Those who were present at the concert on Thursday 30th May will have felt that they were attending something special. It was Dana Smith’s last concert in Bahrain, someone who has contributed so much to the musical life of Bahrain, especially as an accompanist, and we were treated in the final piece to a world premiere performance of Petition composed and played by Ahmed Al Ghanem on flute. The imaginative programme was a tribute to female composers and the evening was much appreciated by both Bahrainis and expatriates who made up the audience. The changing colours in the lighting was certainly dramatic, not enjoyed by all, but it certainly showed up how the atmosphere of a building can be radically transformed by lighting, something which we are currently considering in a new lighting scheme for the Cathedral which will take out the strip lights and use reflective lighting in the nave and enable a greater focus of light in the chancel and sanctuary. Coloured bulbs however are not in the scheme!
After the concert a photographer from one Bahrain paper turned up. By then the Cathedral was being used by another group but he was still keen to get his picture of the performers, so he took one in our home and that was what was printed this morning! |