29 July 2008
The weather was the star at this year's WOMAD Festival at Charlton Park in Wiltshire. After the rain and mud of last year we enjoyed a very hot weekend of almost unbroken sunshine. At first the positioning of the BBC Radio 3 stage in the arboretum, with a tree directly in front of part of the stage, seemed bizarre. But by Saturday afternoon, as the temperature soared, this leafy shade was much appreciated. Everything seemed to work effectively this year and it became apparent how much more room there is at Charlton Park compared to the previous festival site in Reading - a much more pleasant experience all round.
Pacing myself more carefully than in some previous years (it was hot!) I still saw 12 full performances and dipped in and out of many more – seeing a total of 28 bands in 3 days! Highlights included the wonderful Israeli Ladino singer Mor Karbasi, Malian diva Mamani Keita, the mighty Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba (reviewed here in December 2007) and the legendary Orchestra Baobab. It was a great nostalgic thrill to see recently reunited Squeeze singing 'Up the Junction', 'Cool for Cats', 'Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)' etc. And Martha Wainwright gave an amazing performance on Saturday evening: very much the rock star, looking like Debbie Harry and sounding like The Pretenders - I'm really enjoying her new album, 'I know you're married but I've got feelings too'. But my pick of the festival were the six-piece male polyphonic vocal group from Marseille, Lo Cor de la Plana - unaccompanied singing (except for a collection of hand drums, foot stomps and hand claps) in the Occitan language of southern France. Their close harmony singing and solos with drone-like accompaniment are reminiscent of the singing shepherds of Sardinia (reviewed here in June 2007). Lo Cor de la Plana are incredibly rhythmic and exciting, weaving a trance-like quality into songs that build ever more frantically to thrilling conclusions.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
BBC Proms Folk Day
21 July 2008
The last time I saw Bella Hardy she was performing to an audience of 18 people in the bar at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple (reviewed here in March 2008): on Sunday she was standing in the middle of the Royal Albert Hall singing, unaccompanied, to an audience of thousands. We were in London for the BBC Proms Folk Day - an enjoyable and varied innovation in the Proms calendar. Firstly we joined the crowds in Kensington Gardens to see live music on the bandstand, dancing round the maypole and much more, culminating in an electrifying performance from the wonderful Bellowhead (reviewed here in October 2006). Bellowhead went on to conquer the Albert Hall in the Sunday evening Prom (broadcast live on BBC Four and available on iPlayer) but being part of the crowd dancing in the sunshine in front of the bandstand to 'London Town' was very special. We then crossed the road to the Albert Hall for the free afternoon Prom which featured a huge cast of performers including Bella Hardy, the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta conducted by Martyn Brabbins, the mezzo-soprano Monica Bacelli and the amazing Hungarian folk group Muzsikas. The concert compared and contrasted traditional performances of folk melodies (by Bella Hardy and Muzsikas) with classical settings of the same tunes by Vaughan Williams, Grainger, Berio and Bartok. I particularly enjoyed Monica Bacelli's theatrical approach to Berio's hauntingly sparse 'Folk Songs' and the perfect joins between the Muzsikas insertions in the London Sinfonietta's performance of Bartok's 'Romanian Dances' (with the orchestra augmented by young musicians aged 14 - 18 from the Camden and Hertfordshire Music Services). Muzsikas were fantastic - amazingly precise and polished performers of a very rough village folk band sound. But the show was stolen by the young players of Folkestra - an ensemble of 13 - 19 year olds based at the Sage, Gateshead. Their set was the most exciting thing on the programme - toe-tapping, virtuosic and fascinating to watch - with wonderful clarsach playing by Emily Hoile and a thrilling moment when Sarah Norris put down her whistle and, amid the frenzied playing of her colleagues, walked slowly to the small dance square at the front of the stage to add her clogs to the frantic rhythm of the piece - magical. The concert finished with the premiere of 'Confluence' - a work for the joint forces of the London Sinfonietta, Muzsikas and Folkestra by Folkestra's Musical Director, Kathryn Tickell. It was a super day.
The last time I saw Bella Hardy she was performing to an audience of 18 people in the bar at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple (reviewed here in March 2008): on Sunday she was standing in the middle of the Royal Albert Hall singing, unaccompanied, to an audience of thousands. We were in London for the BBC Proms Folk Day - an enjoyable and varied innovation in the Proms calendar. Firstly we joined the crowds in Kensington Gardens to see live music on the bandstand, dancing round the maypole and much more, culminating in an electrifying performance from the wonderful Bellowhead (reviewed here in October 2006). Bellowhead went on to conquer the Albert Hall in the Sunday evening Prom (broadcast live on BBC Four and available on iPlayer) but being part of the crowd dancing in the sunshine in front of the bandstand to 'London Town' was very special. We then crossed the road to the Albert Hall for the free afternoon Prom which featured a huge cast of performers including Bella Hardy, the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta conducted by Martyn Brabbins, the mezzo-soprano Monica Bacelli and the amazing Hungarian folk group Muzsikas. The concert compared and contrasted traditional performances of folk melodies (by Bella Hardy and Muzsikas) with classical settings of the same tunes by Vaughan Williams, Grainger, Berio and Bartok. I particularly enjoyed Monica Bacelli's theatrical approach to Berio's hauntingly sparse 'Folk Songs' and the perfect joins between the Muzsikas insertions in the London Sinfonietta's performance of Bartok's 'Romanian Dances' (with the orchestra augmented by young musicians aged 14 - 18 from the Camden and Hertfordshire Music Services). Muzsikas were fantastic - amazingly precise and polished performers of a very rough village folk band sound. But the show was stolen by the young players of Folkestra - an ensemble of 13 - 19 year olds based at the Sage, Gateshead. Their set was the most exciting thing on the programme - toe-tapping, virtuosic and fascinating to watch - with wonderful clarsach playing by Emily Hoile and a thrilling moment when Sarah Norris put down her whistle and, amid the frenzied playing of her colleagues, walked slowly to the small dance square at the front of the stage to add her clogs to the frantic rhythm of the piece - magical. The concert finished with the premiere of 'Confluence' - a work for the joint forces of the London Sinfonietta, Muzsikas and Folkestra by Folkestra's Musical Director, Kathryn Tickell. It was a super day.
'The Damned Utd' by David Peace
21 July 2008
David Peace's novel 'The Damned Utd' is an unusual book: it tells the tale of Brian Clough's ill-fated 44 days in charge of Leeds United Football Club in 1974, reimagining events through Clough's eyes in a first person narration that reads like a very candid diary or autobiography. This narrative is interspersed with Clough's back story (bizarrely told in the second person) taking us from his playing days, through his early managerial experience, forward to meet the main story in 1974. Peace brings the familiar character of Clough back to life so vividly it is often difficult to remember you are reading fiction. The short alternating sections gripped my attention and whipped me through the book in two sittings. There is an enormous amount of swearing, drinking and smoking and anyone who is not interested in football might find it hard-going but, for me, it was completely compelling. Read alongside Gary Imlach's wonderful 'My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes' (reviewed here in January 2007) and Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch', 'The Damned Utd' completes a detailed social history of football in England. In Brian Clough, David Peace creates (or re-creates) that most fascinating of characters - someone who is unredeemably unpleasant and unlikeable but for whom you find yourself totally rooting. Early 1970s football is just beyond my childhood memories and though I had a vague idea of the sequence of events in Brian Clough's career there was much for me to fill in. The structure of the book made for a very satisfying experience as the pieces gradually began to fall into place as I raced towards the bitter-sweet conclusion. An amazing book.
