Viennese New Year, despite everything

After a late night, a frosty start to the New Year. The news is preoccupied with still rising covid infections and deaths, plus the challenges of vaccine distribution. We got up late and ate pancakes for breakfast, but didn't go out for a walk until after lunch. The park was busy with holidaymakers, unable to go elsewhere, as traveling to the beach at Penarth or Barry is banned for Cardiffians, being in a different local authority area.. The rules say that you must start and end your exercise period at home, and only travel within your local authority area by car if you have no alternative means to exercise.

Experts are alarmed to find that the new virus variant is far more contagious, spreading faster than other mutations. It's becoming more efficient at transmitting itself, so its impact is more more widespread at a faster pace. We can look forward to stricter lock-downs in an attempt to contain the spread until the vaccination campaign takes effect. Is the diligent observation of the existing precautions - 'hands, face, space' - all that's possible, all that's needed? 

There's no research published yet on whether mechanisms of virus transmission are being subverted to aid this virulent strain. apart from the inevitability of human carelessness and accident. It seems that more infected people without symptoms may be a factor. Does it stay alive longer on some surfaces than earlier versions did, or need stronger disinfectant action than was originally the case. There's no news on this yet. In my opinion, it's bound to be crucial, as is antisocial behaviour by people socialising irresponsibly

A wonderful New Year's Day treat this evening with a recording of the morning's Vienna Philharmonic orchestral concert, played for the first time ever in the Musikverein concert hall, emptied by pandemic restrictions. All the orchestra's musicians were covid tested daily during the rehearsal period and before the performance, and so seating arrangements for the 145 players didn't need to be socially distanced. I make a point of listening to any concert by the Vienna philharmonic. Their musical repertoire contains a great deal that has been familiar with me since childhood, as weekend orchestral concert broadcasts were something listened to in our house, even after we had a telly.

It was lovely to see looks of pleasure on the face of the conductor and musicians as they played under the direction of 79 year old Ricardo Mutti, who has been with the orchestra on occasions over the past fifty years. Playing in the absence of a live audience must have been tough, but there was a live internet audience of thousands by means of an interactive web-link which fed back their applause into the hall at the end of both halves of the concert. Bravo techies for making this happen with people from seventy countries all over the world watching and clapping, though sadly not during the traditional final encore, the Radetsky March. Music to console offered by those whose livelihoods and sense of vocation depend on it. A memorable expression of global solidarity. A great start to 2021.