To Eat or Not To Eat - Before A Concert

The other day I had an idle thought which I put to my Twitter followers.
Basically I was interested in the eating habits of the musicians amongst them.
The tweet said,

"To the musicians out there. Do you like to eat before a performance or do you prefer to wait until afterwards?"

I was very pleased when I received replies from soprano/pianist Barbara Rathbone, classical musician Jamie Pullman and oboe/English horn player, Patty Mitchell.

I have written before about musicians requirements in preparation of a concert.
Here's an example, 'Sex, Drugs and Classical Music', and another, 'Nigel Kennedy - Running on Pure Adrenaline'.

But this related more to the use of Beta Blockers, not the daily requirement of food.

However I have also discussed Robin's needs pre concert here, with, 'Bananas on the High Seas and Bottom E', and 'From, Fish - Brain Food for Musicians, to Oscar Peterson, to Elgar.'

Robin always eats before a performance, whether it is classical, or with a band. But there is a difference. When playing with a band he just feels better if he has eaten, but if performing a classical concert, he needs to.
I believe this is something to do with not only the increased pressure he feels when playing classical concerts, but also, the level of concentration that is required of him.
He's not alone in this.
The renowned guitarist, Julian Bream, has said that he always has a plentiful supply of sandwiches backstage to eat before his concert.

But you do have to watch these musicians.
There's an amusing anecdote around Handel and his dietary requirements.
He was frequently known, when entertaining guests, to suddenly announce he had a musical idea, and to leave the room.
The 'idea' was simply that he kept his high quality wine in his music room, whilst serving a cheaper version to his guests, and had simply 'nipped' out for a quick drink...
Whether or not the great man ate before a concert is not known but I would be extremely surprised if he didn't!

Getting back to the results of this highly unscientific research, well, the results were mixed.

Barbara, a singer, always eats after a performance as she finds eating before affects here voice. When I asked about the energy required to perform, she acknowledged it was adrenaline that got her through.

This is completely understandable. A singers needs are very different to other instruments.

The orchestral player Jamie Pullman had a different approach. If performing with the orchestra he ate before, but if with his quartet, then afterwards.
The increased exposure, and therefore pressure, of the quartet performance appears to alter his needs. Although he did add that he found it easier to concentrate on the music if he was 'uncomfortable' due to being hungry.

Patty Mitchell, another orchestral player, always eats before a performance, although only a small amount. I assume this is provide just the required amount of energy without causing discomfort.

It seems, as you would expect, that every musician has their own way of dealing with the question of whether to eat before or after a performance.
It also appears that nerves/stress, the need to focus on the job in hand, and the ability to concentrate all play a part.

From observing Robin perform over many years I know the amount of energy he expends when on stage. Yes, when you watch a programme about classical musicians and see them sweating away under the bright lights, it's all true, not just sprayed on for effect.

But there was one aspect to all this that struck me.
Only 'classical' musicians amongst my twitter followers responded to the question.
Initially I had addressed it to all musicians.
There could be many reasons for this.
They may not have been 'watching' at the time the tweet was posted, they could have been busy doing other things rather than replying to a random tweet from me, or they simply may not have felt the issue was important to them for their particular style of playing.
This in itself raises more questions so I would love to hear from musicians from all walks of life to hear their views.

Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell - Experience Reunited?

Those who follow this blog regularly will know that Jimi Hendrix has played a huge role in Robin's musical life.
But it wasn't just Hendrix, it was the whole 'Jimi Hendrix Experience', the meeting of three musicians who changed the face of music.
Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.

It's not just Robin though, most musicians I know have spent a lifetime listening to the music of Jimi Hendrix. Right across the range from classical, jazz, to rock.
There was something so exhilarating, exciting and original about their playing, interaction, and complete 'ease' with their instruments that seems to inspire all musicians. Nigel Kennedy, for example, has always been very vocal about his musical roots and love of Hendrix.

So it was with great sadness that we heard of the death of the last surviving band member, Mitch Mitchell.
Mitchell was a fabulous drummer and the interplay between him and Hendrix was legendary.
You can read an interesting and informative obituary in The Telegraph.

The sad news prompted a weekend of listening to various tracks and searching for a fitting YouTube video to show all the band members at their best.
But it didn't stop there.
Robin has spent some time practicing Rodrigo's, 'Concierto de Aranjuez', for a performance next year, and emerged from the music room as I was surfing the net.

Just to live up to his reputation of the 'Hendrix of the classical guitar', he proceeded to play the opening bars of the concierto with his guitar behind his head...
It wasn't until I pointed out that this may not be the best way to treat his valuable Rodriguez guitar, and that maybe he should try it with his Stratocaster instead, that he stopped. (I know, it's boring always being the sensible one...)

Anyway, the world is a poorer place with the loss of Mitch Mitchell.
Our hope is that finally, after many years, the trio have now been reunited, and are holding the best ever jam session somewhere....