David Peace's novel 'The Damned Utd' is an unusual book: it tells the tale of Brian Clough's ill-fated 44 days in charge of Leeds United Football Club in 1974, reimagining events through Clough's eyes in a first person narration that reads like a very candid diary or autobiography. This narrative is interspersed with Clough's back story (bizarrely told in the second person) taking us from his playing days, through his early managerial experience, forward to meet the main story in 1974. Peace brings the familiar character of Clough back to life so vividly it is often difficult to remember you are reading fiction. The short alternating sections gripped my attention and whipped me through the book in two sittings. There is an enormous amount of swearing, drinking and smoking and anyone who is not interested in football might find it hard-going but, for me, it was completely compelling. Read alongside Gary Imlach's wonderful 'My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes' (reviewed here in January 2007) and Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch', 'The Damned Utd' completes a detailed social history of football in England. In Brian Clough, David Peace creates (or re-creates) that most fascinating of characters - someone who is unredeemably unpleasant and unlikeable but for whom you find yourself totally rooting. Early 1970s football is just beyond my childhood memories and though I had a vague idea of the sequence of events in Brian Clough's career there was much for me to fill in. The structure of the book made for a very satisfying experience as the pieces gradually began to fall into place as I raced towards the bitter-sweet conclusion. An amazing book.
'Dangerous Obsession' by N J Crisp
21 July 2008
It's Summer Rep time again at the Little Theatre, Sheringham so we made our annual pilgrimage to North Norfolk last week to see 'Dangerous Obsession' - a thriller by N J Crisp. The ingredients suggested familiar territory - a three-hander with comings and goings through the French windows - but this was cleverer and more thought-provoking than it first appeared. Well cast and well acted by Georgina Carey, Richard Sandells and Andrew Castell.
It's Summer Rep time again at the Little Theatre, Sheringham so we made our annual pilgrimage to North Norfolk last week to see 'Dangerous Obsession' - a thriller by N J Crisp. The ingredients suggested familiar territory - a three-hander with comings and goings through the French windows - but this was cleverer and more thought-provoking than it first appeared. Well cast and well acted by Georgina Carey, Richard Sandells and Andrew Castell.
'Pieces of Light' by Adam Thorpe
21 July 2008
Adam Thorpe first came to my attention when his incredible debut novel 'Ulverton' received glowing praise from the critics. This tale of an imaginary English village over centuries of history through a series of 'discovered' documents is a tour-de-force but I'm afraid the painstaking use of historically accurate dialect made many sections of the book unbearably difficult for this reader to plough through. It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I approached Adam Thorpe's third novel 'Pieces of Light' - but I needn't have worried. 'Pieces of Light' starts as the story of a young boy growing up in a English missionary family in Cameroon in the 1920s. This is an interesting, if fairly unremarkable, tale but when the narrative shifts at the end of the first section you realise you're entering a much more complex and satisfying work. Without the difficult-to-read dialect to wade through I realised how much I had forgotten about the strengths of 'Ulverton': Thorpe is an intricate plotter and can be very funny. In 'Pieces of Light' he continues to use the narrative device of 'found documents' so, while the novel is all told in the first person, you begin to appreciate that it is very important in each section to work out who is telling the story and when they are telling it. It reminded me at times of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell (which it pre-dates). 'Pieces of Light' is maybe a bit long (nearly 500 pages) and drags a little in the middle but I found it compulsive reading - desperate to try to work out its riddles before being left puzzled by its remaining ambiguities. Now I want to read it all again! In particular Thorpe very cleverly evokes both the confused world-view of a young boy and the adult's less than perfect reinterpretations of mis-remembered childhood events.
Adam Thorpe first came to my attention when his incredible debut novel 'Ulverton' received glowing praise from the critics. This tale of an imaginary English village over centuries of history through a series of 'discovered' documents is a tour-de-force but I'm afraid the painstaking use of historically accurate dialect made many sections of the book unbearably difficult for this reader to plough through. It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I approached Adam Thorpe's third novel 'Pieces of Light' - but I needn't have worried. 'Pieces of Light' starts as the story of a young boy growing up in a English missionary family in Cameroon in the 1920s. This is an interesting, if fairly unremarkable, tale but when the narrative shifts at the end of the first section you realise you're entering a much more complex and satisfying work. Without the difficult-to-read dialect to wade through I realised how much I had forgotten about the strengths of 'Ulverton': Thorpe is an intricate plotter and can be very funny. In 'Pieces of Light' he continues to use the narrative device of 'found documents' so, while the novel is all told in the first person, you begin to appreciate that it is very important in each section to work out who is telling the story and when they are telling it. It reminded me at times of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell (which it pre-dates). 'Pieces of Light' is maybe a bit long (nearly 500 pages) and drags a little in the middle but I found it compulsive reading - desperate to try to work out its riddles before being left puzzled by its remaining ambiguities. Now I want to read it all again! In particular Thorpe very cleverly evokes both the confused world-view of a young boy and the adult's less than perfect reinterpretations of mis-remembered childhood events.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Wimbledon 2008
8 July 2008
We've been extremely lucky in the Wimbledon ballot for the last few years but this year was even better as we landed centre court tickets for the Ladies' Singles Final. Knowing that this chance might not come around again for some time creates a fair amount of anxiety as you scour the weather forecasts to see whether your big day is going to be wiped out by rain. Again we were remarkably lucky and were treated to six and a half hours of continuous tennis. The Ladies' Final between Venus and Serena Williams was high quality, hard-fought and extremely close with Serena initially looking like she would walk it before Venus found her form and began to edge ahead. The Men's Doubles Final was exciting but dominated by strong serving with Daniel Nestor and, particularly, Nenad Zimonjic worthy winners. And as the light started to fail we were treated to the most entertaining match of the day as the Williams sisters returned to claim the Ladies' Doubles title. My centre court debut was a brilliant day - I hope to be back next year.
We've been extremely lucky in the Wimbledon ballot for the last few years but this year was even better as we landed centre court tickets for the Ladies' Singles Final. Knowing that this chance might not come around again for some time creates a fair amount of anxiety as you scour the weather forecasts to see whether your big day is going to be wiped out by rain. Again we were remarkably lucky and were treated to six and a half hours of continuous tennis. The Ladies' Final between Venus and Serena Williams was high quality, hard-fought and extremely close with Serena initially looking like she would walk it before Venus found her form and began to edge ahead. The Men's Doubles Final was exciting but dominated by strong serving with Daniel Nestor and, particularly, Nenad Zimonjic worthy winners. And as the light started to fail we were treated to the most entertaining match of the day as the Williams sisters returned to claim the Ladies' Doubles title. My centre court debut was a brilliant day - I hope to be back next year.
'The Winter's Tale' by William Shakespeare
8 July 2008
The only thing I knew about 'The Winter's Tale' was "exit pursued by a bear" so it was great fun to discover unfamiliar Shakespeare last Friday - and the bear was great fun too! For a second year running we were very fortunate that our visit to the open-air Shakespeare in the gardens of Woburn Abbey benefited from wonderful weather. This year we saw the Globe Touring production of 'The Winter's Tale'. The team at Shakespeare's Globe know a thing or two about acting in the open-air and the there was a high standard of acting throughout and a welcome volume of projection. A very silly plot but a very enjoyable evening.
