Enjoy Roma's reflections on her Lingua Musica journey, starting off as a 'one man band', her creating and leading no less than thirty amazing Music and Art tours all over Europe, from North to South and East to West. Russia, Sicily, Poland, the UK, France, Germany, Spain and so much more.
In her book Roma reveals so much of musical and geographical interest in this account, as well as numerous tales of adventure and misadventure...some quite hilarious! This is why many of Roma's guests have returned to travel with her time and time again over the years. 'FOREWORD' by Christopher Barnes, AM
I have been lucky to have had a few teachers who have influenced my love and appreciation of Music, and one of these was Roma Randles, the other was my father. I was conscious of good music from a very early age, having been born in Edward Elgar country in Herefordshire, UK. In fact my family has several connections to Elgar. And so, half a world away in 1999, I joined one of Roma's LINGUA MUSICA tours. It was filled with many great moments, amongst which, on the first of my tours with her, we attended the International Chopin Piano Festival in the beautiful spa town of Duszniki, in South West Poland. Here I learned of Roma's undoubted organising skills. By then, she had organised the group, arranged pre-tour meetings, visited all the tour destinations, flown us to Prague with Lauda Air, coached us to Duszniki, with a typically Russian four hour wait at the Czech border, where the guards tried unsuccessfully to extract money from her, and had us booked into the best hotel in Duszniki, in time for dinner before the concert. The Chopin was memorable and with soloists like Nikolai Demidenko (who I was to hear later so often in London, Paris, Sydney etc) and the eminent Piers Lane, who insisted on sitting with Roma, so we knew we were in good company. So many other great experiences with LINGUA MUSICA over the years. There were some personal characteristics about the L/M tours which were of Roma's making. The groups are all of a type and we all enjoy one another's company. We are here to learn more about music and the wonderful destinations we visit. My memories of Rostropovich playing the Shoshtokovitch 'Cello Concerto' in the vast Marquee in Gstaad, Switzerland, our amazing visit to Weimar and hearing the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta perform the great Mahler Symphony No. 2, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a wonderful performance by a Piano Trio in the castle, various performances of famous Ruth Nye especially one in Nohant, near the home of Chopin and his lover George Sand. Another highlight was in Baden-Baden, Germany, at the Festspielhaus, hearing the great Beethoven 5th from the Berlin Philharmonic, under Sir Simon Rattle. Perhaps the most remarkable performance was in the palatial Hotel Negresco, Nice, France, when the guest pianist failed to appear. Not to be deterred, Roma sat down and amazed us by playing some immaculate Liszt and Chopin polonaises and a ballade. The highlights were not only musical. I remember the exquisite gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild at Cap Ferrat, beautiful St Paul de Vence, the magnificent St Thomas Church of Bach fame in Leipzig and visits to Venice and Prague, were unique experiences. Roma has, over the years, on her Lingua Musica tours, educated dozens of new music lovers, and given us all great pleasure. Thank you Roma. "How on Earth: A Reflection on Thirty Years of European Music and Art Tours", published by Silverbird Publishing, Vic. Australia RRP $22.00 plus postage
To obtain your copy of this inspiring and heart warming story of Roma Randles' Lingua Musica journey, email us on info@linguamusicatours.com |
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