Reflected blipper

One of the the weekend commitments that I'd warned the magazine client about was a visit to the Lighthouse cinema this evening for a live screening of a concert from the Berlin Philharmonie. Gustavo Dudamel was conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in a fascinating programme which combined in each half one of Stravinsky's tiny suites for small orchestra with a well-know symphony from the Classical period: Schubert's Fourth in the first half and Beethoven's Fourth in the second.

It was Tom, my Chew & Chat companion who suggested going. I was initially unsure. Gustavo Dudamel made his name a few years ago at a concert in the BBC Proms with the Simon Bolavar Youth Orchestra, notable for the vivacious playing and remembered long afterwards for the encores, for which the orchestra members transferred  into costumes made up on the Venezuelan flag. The young players amazed and totally won over the audience with the spontaneity and vivacity of their playing, demonstrating an irresistible joy of music-making. Dudamel got a recording contract soon after, I heard some recordings and caught a couple of live performances. I became concerned that he could well turn into a bit of flash-Harry conductor, more a showman than a real musician. Because of these reservations I wasn't at all sure about how he would do with the Berlin Philharmonic.

How wrong can you be! It was obvious on screen that the orchestra adore and respect him, he did things with the schubert which I'd never heard before and which caught it in a new light; the Stravinsky suite which opened the second half was terrific fun, and Beethoven's 4th which brought the concert to a lose was given a magnificent performance which Tom and I sat enthralled by. Dudamel's way with the symphony was revelatory, the orchestra played their hearts out for him and obviously loved to have him at the helm. A terrific experience, and one of those wonderful moments when an uncommitted opinion is transformed in to a feeling of enthusiastic admiration.

The Berlin musicians are the ones who choose the orchestra's conductors themselves. Simon rattle recently announced that he will not renew his contract. After tonight's display, Gustavo Dudamel must surely be on the short list already.

The Lighthouse cinema is a wonderful place. the building rather turns the cinema-going experience on its head, guiding the audience down through a couple of informal performance spaces to the four screens which are located down in the very bowels of the building. The approach to the cinemas adds atmosphere to the occasion in a rather wonderful way. The Lighthouse also benefits from the fact that there's a fine bar within easy distance - just across a small square, in fact. This is Oscar', where Carl and I went after seeing Gravity 3D. Tom was just as impressed by the place as we'd been then, and we spent a really pleasant time there, including a shared plate of very tasty starter-food plates. I caught the Luas just after 11:30, but was already too late at that time for the last bus and got a taxi home from town.

Tom isn't keen on having a camera pointed at him, so I got around that by pointing it away from him and getting our reflection in the shiny surface of the side of the bar. (Notice DS's very refined shooting technique which involved sticking out one's tongue. All the best blippers do that.