The only thing I knew about 'The Winter's Tale' was "exit pursued by a bear" so it was great fun to discover unfamiliar Shakespeare last Friday - and the bear was great fun too! For a second year running we were very fortunate that our visit to the open-air Shakespeare in the gardens of Woburn Abbey benefited from wonderful weather. This year we saw the Globe Touring production of 'The Winter's Tale'. The team at Shakespeare's Globe know a thing or two about acting in the open-air and the there was a high standard of acting throughout and a welcome volume of projection. A very silly plot but a very enjoyable evening.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Danesborough Chorus concert
1 July 2008
On Saturday we were at Woburn Church for the Danesborough Chorus summer concert. It was a lovely evening and a very enjoyable concert - with an extended interval for a picnic outside the church. I particularly enjoyed the 'Berliner Messe' by Arvo Pärt. Pärt creates a very distinctive, delicate, ethereal sound which must be very difficult for the singers but the effect was hauntingly beautiful. We were on easier ground in the second half with John Rutter's 'Magnificat'. Rutter always looks like great fun to sing and is invariably tuneful, varied and enthusiastically received. Ian Smith and the Danesborough Chorus were joined by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and the excellent Soprano, Claire Seaton.
On Saturday we were at Woburn Church for the Danesborough Chorus summer concert. It was a lovely evening and a very enjoyable concert - with an extended interval for a picnic outside the church. I particularly enjoyed the 'Berliner Messe' by Arvo Pärt. Pärt creates a very distinctive, delicate, ethereal sound which must be very difficult for the singers but the effect was hauntingly beautiful. We were on easier ground in the second half with John Rutter's 'Magnificat'. Rutter always looks like great fun to sing and is invariably tuneful, varied and enthusiastically received. Ian Smith and the Danesborough Chorus were joined by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and the excellent Soprano, Claire Seaton.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Slovenia
27 June 2008
We had a brilliant week in Slovenia – it’s a fantastic country. We spent a few days at Lake Bled in the North West of Slovenia – a fairytale lake overlooked by a clifftop castle – beautiful scenery reminiscent of Austria or Switzerland. We then headed to the capital, Ljubljana, a beautiful old city, small enough to walk around but with plenty to see. We had a day trip to the medieval town of Piran on the Adriatic coast where everything is bilingual Slovene/Italian. Slovenia is the size of Wales – and has a similar dislike of vowels in its place names! The people were friendly and helpful and English is spoken almost universally. It’s a confident, proud and modern young country. We’ll be back …
We had a brilliant week in Slovenia – it’s a fantastic country. We spent a few days at Lake Bled in the North West of Slovenia – a fairytale lake overlooked by a clifftop castle – beautiful scenery reminiscent of Austria or Switzerland. We then headed to the capital, Ljubljana, a beautiful old city, small enough to walk around but with plenty to see. We had a day trip to the medieval town of Piran on the Adriatic coast where everything is bilingual Slovene/Italian. Slovenia is the size of Wales – and has a similar dislike of vowels in its place names! The people were friendly and helpful and English is spoken almost universally. It’s a confident, proud and modern young country. We’ll be back …
'Pies and Prejudice' by Stuart Maconie
27 June 2008
Stuart Maconie comes from Wigan and is therefore a ‘pie-eater’. In his very funny and fascinating travel book ‘Pies and Prejudice’ he revisits Wigan and everywhere else between Merseyside and Tyneside to cut through the clichés and paint the real picture of the North of England. Bill Bryson fans will recognise Maconie’s style – though like Bryson he sometimes wears his research on his sleeve and tends to ramble engagingly from one topic to another leaving this reader amazed by a myriad of incredible facts but almost completely unable to remember any of them! I particularly enjoyed his accounts of the places I already knew but the real strength of the book is the clear distinction drawn between places that too many Southerners tend to lump together as ‘The North’.
Stuart Maconie comes from Wigan and is therefore a ‘pie-eater’. In his very funny and fascinating travel book ‘Pies and Prejudice’ he revisits Wigan and everywhere else between Merseyside and Tyneside to cut through the clichés and paint the real picture of the North of England. Bill Bryson fans will recognise Maconie’s style – though like Bryson he sometimes wears his research on his sleeve and tends to ramble engagingly from one topic to another leaving this reader amazed by a myriad of incredible facts but almost completely unable to remember any of them! I particularly enjoyed his accounts of the places I already knew but the real strength of the book is the clear distinction drawn between places that too many Southerners tend to lump together as ‘The North’.
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
27 June 2008
Our latest Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert included the ‘Tuba Concerto’ by Vaughan-Williams featuring our regular tuba player, Nick Tollervey. Because he had been preparing for this solo performance, Nick has not been attending rehearsals but came along a couple of weeks ago for the orchestra’s Annual General Meeting which was held at the start of a rehearsal. At the end of the AGM, under ‘any other business’, Nick stood up to make a plea for the orchestra to improve its communications with members. Over the past year, Nick said, he had often turned up at rehearsals to be told he wasn’t required as we were rehearsing a piece with no part for the tuba. Couldn’t we make sure that players were told what pieces were going to be rehearsed each week to avoid them making unnecessary journeys. Having been in the same position myself on several occasions I agreed wholeheartedly with Nick and was very pleased he had brought this up. The AGM finished and Nick made his way to a seat at the front of the orchestra so that we could rehearse the tuba concerto – at which point I thought “hang on a minute, I’m not in this!” and had to sit for half an hour twiddling my thumbs: the revenge of the tuba! Nevertheless I really enjoyed Nick’s magnificent performance in our concert of English music which also featured the wonderful ‘Peterloo Overture’ by Malcolm Arnold, ‘Song of Summer’ by Delius and Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variations’. A less ambitious programme than some of our recent concerts and I think this paid off with one of our best performances for some time.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
'Wild Wild Women' by Nola York and Michael Richmond
10 June 2008
At the end of a week where I had been pre-occupied with arguing that the voluntary arts can be excellent, it was a delight to attend an amateur performance that was one of the funniest and most enjoyable evenings in a theatre I've experienced in a long time. On Saturday we were at the Trestle Theatre Space in St Albans - home of the celebrated Trestle Theatre Company - to see local amateurs MeMe Productions perform 'Wild Wild Women' - a musical by Nola York and Michael Richmond. This Romeo & Juliet story set in the Wild West in the 1880s was great fun with some wonderful individual performances and big set-piece ensemble numbers. The show itself was a little varied in tone and the music was mainly in a 1980s rock-ballad style. There were a few problems with balance - some performers being drowned out by the musicians. But none of this detracted from a splendid romp that had me smiling throughout. And the show stealing performance from Dawn Travell as Sister Priscilla included a hilarious death scene to rival Sam Hayward in Little Me (reviewed here in August 2007). Excellent!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
'Laurel and Hardy' by Tom McGrath
3 June 2008
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Tom McGrath's 1976 play 'Laurel and Hardy'. Ben Fox and Christian Patterson gave wonderful performances as Stan and Ollie re-telling the story of their careers - with the assistance of Greg Palmer at the piano. Incorporating affectionate and impressive impersonations of the duo's screen personas alternating with the real world Stan and Babe literally at the drop of a hat. A touching story but also genuinely funny - slapstick truly never dates! There were recreations of some of their most famous routines - all the more impressive for being performed live on stage without the benefit of re-takes - wonderful physical comedy. But best of all ending with a perfect copy of the dance from 'Way Out West' - ridiculous, serious, graceful - a joy!
