Today we drove up to Hadrian’s Wall for some much needed fresh air, exercise and open vistas, so I’ve picked a piece that I associate with childhood car journeys, but which also makes me think of big landscapes. My Dad made a mixtape (remember those!) for car journeys with lots of loud cheerful bits from his record collection, and this Bruckner scherzo was one of my favourites. I love the way the horns summon you to an adventure and the music charges off on a happy gallop, just occasionally pausing, hanging in the air before hurtling off again. There’s a bit in the middle where I have to do air-conducting… Dad’s tape also had Bizet’s L’Arlésienne on it, and for a long time I used to get Bruckner and Bizet mixed up, much to his amusement.
The picture is one that I took up on the wall today.
