As well as the Queen’s Jubilee and Olympics, 2012 is a special year for Classical Partners as we celebrate 20 years since our inception back in 1992. Since those early days we have instigated hundreds, or rather thousands, of new romances and friendships amongst music lovers.

The past twenty years have seen a massive change in people’s ideas and perceptions about love and relationships. The internet now offers endless new ways of communicating but our experience tells us that it isn’t necessarily the easiest or most successful way to meet genuine, intelligent, ‘nice’ people.

According to recent figures the number of single adults in the United Kingdom will rise to 15 million in 2012 and although the divorce rate has fallen slightly of late, the number of divorcees in the over 60s age group has increased by four per cent in the last two years.

At Classical Partners we welcome people in their 30s/40s seeking a life partner with similar background, interests and outlook, and also many people in their 50s/60s/70s who find themselves newly single through divorce or bereavement and would like to meet new like-minded folk with whom to share their enjoyment of the arts and perhaps find a new soulmate.

Last year we launched a new online dating service – www.classicalpartnersonline.co.uk which is proving very popular, however many still prefer the personal touch associated with our traditional introduction service and informal, friendly social evenings hosted by Caroline and Dan.

Upcoming social events early this year include evenings at Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and Royal Albert Hall, then later in the year our regular visits to the Proms, Opera Holland Park as well as theatre, exhibitions, drinks parties and much more. See our Events page – http://www.classicalpartners.co.uk/Events.html

Our first musical outing of the year to a packed Wigmore Hall on Sunday 15 January was hugely enjoyable, the audience seemingly mesmerised by the faultless and dynamic playing of young Polish-born string quartet Quatuor Apollon Musagète.

Wigmore Hall recital

After the recital we enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch in the Wigmore Restaurant and people must have been getting on well as we were the last to leave!

Next weekend we’re looking forward to an evening of laughter at The Old Vic with Michael Frayn’s classic comedy Noises Off – http://www.oldvictheatre.com

Best wishes for now,
Dan and Caroline

Over the past year many members have met a new partner and interesting friends through our introductions service and social events. This week we heard of our latest success – John from the Midlands and Sarah from London who are moving to Bath together: we wish them every happiness in their new life.

During the year we have visited many leading venues for the Arts including the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, English National Opera, Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, West End Theatre, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, Cadogan Hall, Opera Holland Park, Hatfield House and the Wigmore Hall. As well as enjoying informal soirees in members’ homes.

Our regular monthly informal drinks on the South Bank continue to be popular with members and guests.

This year we also launched a new online service  – http://www.classicalpartnersonline.co.uk to supplement our introduction service and events.

Classical Partners now offers something for everyone –
• personal introductions
• regular informal social events
• online dating service

We are looking forward to our last social outing of the year at the Royal Festival Hall this Saturday – Messiah by Candlelight – which should get us into festive mood. After the break we have lots of exciting events planned for the New Year (see http://www.classicalpartners.co.uk/Events.html)  and look forward to seeing you.

Best wishes

Dan and Caroline

Established in 1992, Classical Partners has enjoyed outstanding success in bringing people together using their well respected introduction service alongside a varied programme of social events.

The new online venture  http://www.classicalpartnersonline.co.uk is part of Love and Friends database which has over 75,000 members of all ages and locations. But by joining Classical Partners Online you can search specifically for people with an interest in Music and the Arts.

You can sign up for Free, or take advantage of a special introductory offer of 3-months’ Full membership for less than £10 per month.

Or for information about Classical Partners introductions and events do give us a call on 01582 834334,

With best wishes
Caroline and Dan Boon

Apparently as many as 200,000 people may have been persuaded last year to give money to fraudsters using false identities to pursue relationships with them. But because of the shame victims feel, fewer than 600 cases were reported.

The fraudsters, usually tied to organised crime and based outside the UK, often use pictures of models when making contact with their victims on dating sites and then act swiftly to move the ‘relationship’ away from the monitored sites to personal online services such as private email accounts to carry out the fraud. This would usually be claiming to be in need of urgent funds and asking for loans of money, or involving their victims in money laundering by asking them to accept payments in their bank accounts.

Recent research carried out by Leicester University – the first to measure the scale of this relatively new crime – found that in a YouGov poll of more than 2,000 British adults, one in every 50 knew a victim.

Of course it seems hard to imagine anyone handing over money to someone they’ve never met in person but these scammers are highly skilled in the art of manipulating vulnerable people.

Although awareness of online romance scams is increasing, millions of people in the UK remain at risk and the psychological impact experienced by victims can be considerable, even leading to suicide in some cases.

Of course there are plenty of people signed up to internet dating and social networking sites, who are genuinely seeking friendship or romance, but it can take time, a degree of nous and good luck to find the right people. Introduction agencies recommended by the Association of British Introduction Agencies (www.abia.org.uk) will have already screened members so are a much safer bet for those looking to find love or new friendships.    To find out more about the sort of people you can meet through Classical Partners, see http://www.classicalpartners.co.uk/Member-profiles.html

As part of their first international tour with the Dude, the LA Philharmonic are playing two sell out concerts at the Barbican later this week and Classical Partners has secured 16 tickets for the second of these on Friday 28 January, featuring Mahler’s epic Ninth Symphony.

Classical Partners also saw Dudamel in 2009 at the Royal Festival Hall when he conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s 5^th Symphony.  Those who were with us that evening will I am sure remember what an exciting and moving concert it was, culminating in a long standing ovation for Dudamel and an almost unprecedented level (for a British classical audience) of whooping and cheering!

