Classical music and the volcanic ash

The Belfast born concert pianist Barry Douglas is 50 this Friday. When we spoke a few days ago for Sounds Classical, he was just relieved that he had made it across the Channel. He had taken the train from his Paris home earlier that day, missing the chaos in the sky, or rather the airports, due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. So his concert in London's Barbican last night wasn't affected.

But this Tuesday the much anticipated visit to Belfast by the brilliant young American violinist Tai Murray with the Ulster Orchestra has been affected. She can't make it across from her New York home. The concert is going ahead though. Tai is just one of many musicians grounded around the globe. 

Finnish pianist Leif Ove Andsnes couldn't get to Barcelona to play Rach 4 with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra last night. Thankfully he shares an agent with the Russian pianist Nikolai Demindenko, no stranger to Belfast audiences, having played here with the Ulster Orchestra very recently. She got him on the Eurostar. The only thing is he had to stand from London to Paris. 

I hope Whitney Houston got a seat on the car ferry from Liverpool to Dublin at the weekend. Apparently the legendary diva made sure the show went on and her and entourage boarded a stenaline.

Anyhow, birthday wishes to Barry. He's got a not so secret celebration in Paris this Friday. Apparently the restaurant emailed him to confirm numbers!!! I hope the fifty candles on his cake don't put any more ash into the atmosphere!