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Tom McGrath's 1976 play 'Laurel and Hardy'. Ben Fox and Christian Patterson gave wonderful performances as Stan and Ollie re-telling the story of their careers - with the assistance of Greg Palmer at the piano. Incorporating affectionate and impressive impersonations of the duo's screen personas alternating with the real world Stan and Babe literally at the drop of a hat. A touching story but also genuinely funny - slapstick truly never dates! There were recreations of some of their most famous routines - all the more impressive for being performed live on stage without the benefit of re-takes - wonderful physical comedy. But best of all ending with a perfect copy of the dance from 'Way Out West' - ridiculous, serious, graceful - a joy!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
'Olivier Messiaen: Chamber Works’ by the Hebrides Ensemble
29 May 2008
I first encountered the ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ by Olivier Messiaen many years ago in a hot, packed hall in the Pump Rooms during the Bath Festival. It was a mesmerising experience. The quartet was written in a German prison camp in 1940 for a performance by the composer (on piano) with three of his fellow prisoners (a clarinettist, a violinist and a ‘cellist). The eight-movement work was premiered in the camp in front of 5000 prisoners. It is a difficult, serious, quiet and extremely moving piece of music – not easy listening but completely compelling. Best listened to as part of a massive audience holding its collective breath. The marvellous Hebrides Ensemble make their Wigmore Hall debut tomorrow with a performance including the ‘Quartet for the End of Time’. Unfortunately I’m not able to be there but I have been enjoying their new CD ‘Chamber Works’ by Messiaen, marking the composer’s centenary – more details at www.hebridesensemble.org.uk
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
'Music Hole' by Camille
27 May 2008
French singer/songwriter Camille Dalmais is an amazing vocal gymnast. I was impressed by her 2005 album ‘Le Fil’ which wove a series of inventive, quirky songs (mostly in French) around a single continuous drone note (‘the thread’). ‘Le Fil’ put Camille squarely in Kate Bush/Bjork territory but sometimes felt a little too coldly intellectual. Her new CD ‘Music Hole’ is much warmer and funkier. Sung almost entirely a capella – with ‘human percussion’ of clicks, claps, snaps, smacks and beatboxing plus occasional piano (by Jamie Cullum) – it’s a playful collection. There is some inventive use of stereo - listen on headphones with plenty of bass. Her (mostly English) lyrics are witty and clever. The songs encompass a variety of styles and are catchy, pretty and funny. Songs to admire and enjoy.
Friday, May 23, 2008
'Hamlet': a ballet by David Nixon
23 May 2008
Last night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see 'Hamlet': a ballet by David Nixon performed by Northern Ballet Theatre. Setting the story in occupied Paris in 1940 gave the ballet a distinctive, ominously dark style with period costumes, references to Berlin cabaret and ever-present Nazi regalia (and incorporating some brutal torture scenes). There was some great dancing, particularly from Nathalie Leger as Gertrude and Darren Goldsmith as Claudius, and Ophelia's mad scene was performed with beautiful delicacy by Georgina May. I very much enjoyed the music by Philip Feeney – a varied and impressive orchestral score. But I thought there were some substantial problems with the plot: by adding new elements (such as the use of written death warrants) and cutting some key scenes, an already complicated plot became quite confusing. And in some cases the changes just didn't make sense: why would Laertes seek out Hamlet to avenge his sister's death when, in this version, Ophelia has not committed suicide but has instead been raped and murdered by Nazi officers? Nevertheless, a stylish and enjoyable production.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
'The Thirty Nine Steps'
20 May 2008
The Rex in Berkhamsted was described by the BBC as "possibly Britain’s most beautiful cinema": after our first visit on Sunday I am inclined to agree. This beautiful art deco picture house is celebrating its 70th anniversary and looks glorious following its recent refurbishment. With cabaret tables and large, high-backed swivel chairs in the stalls and rows of the most comfy cinema seats with masses of legroom in the gallery, it’s a luxurious experience. But it’s the décor and lighting that make the occasion. We went to see a new print of the 1935 Hitchcock classic ‘The Thirty Nine Steps’. It was wonderful to see it on a big screen, framed by a proscenium arch and elegant curtains: we could almost have been in the London Palladium watching ‘Mr Memory’ ourselves. And it was very exciting to discover that the audience at the Rex on Sunday included Joanna, the daughter of the film’s star Robert Donat, accompanied by her family including her great grandchildren. The film bears its age well: while there are some awkwardly long pauses and unintentionally funny exchanges (and the plot never made much sense!) it has great style (with camera angles that could have been from ‘Citizen Kane’) and some fantastic comic performances. Hitchcock combines exciting chases and serious menace with screwball comedy and a memorable set-piece finale. But it’s the scenes with John Laurie and Peggy Ashcroft as the crofter and his wife that stand out – Laurie’s wide ‘Private Frazer’ eyes flitting from suspiciously from side to side across the straightest of faces. “Am I right sir?”
The Rex in Berkhamsted was described by the BBC as "possibly Britain’s most beautiful cinema": after our first visit on Sunday I am inclined to agree. This beautiful art deco picture house is celebrating its 70th anniversary and looks glorious following its recent refurbishment. With cabaret tables and large, high-backed swivel chairs in the stalls and rows of the most comfy cinema seats with masses of legroom in the gallery, it’s a luxurious experience. But it’s the décor and lighting that make the occasion. We went to see a new print of the 1935 Hitchcock classic ‘The Thirty Nine Steps’. It was wonderful to see it on a big screen, framed by a proscenium arch and elegant curtains: we could almost have been in the London Palladium watching ‘Mr Memory’ ourselves. And it was very exciting to discover that the audience at the Rex on Sunday included Joanna, the daughter of the film’s star Robert Donat, accompanied by her family including her great grandchildren. The film bears its age well: while there are some awkwardly long pauses and unintentionally funny exchanges (and the plot never made much sense!) it has great style (with camera angles that could have been from ‘Citizen Kane’) and some fantastic comic performances. Hitchcock combines exciting chases and serious menace with screwball comedy and a memorable set-piece finale. But it’s the scenes with John Laurie and Peggy Ashcroft as the crofter and his wife that stand out – Laurie’s wide ‘Private Frazer’ eyes flitting from suspiciously from side to side across the straightest of faces. “Am I right sir?”
