Hold the Pergolesi

If you told me last night that today I would go hear the Vienna Boys Choir I would have laughed in your face - primarily because everyone knows that concerts at QPAC cost an arm and a leg (why? I don't know) and this would certainly be true of a world class choir of the calibre as this - so of course I wouldn't be going. Yet this morning, lying in bed, I discovered that there still were some of the cheaper ($69 mind you!) tickets available, and on a whim, given I would be at South Bank later today for a much cheaper event, I decided to hop on the train and go. Fortunately the $5.95 online booking fee prohibited me from booing the tickets online - I figured, given the lateness of the hour and the fact tickets were still showing as available, I'd just try my luck at the box office. Luckily I did, as, whilst waiting in the queue for tickets, a woman approached and asked if I wanted a free one. She was from Kenmore high school and they'd had a no show, so rather than let the ticket waste, it was mine if I wanted it. I however couldn't in all conscience take it for free, so I offered her what was in my wallet - $20 - and the ticket was mine. I couldn't believe my luck!

The concert consisted of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, followed by an interval and then a selection of shorter pieces. First of all, someone needs to educate the Brisbane concert public on concert etiquette. You absolutely DO NOT clap after EVERY SINGLE SECTION of a major work like the Stabat Mater!  How to look like a bunch of provincial, uneducated plebs! It was quite disgraceful - but then I realised - alas, so was the performance! Just diabolical! Intonation all over the shop, soloists who REALLY SHOULDN'T be soloists (some very good ones of course, but some shockers!) - and wherever did they drag up that string quartet? Hopefully not Brisbane locals (but alas I strongly suspect they were!).  I quite seriously was disappointed and debated not returning for the second half. But what to do to kill time in the meantime?

In the end, I returned for the second half - and was quite pleased I did. Much, MUCH better performance.  Mozart's Laudate Dominium particularly was a stand out. And the Trisch Trasch polka was quite good.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning - now lets see how the Spiegeltent gig shapes up...