Bach and Mendelssohn in Gateshead

The third and (thankfully) final of today's proms on BBC Radio 3. I say thankfully only because it has been a near-seven hour shift today. Fortunately this one features two of my favourite composers, Bach and Mendelssohn.

I am back in the kitchen, and my ears are impaired by the spin of my washing machine, and my air fryer baking a Higgidy steak and ale pie (which I later pair with a can of Vimto zero - it is Saturday after all).

In Gateshead with the Royal Northern Symphonia, Bach's Keyboard Concerto in D minor certainly does start off heavy on the keyboard. Indeed, you can't move for the keys virtuosity in this piece of music.

During the interval, I think I catch the announcer saying that the conductor, Dinis Sousa, claims Bach as his favourite composer since childhood. This is something we have in common, though I would wager we took a different route. Chuckles at the Hamlet cigar commercials were my way in.

The second half is Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, and this showcases some beautiful movements on the strings, leading to grand choral works from the Hudderfield Choral Society.

I finish my tea and soak up the glory of this final piece of the day!