Learn something new

Last Friday I learnt something new. Nonets by Spohr and Martinu. They were really enjoyable. The pieces are not often programmed and so it was a real treat to hear Ensemble 360 playing both at their Portsmouth Chamber Music concert in the Third Floor Arts Centre.

Six times a year, Portsmouth is visited by world class chamber musicians who play in the series, which started off as the Music in the Round series. It changed its name two years ago with the inclusion of a couple of concerts by musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra playing in chamber groups.

The concerts are enjoyable as they are more relaxed and the musicians more approachable. They talk about the music and sometimes share jokes with the audience. At the end of the evening there is also an audience question time and we go deeper into the musician's life, playing or the music they have chosen.

Last Friday we heard how young composer Charlie Piper approached his commission to write With Stolen Fire to mark the centenary of steel making in Sheffield.

So learn something new this week and go to a concert you wouldn't otherwise go, visit a museum you walked past unnoticed or visit the theatre near you!

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