I have been aware of the veteran American conductor, Lorin Maazel, for years, and to my great delight last night saw him in action. He collects orchestras as well as the plaudits of the critics. He is or has been musical director of the New York Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Clevedon Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic (a new one to me),the Bavarian Radio Symphony, director of the Vienna State Opera and – of interest to this website – he is now coming to the end of three years working with the opera house orchestra of Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences),the enormous entertainment complex, designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, in the city of Valencia.

Last night it was a privilege to be present at music making of great distinction. It was the turn of the Philharmonia as part of their current tour with Maazel, performing a programme which is to be repeated in Dortmund next week. He is like so many conductors it seems, small in stature, conserving his energy on the podium, with spare but clear directions to his players -who clearly have great regard for him – but then expansively leading them to climaxes of which there were many last night.

He conducted throughout without a score.

It was an exhilarating programme which I greatly enjoyed, the centre piece for many there was clearly Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto performed passionately but also sensitively by the Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski who had some trouble in getting the piano stool at the right height, applauded by some of the audience when he had done so and responding with a mocking bow. There was exceptional rapport between orchestra and soloist. It was a virtuoso performance, but that was true of the whole evening.

It might seem perverse but for me the highlight of the concert was the first piece, Kodaly’s Dances from Galanta, which has for long been a favourite of mine, as has all the work of this Hungarian composer.

With Bela Bartok, these two friends brought to a wider audience much of the country’s folk music. I visited Kodaly’s house in Budapest when I was in that city in the winter of 1994 (see in my European Cities blogs) and over the years have collected some of his music on disc. It was a sensational performance – seeing music as it is made is so much better than just hearing it, and the relationship between the instruments – especially some wonderful clarinet playing and gorgeous string tone – was a revelation to me.

After the interval the evening ended in triumphal mood with Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with the prolonged climax of The Great Gate of Kiev ringing in my ears as I left Colston Hall.

A great evening!

Bryan