Richard Jones reviews - The Concert

THE CONCERT (M)

Andrei Filipov was once a famous conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow who fell foul of the Brezhnev regime back in the 1980s.

Now a cleaner at the company’s theatre Filipov (Alexsei Guskov - pictured above)  is given another shot at glory.

He intercepts a fax in the company office and immediately hatches a plan. If he can cobble together an orchestra comprised of his former musicians they can play one last performance of Tchaikovsky’s famous concerto for violin and orchestra. In Paris.

Finding the surviving members of his group is hard enough for Filipov. So he enlists the help of former KGB man Ivan (Valeri Barinov) to round up the motley crew.

More importantly, Filipov needs a violinist competent enough to perform as the soloist.

Enter Anne-Marie Jacquet (Melanie Laurent) an acclaimed young violinist. Once ensconced in Paris, Filipov invites her on board as his soloist.

Pictures from Margaret Lewis

Margaret Lewis sent us some pictures from one of their trips this year, to South Australia. On the trip they met up with Val Rivers (62/63) and they visited Maggie Beer's (of ABC-TV fame) Farm and Winery.

Margaret Lewis and Val Rivers (62/63) outside Maggie' Beer's Farm and Winery

They also visited the tourist town of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills.

Val Rivers and Peter Lewis (62/63) at a restaurant in Hahndorf

Amongst the pictures Margaret sent, were a couple of the historic Paterson Tavern in the Hunter Valley, when Colin Huggins (62/63) passed through on the way to the PNGAA AGM in May.

Peter Lewis (62/63)outside historic Paterson Tavern

Colin Huggins and Peter Lewis enjoy a beer

at Paterson Tavern.