More Promming: Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra for Mahler's Third

Well, it was a wonderful experience. Dad sucked on his teeth and said it was a bit of a trial, but live and with this orchestra and conductor it was just fascinating. I'm very glad I read the program notes before the performance, as the idea of it being a progression through the natural world made a lot of the music make sense. Claudio Abbado is an absolute phenomenon. He's this small, rather spindly old man who, when turned away from the audience, looked more like he was dressed in a dark grey mac than immaculate white tie, but because of his wide white cuffs every movement of his hands could be seen. Close to his body in the quiet parts, wide and swooping the loud parts, the baton often looking more like some tai chi exercise, tight lethal curves that looked predictable but moved before you realised he hadn't done what you were expecting. Much like the music, which never did what you expected, but always surprised pleasantly. And there I'll have to leave it, since it's late and I need to sleep, but I really have had some wonderfully contrasting orchestras, between the SBNYO and tonight. It's also almost pleasant to queue for the Proms, if you arrive in good time. I sat with my paper and MP3 player, and waited for the doors to open, and chatted with my neighbours, and felt a real fellow-feeling with the other Prommers on the arena floor. Ears still sore from the three encores I stayed for - I think they probably did five in the end.