A trip to Vienna and Venice last month showed up something common to the musical lives of those two places: a profusion of concerts in period costume. In Vienna this usually means the time of Mozart (I expect next year you won’t be able to move for them) or Johann Strauss the younger; in Venice it’s Vivaldi, generally the Four Seasons. I wonder who goes to these concerts – any individuals or just pre-booked tour parties? And do the performers feel terribly self-conscious, and if so does this eventually wear off? I’ve no reason to suppose the performances themselves aren’t perfectly acceptable.
This particular musical trend doesn’t seem to have infected Britain, with the exception of some performances of Messiah at Christmas time and possibly the occasional Johann Strauss gala.