Between Mahler and Shosty & Bernstein...

or Abbado and Dudamel, or the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra - is where I find myself with the first on the telly by satellite from Germany and the second on Radio 3 from the UK via the internet. And here I'm sitting at home almost with my feet up. Isn't technology wonderful? I wish I could see the London concert, too! Of course it's always lovely to see Abbado conducting, especially since he has recovered from his very serious illness quite some years ago now. I gather the Dudamel concert is being recorded for BBC which unfortunately I cannot get on the satellite - for the BBC I might even be prepared to pay some money for the satellite....

As it happens, the Abbado show will be at the London Proms next Wednesday, 22 August, at 19.30 London time. I noticed that the famous Sabine Meyer, clarinettist, is in the orchestra, too, and apparently some other well-kent faces, including, of course, the fabulous Wolfram Christ, VIOLA - he has a huge instrument! Concerts seem to appear at other festivals first, and then at the London Proms - the Edinburgh festival is a favourite staging post, too.

Wouldn't it be great to have lots of money and attend lots of festivals all over Europe? Edinburgh would be my first choice - you can pack the day full of shows; then maybe Salzburg...or perhaps a different festival every year? Would be better still to work at them, even as an usher, to get paid and get in free...

Then again, staying at home is free - but where's the atmosphere?