But here on earth, we have to be content with archive footage.
There's so much to choose from it has been difficult.
We finally settled on a song called 'Killing Floor', originally by the band, 'Electric Flag', as it shows beautifully the energy and interaction on stage during a live performance.
As the video won't post to blog, you'll have to click the link to watch, but it's worth it... 'The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Killing Floor.'

Hill at Home and the Nigel Kennedy Effect

Robin is home, albeit for only three days.
As he is playing twice in this short time, we are in for a busy weekend.
However, there has been time for him to catch up with all that has been occurring at home in his absence.
One thing in particular caught his attention.
The violin.

Twitter friends will know that son number two has started to learn the violin.
We are in the very early stages, (thank goodness for mutes), but, he is coming on in leaps and bounds.

One thing Robin has always encouraged in his students, and in fact mentions in, 'The Guitar Gymnasium', is to watch and learn from other musicians. Whatever the instrument.
To see a virtuoso performance is a great inspiration and worth a million CDs.

So, Robin was keen to see how our 5 year old had progressed after watching the recording of Nigel Kennedy at The Proms the other day. This is the post I ran about it at the time, 'Nigel Kennedy Proms 2008 - Monocle Poppin' Innit?'

I must say Robin was impressed.
Sound quality and bow control and were all greatly improved.
Enthusiasm and imagination were enhanced with new compositions called, 'Always Love Your Monkey', and 'Land of the Winds', rather atonal and a bit 'far out' for me, but none the less, a musical experience.
This progress was backed up by his teachers words at the end of his last lesson, "More Nigel Kennedy please!"

So yes, at any age, it is so important to go and see musicians play, if possible live, but as we found, just as important to watch on the television if you get the chance.

Nigel Kennedy Proms 2008 - Monocle Poppin' Innit?

Thank you to the BBC.
Last night we were treated to the recording of Nigel Kennedy's performance at the BBC Proms 2008.
It proved to be an oasis in the cultural void that is television today.

What a pleasure to see Kennedy perform Elgar's Violin Concerto with the passion, mastery and skill of the true virtuoso that he is.

His ability to engage not only the audience, but also the BBC Concert Orchestra, shows the mutual respect that was justly deserved.

As if one concerto wasn't enough, Kennedy then went on to play with his Polish Jazz Quintet, proving once again that he is a true maestro.
I have said many times on this blog that it is rare for a classical musician to play convincingly in other genres, but Kennedy is one of those rare musicians.

The fact that he had just played Elgar brilliantly, emphasised the quality of his musicianship, and only added to the quintet's kudos and gravitas.
It is always such a delight to observe any musician when so engrossed in his music, whether Elgar or his own compositions, and on this occasion Nigel Kennedy did the world a huge favour with these inspired performances.

Jeff Beck's playing was truly fantastic, and, with the addition of Kennedy's version of 'Third Stone from the Sun' also being performed, (I don't recall ever previously hearing Jimi Hendrix's music at the Proms), it was a hugely refreshing change.

People like Nigel Kennedy are extremely rare.
We should cherish those with such ability and allow them to grow and develop.

Nigel Kennedy - Running on Pure Adrenalin

As Nigel Kennedy prepares to perform Elgar's Violin Concerto tonight at the BBC Proms 2008 you can be assured that he won't have ingested any prescribed medication to combat nerves prior to his concert.

However, what he does after the performance, in order to relax, may be a different matter.
This point was recently highlighted in many newspapers and blogs.

One example was in The Guardian blog with a post from the American oboist, journalist and author of 'Mozart in the Jungle', Blair Tindall.

Apparently Kennedy is against musicians taking prescribed drugs for stage fright, but not adverse to occasional cannabis use.

This whole topic reminded me of a post I ran almost a year ago which looked at Robin's views of the use of beta blockers to combat nerves, 'Sex, Drugs and Classical Music.'

So, apart from the cannabis, I think we fall into the same camp as Nigel Kennedy, which I must say isn't a bad place to be.
I'm actually far more concerned that I will only be able to hear his performance at the proms tonight on Radio 3, and not see it on any of the available television stations, despite huge coverage in the media....

Borat, Kennedy, Ronnie Scot's, and Robin Hill is off to Singapore...

For those of you who are 'Borat' film fans, you will know that it was Sacha Baron Cohen's brother Erran, who composed the score. Due to the controversy surrounding the film, he was surprised to get a 'phone call from Marat Bisengaliev, the Kazakh violin virtuoso and conductor.
The result is a new composition for symphony orchestra called, 'Zere', which will be premiered at St.James's Church, Piccadilly, London, on Friday.
Bisengaliev will play violin and conduct the Turan Alem Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. For a full report read Adam Sweeting's article in The Daily Telegraph.

Nigel Kennedy has also had a glowing report from Ivan Hewett, for a performance at Ronnie Scott's, where he combined jazz with Bartok and a bit of blues thrown in. Read more here.

Meanwhile, Robin is oblivious to all of this.
Having flown overnight from Miami to Heathrow, he then immediately boarded a flight to Singapore. Another 12 and a half hours...Ouch.
It's tough at the top.