Re: OT The Convent

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 13:03:53 +0100, Nick Atty
<1-nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 07:56:24 GMT, Linda Fox <linda.ff@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:40:52 GMT, chris mcmillan
<spam.tin@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I went to a (free) concert given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the
Hexagon a couple of weeks ago. I was invited by a student as it
happens. I'd seen it advertised and decided it was probably aimed at
children so I'd give it a miss: free or not. Jolly glad I went: it was
*wonderful*. The house was full of young children and their families,
and even the babies were silent through the 1 hr 30 mins. (No break).
First piece was Copland's Fanfare of the Common Man, and by chance I had
my monocular aimed at the correct percussionist (this was an orchestra
par excellence and included everything from celesta to two harps as well
as extensive timps etc). I distinctly saw some of the nearby
instrumentalists not involved in the opening notes cover their ears with
their hands as the percussion let rip.

I've sometimes wondered why a lot of full-time orchestral players
don't lose their hearing. Or maybe they do.

It is an occupational hazard. In recent years you'll have seen perspex
screens appearing to try to protect those nearest to the horns etc.

The horns are sharp but are counterbalanced by the perspex screens
that are flat.


--
Regards, Paul Herber, Sandrila Ltd. http://www.pherber.com/
http://www.sandrila.co.uk/
.