I'm now ensconsed on the train home - slightly later than anticipated due to one of the solo violas spectacularly de-tuning in the middle of the piece, forcing a restart.

The second half comprised:

- the one with two flutes and a violin

- the violas

- the violin, flute, oboe and squeaky little trumpet one. Lots of fun, although in reality despite lots of earnest sawing from the violin and tootling away on the flute and oboe, all you can hear is that trumpet. Good job he was pretty sound. In the wrong hands I suspect one of those tiny trumpets could be a serious eardrum hazard.

Thought for the day, prompted by the multiple soloist scenario: how much artistic weaving about is too much? In the two flute piece, the first flute stood rooted to the floor, barely dipping at the crucial cadences. Whereas the second flute did the whole knee-bend (they were all standing) and weave about thing. Meaning that there was a disconnect between what you were seeing and hearing. Most troubling.

I'm not sure where I stand on all that artistic emoting. There was a clarinettist I was at university with who would peer over the top of her music stand at the audience in a most annoying manner, as if to say "I'm playing this for YOU... and YOU and YOU and... [Ba-ba-baaaaa! Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baaaaa! Sorry. Carried away for a moment there]. Not that I prefer the cadaver look, mind you. It doesn't seem right for a tremendous sound to appear to emanate with zero input from the player. I have no idea what I do, either. I'd like to think it was a happy medium, but who knows? I daren't ask anyone in case they tell me.