyjane]

Oh LellyM that must have been a bit traumatic for you to see in the media, but music is wonderful as a means of escape and also very self defining.

I am in no way a musician, not like you and Dulciana, but I did play the piano and the treble recorder but, sadly, did not keep it up since 2003 and was never of a standard to play publicly although I did do a small local concert that my music teacher hosted.

In my dreams and fantasies though I am a concert pianist like my grandmother.

[Dulciana]

Do you think you would ever go back to playing, babyjane?   It sounds as though you must have enjoyed it.  And fascinating to hear that your grandmother was a concert pianist.  Was she someone we would know of?

Good to "meet" you LellyM and great to learn about your swing band.  Sorry to hear things are a bit upsetting for you, on the school front, just now, though. 

I'm having to exercise patience at the moment because the organ I play is under wraps for the next fortnight while dust settles in the church following the installation of a new heating system.  I am counting the days......!

[babyjane]

Do you think you would ever go back to playing, babyjane?

No Dulciana, sadly, I am not well enough now for the physical and mental rigours of it and I have arthritic fingers. After mum died I taught myself to play one of her favourite pieces.  Then I put her ashes on top of my piano and played it to her before we took them to be scattered.  That was the last time I really played.  I let my piano go as I wanted it to be used and appreciated.  I might get a keyboard for fun at some point.

  Was she someone we would know of?

No again as she had a breakdown quite early in her life.  She taught for a while but then, sadly, she let it all go and was never well again.

[LellyM]

Well, if the meno wasn't causing enough stress I have just had 2 days of hell. Out band has a gig tomorrow night and our trumpeter is ill. I had arranged a deputy player but he cancelled on me last night. So I have spend a day in touch with practically every trumpeter in the UK. Finally this morning I found someone!

So I have had sleepless nights and my stomach feels like a washing machine. Think I am going to go home and sleep.

To make matters even worse, my band was run by someone else who was the partner of our singer. He then played away from home and was kicked out. So we have also had a few months of him being a bit of an arse making things difficult. So, to add to the trumpeter problems it turns out he will be at the gig tonight. He was our trumpeter previously so I didn't want to turn up with half a band.

But we are back to full strength and if last nights rehearsal was anything to go by it is going to be a hell of a gig.

L