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
13 May 2008
As I said here in May 2006 "I love the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition" so it was eager anticipation that I sat down to watch the broadcast of this year's concerto final. I don't think I would go as far as Susan Tomes who says on the Guardian website "the BBC ruined the Young Musician of the Year" but it was a major disappointment not to be able to watch the five concerto performances in full. This year the concertos were performed un-broadcast on Saturday (though later available on Radio 3 and can now be watched in their entirety at www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician) and the finalists then returned on Sunday to each play an unaccompanied piece followed by a movement from their concerto. Apart from depriving us of the luxury of five full back-to-back concertos, it also reduced the fun of trying to guess the judges' decision as they had seen more of the finalists than we had. Nevertheless I maintained my record of failing to pick the winner. The performance by twelve-year-old trombonist, Peter Moore (the youngest ever winner) was actually the one I enjoyed the most but I was convinced he wouldn't be the judges' choice. I had narrowed it down to two - neither of whom won! As usual I enjoyed discovering some fantastic pieces of music. I really liked the Tomasi Trombone Concerto and the Flute Concerto by Ibert - neither of which I had heard before - and it was wonderful to hear the Rachmaninov 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'. Do watch the full performances online while you can but don't bother with the 'Grand Final' programme. How sad that the impact of this landmark musical event should be so watered down in its thirtieth anniversary year - I do hope we can return to a full live broadcast of the concert in two years' time.
As I said here in May 2006 "I love the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition" so it was eager anticipation that I sat down to watch the broadcast of this year's concerto final. I don't think I would go as far as Susan Tomes who says on the Guardian website "the BBC ruined the Young Musician of the Year" but it was a major disappointment not to be able to watch the five concerto performances in full. This year the concertos were performed un-broadcast on Saturday (though later available on Radio 3 and can now be watched in their entirety at www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician) and the finalists then returned on Sunday to each play an unaccompanied piece followed by a movement from their concerto. Apart from depriving us of the luxury of five full back-to-back concertos, it also reduced the fun of trying to guess the judges' decision as they had seen more of the finalists than we had. Nevertheless I maintained my record of failing to pick the winner. The performance by twelve-year-old trombonist, Peter Moore (the youngest ever winner) was actually the one I enjoyed the most but I was convinced he wouldn't be the judges' choice. I had narrowed it down to two - neither of whom won! As usual I enjoyed discovering some fantastic pieces of music. I really liked the Tomasi Trombone Concerto and the Flute Concerto by Ibert - neither of which I had heard before - and it was wonderful to hear the Rachmaninov 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'. Do watch the full performances online while you can but don't bother with the 'Grand Final' programme. How sad that the impact of this landmark musical event should be so watered down in its thirtieth anniversary year - I do hope we can return to a full live broadcast of the concert in two years' time.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Toumani Diabaté
6 May 2008
For nearly 400 years, from around 1235 to 1600, the Mandé Empire covered a massive area, extending (at its peak) from central Africa (today's Chad and Niger) to West Africa (today's Mali and Senegal). With no written tradition, the archivists of the Empire were the 'griots' - hereditary musicians whose songs chronicled history and tradition. The Malian kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, who we saw performing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester last Saturday, claims to be able to trace his lineage back through 71 generations of kora players. The kora is the West African 21-string harp-lute built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin and Toumani Diabaté is the outstanding kora player of his generation, described by BBC Radio 3 as "on a par with Glenn Gould or Rostropovich - the sort of musician you only encounter once or twice in a lifetime". His new solo album, 'The Mandé Variations', sets out to make a case for Malian griot music as 'African classical music' - equivalent to Western or Indian classical music. It was fitting, therefore, to see him in a classical concert hall where the (amplified) delicacy of his playing received rapt attention and concentration from a packed audience. Toumani's technique is amazing - using only four fingers (the thumb and index finger of both hands) to pluck the strings, he manages to generate the most intricate effects, tunes, accompaniments and rhythms. You really need to see him live to convince yourself it is only one person playing! The pieces from 'The Mandé Variations' build slowly and quietly - each lasting around 10 minutes and certainly bear comparison with the steady, repetitive development within an Indian raga. The kora is more an equivalent of a harp than of a fretted instrument such as the sitar, requiring the most amazing dexterity. I had heard many recordings of Toumani Diabaté and had been impressed but not moved: seeing him live I was gripped - perhaps because the concert hall atmosphere allowed me to give the music the concentration required to understand, appreciate and be entranced by it. Toumani is a regular visitor to Manchester as his uncle has lived there for 20 years and I was delighted to hear that they will both be rooting for Manchester United in the forthcoming European Cup final! Toumani himself lived briefly in London in 1986: I loved the piece 'Elyne Road' which is based on his time in London and built around a quote from the UB40 song 'Kingston Town'. A magical evening.
For nearly 400 years, from around 1235 to 1600, the Mandé Empire covered a massive area, extending (at its peak) from central Africa (today's Chad and Niger) to West Africa (today's Mali and Senegal). With no written tradition, the archivists of the Empire were the 'griots' - hereditary musicians whose songs chronicled history and tradition. The Malian kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, who we saw performing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester last Saturday, claims to be able to trace his lineage back through 71 generations of kora players. The kora is the West African 21-string harp-lute built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin and Toumani Diabaté is the outstanding kora player of his generation, described by BBC Radio 3 as "on a par with Glenn Gould or Rostropovich - the sort of musician you only encounter once or twice in a lifetime". His new solo album, 'The Mandé Variations', sets out to make a case for Malian griot music as 'African classical music' - equivalent to Western or Indian classical music. It was fitting, therefore, to see him in a classical concert hall where the (amplified) delicacy of his playing received rapt attention and concentration from a packed audience. Toumani's technique is amazing - using only four fingers (the thumb and index finger of both hands) to pluck the strings, he manages to generate the most intricate effects, tunes, accompaniments and rhythms. You really need to see him live to convince yourself it is only one person playing! The pieces from 'The Mandé Variations' build slowly and quietly - each lasting around 10 minutes and certainly bear comparison with the steady, repetitive development within an Indian raga. The kora is more an equivalent of a harp than of a fretted instrument such as the sitar, requiring the most amazing dexterity. I had heard many recordings of Toumani Diabaté and had been impressed but not moved: seeing him live I was gripped - perhaps because the concert hall atmosphere allowed me to give the music the concentration required to understand, appreciate and be entranced by it. Toumani is a regular visitor to Manchester as his uncle has lived there for 20 years and I was delighted to hear that they will both be rooting for Manchester United in the forthcoming European Cup final! Toumani himself lived briefly in London in 1986: I loved the piece 'Elyne Road' which is based on his time in London and built around a quote from the UB40 song 'Kingston Town'. A magical evening.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
29 April 2008
The latest Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert took place on Saturday at Christ Church in Northampton. We started with the 'Swedish Rhapsody No. 1' by Hugo Alfven - a strange mixed bag of a piece with a very well-known jaunty main theme. It contains some lovely moments - occasionally sounding very like Dvořák to me - but doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind what it wants to be - slipping too often towards the twee. We then tackled the lovely 'Violin Concerto' by Erich Korngold: a lush, tuneful work with many of the qualities of Korngold's best film scores (and showing how he influenced many later film composers - I think John Williams must have been a fan). But also a fiendishly difficult piece with constantly changing time signatures. Although it had gone very well in our final afternoon rehearsal, the performance was a bit hair-raising - particularly in the slow movement - and it is a great credit to the soloist, Thomas Gould, that he didn't catch the orchestra's nervousness and managed to pull us through to the finale. As we embarked on Sibelius' 'Symphony No. 1', our nerves were soothed by an assured opening clarinet solo by Naomi Muller and I think we gave an effective account of the symphony. It was very interesting, having played a couple of Tchaikowsky symphonies recently, to be immersed in Sibelius - a complete contrast in styles and, particularly, in orchestration. The Sibelius symphony is like a jigsaw puzzle where you need all the parts before you can see the whole wonderful picture.
