Monthly Archives: April 2005

Mozart Bi-centenary 1956

The final concert of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s European tour was on 6th February, 1956, celebrating two hundred years since Mozart’s birth*. This was the first time I had been to the Royal Festival Hall for a concert – although I remember the 1951 Festival of Britain when the concert hall was just one of a variety of spectacular structures on the South Bank.
In the concert there were two symphonies: no 35 the “Haffner” and no 41 “Jupiter”. Joining the orchestra for the A major piano concerto, no 23, was Clara Haskil, Rumanian born, and now stooping and looking frail. As various newspaper reviews make clear the performance belied appearances.
Clara Haskil was thought to be outstanding as a performer of Mozart and her recordings are still sought after. She became a close friend of another legendary Romanian musician, Dinu Lipatti. Haskil had become widely known quite late in her career, although many wonder why since she had started performing at an early age. As a young woman it is said that her performances had the same characteristics. After her death following a fall an annual piano competition was started at Vevey in Switzerland which had become her adopted home.
The 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth is fast approaching and we’re in a different world. Many Mozart performances in the mid twentieth century had become slow and over-refined. The rise of the period instrument movement, while initially unconvincing, led to a re-evaluation of performing which was a revelation and refreshment. It is interesting to read in Norman Lebrecht’s book “The Maestro Myth” how some of the leading conductors, notably Karajan, had held back the tide of people like Harnoncourt in a highly politicised commercial world of music.

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A Bethlehem Child’s Dream, 2005

Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem. 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth rode on a donkey between the two on Palm Sunday. Today there is a road block with armed guards and look out towers. When I was there in January 2004, an enormous armoured caterpillar tractor which had just been used to demolish the house of the family of a Palestinian police officer who had blown himself up on a bus in Jerusalem that same morning. In that context the following is a human story of what happened this year.
Needless to say the group were prevented from passing the checkpoint when some 40 Israeli soldiers threatened violence. With children present it was necessary to proceed with caution. We still await the realisation of the Bethlehem child’s dream.
A Bethlehem Child’s Dream of Non-violent Action

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Caterpillars Kill

16/4/2005. 60 vehicles drove in convoy past the Solihull European HQ of Caterpillar, now the symbol of the unlawful occupation of Palestine by Israel. At the following rally in Victoria Square, Birmingham, a Jewish speaker spoke out against the ongoing terror which the heavily armoured bulldozers engendered in the Palestinian people. Not only are they only the size of a double decker bus and armour plated, they are armed to the teeth carrying guns and grenades. A resolution had been put forward at the share holders meeting – three percent (representing dome 600 million shares) voted for it. These were people objecting to pension funds being invested in Israeli interests. If other similar investors followed the example from California the Israeli Government would have to think again. It is being put about that there is a move towards peace. Mahmoud Abbas has been atempting to hold to a cease fire, but meanwhile Palestinians continue to be killed daily, including many children. The Israeli Government is not the slighest bit interested in peace. The huge wall continues to be built around the Palestinians stopping children going to school and expectant mothers getting to hospital. Not only does this activity break international law, it breaks Israeli law.

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Barenboim: the Concert

April 6th. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra are performing Mahler’s 9th Symphony under their Music Director, Daniel Barenboim. A reception has been arranged after the performance.
I have not seen Barenboim conduct before, nor heard a performance of Mahler’s Ninth, live that is. I certainly had not appreciated the use of the orchestra where you can hear so many unusual combinations of instruments and strange effects. It’s clearly familiar territory as Mahler with Viennese waltzes or military bands breaking through. Full orchestra is pretty impenetrable, well it is for me. All it does is make the constant noise in my left ear louder. The closing pages had to be heard to be believed in the sustained hushed string playing. The movement of people around me was noisy in contrast. The huge audience were clearly caught up in this and there was not a single interruption.

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Postal vote fraud in Birmingham

It’s 4th April, 2005 at Birmingham Midland Institute and the judge, Richard Mawrey Q.C.is summing up at the end of gathering evidence in a four week trial. The room isn’t full but there are many who are familiar figures on the political scene. Prefessor John and Theresa Stewart have attended the hearing throughout, and John was interviewed. There were many prominent trades unionists and of course the actors in the local elections of 2004 when every seat in Birmingham was contested. There were those who conducted the election, the Chief Executive Lin Homer and the Chief Elections Officer, John Owen who had “thrown the book out of the window” to ensure the elections were concluded with a massive increase in the number of postal votes. From the political parties John Hemming, Leader of the Lib-Dems, was there as was Raghib Ahsan from the Peoples’ Justice Party. The PJP had led on the case against the Bordesley Green councillors and the Lib-Dems against Aston.

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