With half an hour or so to go before rehearsals begin, I’ve seen one of them wandering about the Barbican foyer looking rather nonplussed by it all. I don’t suppose the others are far behind.
Congratulations to all three, who now face a busy night preparing for the competition. Or will they decide, like the previous winner Alexandre Bloch, just to get a really good night’s sleep?
See you tomorrow!
But you shouldn’t imagine that means they are rigid in their movements, and the seriousness of their demeanour doesn’t mean they come across as overly earnest. They even manage to get a laugh or two out of the orchestra once or twice. (If you are looking for laughs, though, best not tap your baton on the stand – naming no names, but it does sound a bit like swearing in church, so rarely do you hear it.)
Personally, I love the Sibelius violin concerto so it was a pleasure to hear Rose Hsien play it so consistently well, and at full throttle, throughout the day. As for Arthur Boutillier, it turns out that in my other life as a viola player we played at a random function together as part of a small string group in a conference venue in Watford. So, nice to get to hear him in his more natural environment! What a fantastic by both of them, and every success to them in the future.
It’s a lot closer to the action than I was yesterday so I’m seeing things in much more detail. (One reason why I may have underestimated the beard count in round one – I was too far away to see anything but the fuller kind.)