The latest Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert took place on Saturday at Christ Church in Northampton. We started with the 'Swedish Rhapsody No. 1' by Hugo Alfven - a strange mixed bag of a piece with a very well-known jaunty main theme. It contains some lovely moments - occasionally sounding very like Dvořák to me - but doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind what it wants to be - slipping too often towards the twee. We then tackled the lovely 'Violin Concerto' by Erich Korngold: a lush, tuneful work with many of the qualities of Korngold's best film scores (and showing how he influenced many later film composers - I think John Williams must have been a fan). But also a fiendishly difficult piece with constantly changing time signatures. Although it had gone very well in our final afternoon rehearsal, the performance was a bit hair-raising - particularly in the slow movement - and it is a great credit to the soloist, Thomas Gould, that he didn't catch the orchestra's nervousness and managed to pull us through to the finale. As we embarked on Sibelius' 'Symphony No. 1', our nerves were soothed by an assured opening clarinet solo by Naomi Muller and I think we gave an effective account of the symphony. It was very interesting, having played a couple of Tchaikowsky symphonies recently, to be immersed in Sibelius - a complete contrast in styles and, particularly, in orchestration. The Sibelius symphony is like a jigsaw puzzle where you need all the parts before you can see the whole wonderful picture.
Friday, April 25, 2008
‘Welcome to Everytown’ by Julian Baggini
25 April 2008
Julian Baggini is the editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine and a leading proponent of popular philosophy. I really like his pieces for The Guardian and a few years ago I went to see him speak at the Edinburgh Book Festival. On that occasion he explained that one of the difficulties of becoming known as an articulate spokesperson for the liberal intelligentsia was that he was often being asked to appear on Radio 4’s Today Programme but then proved unable to satisfy their requirements for a polarised debate because he kept finding that he could see both points of view: sometimes he was just too reasonable for his own good! This struck a chord with me – I often feel that I should probably have stronger opinions on key topics up my sleeve. I think I also relate to Baggini as we are a similar age: I knew I was on comfortable ground when I started to read his excellent guide to the meaning of life, ‘What’s It All About’ and discovered a quote from ‘The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ on the first page. Julian Baggini’s latest book, ‘Welcome to Everytown’, which I have been reading this week starts with a quote from Alan Partridge. In ‘Welcome to Everytown’ Baggini sets out to uncover the English character by spending six months living in England’s most typical town – which, from demographic analysis, turns out to be Rotherham (or, more precisely, the S66 postcode area). His immersion in working class life, mainstream media and local culture produces a challenging and thought-provoking analysis – both of the people he encounters and of his own liberal, middle class attitudes and prejudices. Never poking fun, he is honest, frank and respectful – apart from his vitriolic dislike of the Daily Mail. I found his observations on mass culture especially interesting in relation to Arts Council England’s recent work on segmenting the population according to their cultural participation. Fascinating and important stuff.
Julian Baggini is the editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine and a leading proponent of popular philosophy. I really like his pieces for The Guardian and a few years ago I went to see him speak at the Edinburgh Book Festival. On that occasion he explained that one of the difficulties of becoming known as an articulate spokesperson for the liberal intelligentsia was that he was often being asked to appear on Radio 4’s Today Programme but then proved unable to satisfy their requirements for a polarised debate because he kept finding that he could see both points of view: sometimes he was just too reasonable for his own good! This struck a chord with me – I often feel that I should probably have stronger opinions on key topics up my sleeve. I think I also relate to Baggini as we are a similar age: I knew I was on comfortable ground when I started to read his excellent guide to the meaning of life, ‘What’s It All About’ and discovered a quote from ‘The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ on the first page. Julian Baggini’s latest book, ‘Welcome to Everytown’, which I have been reading this week starts with a quote from Alan Partridge. In ‘Welcome to Everytown’ Baggini sets out to uncover the English character by spending six months living in England’s most typical town – which, from demographic analysis, turns out to be Rotherham (or, more precisely, the S66 postcode area). His immersion in working class life, mainstream media and local culture produces a challenging and thought-provoking analysis – both of the people he encounters and of his own liberal, middle class attitudes and prejudices. Never poking fun, he is honest, frank and respectful – apart from his vitriolic dislike of the Daily Mail. I found his observations on mass culture especially interesting in relation to Arts Council England’s recent work on segmenting the population according to their cultural participation. Fascinating and important stuff.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
'Elevate' by Fiona Mackenzie
17 April 2008
I've been enjoying 'Elevate' - an album by Scottish folk singer Fiona Mackenzie. Apart from the three Gaelic songs this is more acoustic pop than folk. The opening track 'When The Sunny Sky Has Gone' sounds like it could be by Jack Johnson. Fiona Mackenzie's voice has some of the childlike fragility of Joanna Newsom (reviewed here in November 2006) - though without the more strident moments. 'Elevate' is a gentle, likeable collection of songs.
I've been enjoying 'Elevate' - an album by Scottish folk singer Fiona Mackenzie. Apart from the three Gaelic songs this is more acoustic pop than folk. The opening track 'When The Sunny Sky Has Gone' sounds like it could be by Jack Johnson. Fiona Mackenzie's voice has some of the childlike fragility of Joanna Newsom (reviewed here in November 2006) - though without the more strident moments. 'Elevate' is a gentle, likeable collection of songs.
'This Earthly Spell' by Karine Polwart
17 April 2008
A new album by Karine Polwart (reviewed here in November 2005 and April 2006) is always a pleasure: I've been enjoying her recent CD of traditional songs, 'Fairest Floo'er', but the new collection of her own compositions, 'This Earthly Spell', is even better. Karine's thoughtful, poignant lyrics, distinctive voice, catchy tunes and lush vocal harmonies are a compelling mix. She creates an air of melancholy with a subtle hint of optimism - and then throws in a laid-back swing number ('The News') that could have been by Fairground Attraction.
A new album by Karine Polwart (reviewed here in November 2005 and April 2006) is always a pleasure: I've been enjoying her recent CD of traditional songs, 'Fairest Floo'er', but the new collection of her own compositions, 'This Earthly Spell', is even better. Karine's thoughtful, poignant lyrics, distinctive voice, catchy tunes and lush vocal harmonies are a compelling mix. She creates an air of melancholy with a subtle hint of optimism - and then throws in a laid-back swing number ('The News') that could have been by Fairground Attraction.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' by Susanna Clarke
15 April 2008
When it came out in 2004, some reviewers suggested that Susanna Clarke's incredible debut novel 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' was "Harry Potter for grown ups". This epic tale of two magicians in 19th century England certainly has some similarities with Harry Potter but it's much more than that. Clarke creates a world that is both historically accurate but surreally magical - a parallel universe more like those of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' novels. But she has also written a 19th century novel - with explanatory chapter titles, plate illustrations, peculiar (but wholly consistent) spellings and masses of footnotes. The footnotes are essential reading - filling in a comprehensive back-story of several centuries of 'English magic'. In case this all sounds a bit scholarly, I should emphasise that 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' is a very funny book - with some of the 19th century whimsy of 'Three Men in a Boat'. It has a great cast of characters and intricate plotting worthy of Dickens. At more than 1000 pages it is a mammoth achievement - with some seeds planted very early on which satisfyingly flourish as the tale reaches its climax. I am wary of saying anything about the plot as part of the joy of the book was having no idea where it was heading - or even what period it was going to cover. There are some great 'Zelig' moments where the magicians brush against actual historical events - though more in the fashion of 'Doctor Who'. But best of all is Clarke's ability to judge the fine line between dropping clues to the direction of the story and risking signalling it too obviously. For me she was just about spot on: time and again I had the satisfaction of realising that I had seen something coming without having guessed it too early. 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' is an amazing, wonderful book - it is very long but I really didn't want it to end and now I want to read it all again. Brilliant!
