Fireworks Music

We went to the BBC Proms again tonight. Walking down Exhibition Road from the tube station to the Royal Albert Hall, we passed a street musician entertaining the crowds. He was a little unusual - as you can see. Dressed up in black tie, with a red flower in his button hole, top hat, immaculate white gloves and old-fashioned spectacles, he was playing music from the 1930s and 1940s on his tuba. The rather unique feature was that, whenever he played a note, flame shot out of the bell of the instrument. Sometimes he could produce a significant column of fire.

I have no idea how the flame was produced, but it certainly attracted attention.

The main works tonight in the concert were the Bruch Violin Concerto, a long-standing audience favourite, and a symphony by Korngold, which I had never heard before. I am always a little uncertain about relatively modern pieces which are new to me, but this proved to be very enjoyable and easily digestible..