Dudamel seems to forge a very special connection with the orchestras he conducts and gets memorable performances out of his musicians.  He has a special wisdom and humanity for Mahler’s symphonies and, still only at the age of 29, has already twice conducted the Ninth (for which he no longer requires a score) with other orchestras. 

We should be in for a treat on Friday!

Before the concert we had a meal in the newly refurbished Elgar Room and I have to say they have done a great job. It is now a contempory and stylish place yet it is still comfortable. Quite a feet, as I find most “modern” dining spaces just too hard. Clean lines and sparse furnishings often make for an attractive but inhospitable environment. The menu was not too big but offered a good selection of meat and fish. I would recommend you check it out next time you are in the Albert Hall.

The concert was not bad either. The Prommers showed their delight with extended stomping and whistling. I agree wholeheartedly with them for Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra’s rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth, but not the Berg Violin Concerto. It is not a piece I particularly like so that’s no real surprise.

There should have been 30 of us but due to the volcanic ash some people had been stranded abroad and we ended up with 28, who arrived on Friday evening from various parts of the country. Dinner was fantastic, especially the fish! After the meal we settled down for my ‘name that tune’ quiz and to enjoy conversation and a glass or two.

Saturday morning was bright and warm and most of us did not even bother to take our waterproofs with us. The walk, it has to be said, was a little more severe than intended. From the hotel along the Tissington trail to picturesque Tissington then across the road past Thorpe Cloud, all of us glad we did not have to climb it and down into Dovedale. From there to Ilam for a quick look at the House and grounds before starting the climb back up. A climb of over 600 feet in just over a mile according to Keith’s GPS. Tough going! Then it was back down again to Milldale before the last climb back to the hotel. A total of 11 miles but in the glorious spring sunshine somehow it didn’t seem like it. However we were all glad of the tea and cakes that awaited us at the hotel.

We don't have to climb that!

After a glass of bubbly and dinner in the evening we were splendidly entertained by The Muskoka Wind Quintet who performed a varied programme that transported us from Elizabethan dance music through to Malcolm Arnold and Gershwin. Just right to enliven some weary limbs.

Despite the forecast for more summery weather Sunday was grey and damp which didn’t seem to matter as we set of for our homes after another slap up breakfast and hugely enjoyable weekend, with new friendships being made and we think one or two budding romances…. watch this space!

Diving downstairs for a coffee and to meet up with the group of Classical Partners I was a little surprised not to see anyone from the group but they soon started to arrive. A couple of calls on the mobile let me know that one person could not make it and that one was going to be late. I was now getting worried as I could not find the two new members whom I had not met before. Just as the concert was due to start one of them introduced themselves. I had to leave the other’s ticket on the door as I went in, not perfect but the best I could do.

The Gryphon Trio from Canada, made their Wigmore debut, performing Schumann’s Piano Trio No 2 in F followed by Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B flat “Archduke”. They were absolutely sublime, even the clouds scudding over the Wigmore’s skylight seemed to alter the hall’s lighting in perfect concert with the music. Even though I freely admit that my personal taste tends to be for more dramatic symphonic music, I loved every minute of their performance.

After the concert, I managed to find our missing member and our group enjoyed a lovely relaxed Sunday lunch in the Wigmore’s fine restaurant downstairs. What a great way to spend a Sunday. Truly Gold Standard.

Where is this obsession with free things going to lead us? I worry that it will mean that everything will tend towards the lowest state. I want a pen to write with. If I had bought it for what I considered to be a fair price, I would be miffed if it did not work, I might even take it back and ask for another one. If it was free what can I do? Is it the same with other free things?

You hear a lot about how illegal downloading is killing music. This is something I do not do. Too many of my friends and relations make their living from music. I used to think that illegally downloaded music would lead to people saying, I like that, and then going out and buying more. A bit like hearing something on the radio and then going out and buying it. Now I am not so sure. So much music is now downloaded illegally that only the megastars make any money out of their music and the industry as a whole can not afford to publish and promote new artists. In a few years time will the only music that is available be the megastars and people recording things in their back rooms? Next time you are at a concert and the person next to you is recording it on their mobile phone have a think about that.

The next big thing apparently is ebooks. How good is that? You want to read a book, you download it you read it, everyone is happy…but how long will bookshops last? Will illegal downloading become a problem? Will new authors be able to get published? Or will we only be able to get hold of old classics and the latest Dan Brown?

The free explosion must have its limitations and we should be very careful of the knock on effects. What is wrong with paying a fair price and letting someone earn a living from their expertise?

WNO’s performance of Opera North’s production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love on Saturday delivered everything you could want. Being set in the sunny Italian Riviera of the 1950’s brings this joyful tale to life and it is hard not to notice that Danizetti and Romani were the Gilbert and Sullivan of their day. This is not a criticism, far from it; I like a good tune and see nothing wrong with repeating it. The plot moves along at a good pace and with a great sense of joy. All the way through this production the simple humour of the story is brought to the fore. From the arrival of Belcore and his cohorts on their Vespas to Nemorino’s Elvis impression you cannot help but smile. This is a production to be enjoyed for what it is, loveable characters singing great tunes that perfectly tell the story.

My only criticism is that from time to time the orchestra got a little carried away and drowned out the singers. I can’t really blame them for getting swept along by the joy of the production but it did detract from the singing at times.

I have a DVD of the Metropolitan Opera production with Pavarotti in the role of Nemorino which I love, but I did not miss the great man one little bit on this occasion. There is something to be said for enjoying the ”show” as a whole rather than waiting for the star to perform their next piece don’t you think?