When it came out in 2004, some reviewers suggested that Susanna Clarke's incredible debut novel 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' was "Harry Potter for grown ups". This epic tale of two magicians in 19th century England certainly has some similarities with Harry Potter but it's much more than that. Clarke creates a world that is both historically accurate but surreally magical - a parallel universe more like those of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' novels. But she has also written a 19th century novel - with explanatory chapter titles, plate illustrations, peculiar (but wholly consistent) spellings and masses of footnotes. The footnotes are essential reading - filling in a comprehensive back-story of several centuries of 'English magic'. In case this all sounds a bit scholarly, I should emphasise that 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' is a very funny book - with some of the 19th century whimsy of 'Three Men in a Boat'. It has a great cast of characters and intricate plotting worthy of Dickens. At more than 1000 pages it is a mammoth achievement - with some seeds planted very early on which satisfyingly flourish as the tale reaches its climax. I am wary of saying anything about the plot as part of the joy of the book was having no idea where it was heading - or even what period it was going to cover. There are some great 'Zelig' moments where the magicians brush against actual historical events - though more in the fashion of 'Doctor Who'. But best of all is Clarke's ability to judge the fine line between dropping clues to the direction of the story and risking signalling it too obviously. For me she was just about spot on: time and again I had the satisfaction of realising that I had seen something coming without having guessed it too early. 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' is an amazing, wonderful book - it is very long but I really didn't want it to end and now I want to read it all again. Brilliant!
Monday, April 07, 2008
'As You Like It' by William Shakespeare
7 April 2008
On Saturday we made a first visit to the Watford Palace Theatre to see 'As You Like It'. The Palace is currently celebrating its centenary: it reopened following a substantial refurbishment in 2004 which restored the period splendour of the auditorium while creating a gleaming modern foyer - much like the development of the Royal Theatre in Northampton. 'As You Like It' is the first Palace Shakespeare production since 1976 and it was a very enjoyable evening. Well cast and well acted throughout with some great mugging from Lisa Jackson as Rosalind and a show-stealing scene from Claire Prempeh as Phebe. We'll definitely be revisiting Watford soon.
On Saturday we made a first visit to the Watford Palace Theatre to see 'As You Like It'. The Palace is currently celebrating its centenary: it reopened following a substantial refurbishment in 2004 which restored the period splendour of the auditorium while creating a gleaming modern foyer - much like the development of the Royal Theatre in Northampton. 'As You Like It' is the first Palace Shakespeare production since 1976 and it was a very enjoyable evening. Well cast and well acted throughout with some great mugging from Lisa Jackson as Rosalind and a show-stealing scene from Claire Prempeh as Phebe. We'll definitely be revisiting Watford soon.
Friday, April 04, 2008
'Hotas' by Tsuumi Sound System
4 April 2008
Regular readers will know of my enthusiasm for all things Finnish: this week I've been listening to 'Hotas', the album by Finnish folk/rock group Tsuumi Sound System. At first it's almost a Celtic sound - could easily be a Scottish group - but the occasional unexpected rhythms and time-shifts betray its Scandinavian origins. The tunes are dominated by frantic, furious fiddles backed by accordion, guitar, bass, drums and pleasingly unobtrusive soprano saxophone. It's a nicely varied set of tunes but maintains a cheerful optimistic air throughout. Fiona Talkington called it "a lesson in how to make the perfect album".
Regular readers will know of my enthusiasm for all things Finnish: this week I've been listening to 'Hotas', the album by Finnish folk/rock group Tsuumi Sound System. At first it's almost a Celtic sound - could easily be a Scottish group - but the occasional unexpected rhythms and time-shifts betray its Scandinavian origins. The tunes are dominated by frantic, furious fiddles backed by accordion, guitar, bass, drums and pleasingly unobtrusive soprano saxophone. It's a nicely varied set of tunes but maintains a cheerful optimistic air throughout. Fiona Talkington called it "a lesson in how to make the perfect album".
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Milton Keynes Sinfonia concert
2 April 2008
On Saturday I played in a concert by Milton Keynes Sinfonia which included Tchaikowsky's fourth symphony - a fantastic work-out! Tchaikowsky is great for developing your stamina and a wonderful crowd pleaser - and we had a packed audience at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes, though I suspect quite a few were there primarily to see Peter Bussereau play the first violin concerto by Bruch. We started the concert with the overture 'Les Franc-Juges' by Berlioz - not a particularly memorable piece other than for the tune that was used for John Freeman's 'Face to Face' interviews which, coincidentally, I had been thinking about a lot last week after watching Ken Stott as Tony Hancock in BBC Four's 'Hancock and Joan'.
On Saturday I played in a concert by Milton Keynes Sinfonia which included Tchaikowsky's fourth symphony - a fantastic work-out! Tchaikowsky is great for developing your stamina and a wonderful crowd pleaser - and we had a packed audience at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes, though I suspect quite a few were there primarily to see Peter Bussereau play the first violin concerto by Bruch. We started the concert with the overture 'Les Franc-Juges' by Berlioz - not a particularly memorable piece other than for the tune that was used for John Freeman's 'Face to Face' interviews which, coincidentally, I had been thinking about a lot last week after watching Ken Stott as Tony Hancock in BBC Four's 'Hancock and Joan'.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Bella Hardy
26 March 2008
The young folk singer, Bella Hardy, from Edale in Derbyshire was recently nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and provided harmony vocals on the excellent debut album by Ruth Notman (reviewed here in February 2008). Last week we took the opportunity to see Bella perform in the newly refurbished bar at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple. The unusual surroundings ("like performing in Ikea") and small audience (18 people) made for an intimate gig. Bella was accompanied on the Anglo concertina by Chrs Sherburn and Chris's experience and laid-back comic personality made for plenty of gentle banter - an entertaining double act. Bella has a beautiful and impressive voice. She sings traditional English folk songs that tell a story - mostly grim tales, even when the music is uplifting. I would have welcomed a little more variety of style - it would have been good to hear her voice in a more modern idiom occasionally - but it was a lovely evening and I've been enjoying her CD 'Night Visiting'.
The young folk singer, Bella Hardy, from Edale in Derbyshire was recently nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and provided harmony vocals on the excellent debut album by Ruth Notman (reviewed here in February 2008). Last week we took the opportunity to see Bella perform in the newly refurbished bar at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple. The unusual surroundings ("like performing in Ikea") and small audience (18 people) made for an intimate gig. Bella was accompanied on the Anglo concertina by Chrs Sherburn and Chris's experience and laid-back comic personality made for plenty of gentle banter - an entertaining double act. Bella has a beautiful and impressive voice. She sings traditional English folk songs that tell a story - mostly grim tales, even when the music is uplifting. I would have welcomed a little more variety of style - it would have been good to hear her voice in a more modern idiom occasionally - but it was a lovely evening and I've been enjoying her CD 'Night Visiting'.
