'When violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan
   on the eve of his 40th birthday concert he was greeted with a near
   frenzy of adulation by TV, press, and admirers alike.  An earlier
   attempt at such a concert was canned.  In the event the first date
   clashed with a visit by the Pope.  However last month (11 May 2002),
   the long planning finally came to fruition.

   'Bisengaliev is no stranger to Kazakh home audiences.  Nonetheless,
   on this occasion more than ever before, his performance proved as
   much a celebration as a conventional concert.

   'The violinist and seventy-strong Royal Philharmonic Orchestra left
   London Stansted headed for Almaty aboard an ageing Kazakhstan Airlines
   Tupelov 154; a non-stop flight beyond the Caspian Sea, through the
   Central Asian night to the shadow of Tien Shan Mountains.'

Howard Smith tells the story at Music & Vision, illustrated
with photos he's taken himself:

   http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2002/06/triumph1.htm?a

Keith Bramich
technical editor, M&V
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