Vanessa-Mae

Neil joined Vanessa-Mae at the start of the "STORM ON" world tour ( 1998 ) which has taken him to play at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the Herod Atticus Odeon at the Acropolis in Athens, South Africa and the Middle East, China to which there were 4 packed concerts to over 50,000 people. Also the group have played extensively across Western and Eastern Europe and also to Queen Elizabeth 2 and 37 heads of State at Buckingham Palace.

Neil not only plays keyboards during the 'POP' section but also accompanies Vanessa during the classical section of the concert in which they play virtuosic material such as 'Tsigane' by Ravel and 'Moses-Fantasie' by Rossini-Paganini.

"There was a night we were playing in Slovinia and the atmosphere was absolutely electric, the crowd were going mad during the performance of Tsigane and during the last section of the piece in which it starts at a snails pace and ends like a whirlwind, the crowd were so noisy I could barely hear Vanessa and she could hardly hear me but we seemed to be conducted by the wild audience getting faster and faster and more frenzied in true Gypsy fashion, what an experience!!"

"Another night we played the concert on top of a mountain in Austria whilst it rained (boy did it rain!)and the thunder and lightning seemed to be aimed at us by the Gods! The Marquee we played in was packed, with the audience and group being bonded by the appalling weather conditions outside. You could have heard a pin drop during the classical section in which Vanessa and myself played some assorted pieces by Fritz Kreizler-suitable for the occasion. However instead of the 'Pin' dropping all that I could hear was thunder and lightning and the drop-dropping of rainwater on the keyboard of the Steinway Piano as a leak developed in the roof of the Marquee, by the end of our classical interlude I was soaked to the bone! ............. the next day I was sat in the canteen whilst the stage was being set for the next show, a message from Roger Searle ( tour manager ) said I should get to the stage urgently as a leak had developed on my keyboards - fearing the worst I ran to the stage expecting to see my keyboard rig up in smoke! After a few seconds I realized I'd been got hook, line and sinker as I saw a big fat leek ( vegetable ) fresh from Wales!!!! "

This document maintained by neil@angilley.com.
Material Copyright © 1998 SoftQuad Inc.