Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Banned!

The Royal Festival Hall is reopening in a grand bonanza on 11 June after a major refit that is supposed to fix its acoustics. They're working flat out to finish the thing on time and are now giving some acoustic test concerts to help them perfect the final stages. On Saturday night, the LPO performed a whole evening of Brahms with Vladimir Jurowski, starring the one and only Vadim Repin in the Violin Concerto.

I was BANNED from attending. No journalists were allowed in.

Not like word isn't rife on the ground - everybody I know seems to have been inside and heard something, even if not that concert, in the past few days. Tom, for once in his life, is too scared to say a word, but elsewhere rumour has it that the stage is much larger than before and that in the rear stalls underneath the balcony you can actually hear the orchestra.

London is now chock-full of journalists trying to source leaks - which might not have been the case if we hadn't been shut out.

4 comments:

George said...

So who went to this concert? Was it for invited patrons? One wonders how journalists could be kept out, but obviously the context escapes me.

Jessica said...

Yes, the audience was invited. Each player was allowed to invite 2 guests. But they couldn't ask journalists...

George said...

Any reports from insiders yet? But then one wonders if you would feel comfortable about blogging any reports, given your connections. That always seems to be the case if one is in possession of information that one is sworn not to reveal.

Jessica said...

yes and no, if you get my drift! I envy Opera Chic her perspicacity in staying anonymous.