Despite the many benefits of having a deep-seated interest in classical music, there are a few notable disadvantages, such as being ridiculed by friends and colleagues when you admit to having no idea of who's in the Top Forty, or even that you're not sure whether the Top Forty still exists, or why they ever thought forty was a particularly auspicious number for the top of anything. Another disadvantage is that many of your heroes – for instance, the great composers – all walked the earth many centuries ago, and your only opportunity to pay homage is to visit their birthplace in Vienna (it's usually Vienna) or admire a hand-written manuscript in some dusty museum (probably also in Vienna).
But last weekend I had the rare opportunity to see one of the great composers of the present day, when Arvo Pärt appeared on stage at the end of the concert devoted to his music at the Manchester International Festival. I was lucky to be in the audience, seeing that the concert had sold out when I first looked online, but then noticed a handful of extra seats appear a few weeks later. It was the first time I've seen the audience give a standing ovation at the Bridgewater; perhaps again a disadvantage of going to only a certain type of concert, not typically featuring anyone anywhere near the Top Forty.
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