In 1987 a trip to London can be an enlightening experience of their talent and determination. Recently, about to emerge from the depths of the Central Line of the Underground at Chancery Lane, I was startled to hear the beautifully produced sound of a horn accompanied by a not-so-well modulated orchestra in a quite unexpected work. The horn was 'live', with the player standing at the bottom of the escalator and facing the downward section. The accompaniment was on tape, and was a 'Music Minus One' recording. It was not, as it happens, a horn concerto, but the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto which is now a bestseller, and played by this horn student with a technique and style that was almost arrogant, as this music demands. Twenty years ago this playing would have been sensational. Now it was merely good - as it is expected to be. I was pleased to see that people were duly impressed and even slightly cheered by this encounter. << less