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CLASSICAL SOURCE

Otaka’s grasp of Elgar is total – which is saying something, for those who remember his fine accounts of the A-flat Symphony in particular – and his direction of Froissart (not one of Elgar’s flawless masterpieces) so captured the essence of this work that its qualities were clearly and cleverly brought out. Indeed, this was a performance of no little stature in which architecture and atmosphere were perfectly equated.

When I last saw Danny Driver, I was seventeen, and he was teaching me composition at London’s Junior Academy of Music. Now he’s a world famous pianist. “I was always slightly mystified as to why I was teaching composition, given that I was never really a composer”, he laughs, when we speak again after a gap of fifteen years. “I guess it was because I’ve always had a fascination with musical structure”.

BACHTRACK ★★★

One of the dilemmas for a conductor is when to perform popular pieces. This is not really a problem if you are already in the Premier League of conductors – people will always come to see you. However, if you are not yet a household name, you need to pick your moments.