'In the Valley of Elah'
26 March 2008
Last Monday we were at the delightful little cinema in Lynton, North Devon, to see 'In the Valley of Elah' - a film with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron about American soldiers returning from Iraq. Although dealing with an extremely grim subject this was a clever and enjoyable film which repeatedly avoided the many traps it could easily have fallen into. Most of the horrors are recounted rather than shown and I think the message is more powerful for it.
Last Monday we were at the delightful little cinema in Lynton, North Devon, to see 'In the Valley of Elah' - a film with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron about American soldiers returning from Iraq. Although dealing with an extremely grim subject this was a clever and enjoyable film which repeatedly avoided the many traps it could easily have fallen into. Most of the horrors are recounted rather than shown and I think the message is more powerful for it.
Exmoor
26 March 2008
We had a lovely week at Brendon on Exmoor, exploring the moor, coast and valleys of North Devon (and parts of Somerset). We did lots of walking and had plenty of cream teas. The countryside is very pretty, varied and (during March at least) extremely quiet. We particularly enjoyed the coastal path near Woody Bay and the beautiful Doone Valley - though we discovered the dangers of assuming that 'bridlepath' is the same thing as 'footpath' when our route pointed straight across a busy river! (Not having a horse with us we enjoyed a lengthy and fruitless search for a footbridge followed by a rather adventurous crossing!) We were lucky with the weather which was cold but mostly clear and sunny - having avoided the storms of the previous week and the snow that followed our return. A relaxing break.
We had a lovely week at Brendon on Exmoor, exploring the moor, coast and valleys of North Devon (and parts of Somerset). We did lots of walking and had plenty of cream teas. The countryside is very pretty, varied and (during March at least) extremely quiet. We particularly enjoyed the coastal path near Woody Bay and the beautiful Doone Valley - though we discovered the dangers of assuming that 'bridlepath' is the same thing as 'footpath' when our route pointed straight across a busy river! (Not having a horse with us we enjoyed a lengthy and fruitless search for a footbridge followed by a rather adventurous crossing!) We were lucky with the weather which was cold but mostly clear and sunny - having avoided the storms of the previous week and the snow that followed our return. A relaxing break.
'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' by Gregory Maguire
26 March 2008
Some time in 2001 I heard someone on the radio talking about a novel that was going to tell the story of the childhood of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Even though the book had not yet been published in the UK, I was hooked by the concept. During a trip to Seattle in 2002 I bought a copy of 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire at the wonderful Elliot Bay Book Company store and I loved it. It has since become a bestseller and spawned a Broadway musical. So it was with some expectation that I started reading Gregory Maguire's 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' which attempts a similar trick with the Cinderella story. 'Wicked' is a strange and peculiar book which travels into the realms of magical realism: 'Confessions' is less ambitious - more a straightforward historical novel - and better for it. Both take the 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' approach - showing you familiar events from the point of view of previously minor characters. But I thought 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' had more in common with those other Tom Stoppard plays (such as 'Travesties' and 'The Invention of Love') where the more familiar story that the characters inhabit only gradually reveals itself. By the time 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' resolves itself into the events around Cinderella's appearance at the ball it is almost a surprise. It's a very neat and satisfying story and has a lot to say about appearances and transformations.
Some time in 2001 I heard someone on the radio talking about a novel that was going to tell the story of the childhood of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Even though the book had not yet been published in the UK, I was hooked by the concept. During a trip to Seattle in 2002 I bought a copy of 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire at the wonderful Elliot Bay Book Company store and I loved it. It has since become a bestseller and spawned a Broadway musical. So it was with some expectation that I started reading Gregory Maguire's 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' which attempts a similar trick with the Cinderella story. 'Wicked' is a strange and peculiar book which travels into the realms of magical realism: 'Confessions' is less ambitious - more a straightforward historical novel - and better for it. Both take the 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' approach - showing you familiar events from the point of view of previously minor characters. But I thought 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' had more in common with those other Tom Stoppard plays (such as 'Travesties' and 'The Invention of Love') where the more familiar story that the characters inhabit only gradually reveals itself. By the time 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' resolves itself into the events around Cinderella's appearance at the ball it is almost a surprise. It's a very neat and satisfying story and has a lot to say about appearances and transformations.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Eilís Kennedy and Pauline Scanlon
13 March 2008
Spellbinding session from the beautiful west of Ireland voices of Eilís Kennedy and Pauline Scanlon on Charlie Gillett's Radio 3 show this week. You can listen again here and hear the first few tracks from their forthcoming album at: http://www.myspace.com/dinglewhitefemales.
Spellbinding session from the beautiful west of Ireland voices of Eilís Kennedy and Pauline Scanlon on Charlie Gillett's Radio 3 show this week. You can listen again here and hear the first few tracks from their forthcoming album at: http://www.myspace.com/dinglewhitefemales.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Milton Keynes City Orchestra concert
12 March 2008
On Sunday night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to hear the Milton Keynes City Orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards. The first half of the concert was a performance of Beethoven's 'Triple Concerto' with Diana Cummings (violin), Nigel Clayton (piano) and the wonderful show-stealing Oleg Kogan ('cello) who was a late replacement for the injured Gerard Le Feuvre. After the interval the MKCO were joined by the Milton Keynes Music Service Symphony Orchestra for a joint performance of the overture 'The Italian Girl in Algiers' by Rossini. With nearly 100 players on the stage it looked and sounded amazing: the playing was incredibly tight and precise and my only disappointment was that (with one notable exception) all the woodwind solos were taken by the professional players rather than the local youngsters. Before they completed the concert with Haydn's 'Symphony No. 103 - Drum Roll', I was pleased to see MKCO take on something a little out of the ordinary with the strange, atmospheric 'Nostalgia' by Takemitsu - a tribute to the Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky.
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
10 March 2008
Saturday's Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert was an exciting but exhausting challenge for those of playing in it. We started with the 'Symphonic Dances from West Side Story' by Leonard Bernstein - an incredibly difficult piece. While it might not have been perfect, I thought our performance was an impressive achievement with many of the complex rhythmic challenges mastered and some stunning passages. The orchestra then accompanied the excellent David Le Page in the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber - one of my favourite works. We finished with Tchaikowsky's 'Symphony No. 6 - Pathetique' - both emotionally and physically draining but well worth the effort. There is nothing quite like the moment where the euphoria of the triumphant conclusion of the rousing third movment march is shattered by the devastating onslaught of the heart-wrenching final movement (particularly when the marathon third movement has left you feeling like you'll never be able to play another note!).
Saturday's Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert was an exciting but exhausting challenge for those of playing in it. We started with the 'Symphonic Dances from West Side Story' by Leonard Bernstein - an incredibly difficult piece. While it might not have been perfect, I thought our performance was an impressive achievement with many of the complex rhythmic challenges mastered and some stunning passages. The orchestra then accompanied the excellent David Le Page in the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber - one of my favourite works. We finished with Tchaikowsky's 'Symphony No. 6 - Pathetique' - both emotionally and physically draining but well worth the effort. There is nothing quite like the moment where the euphoria of the triumphant conclusion of the rousing third movment march is shattered by the devastating onslaught of the heart-wrenching final movement (particularly when the marathon third movement has left you feeling like you'll never be able to play another note!).
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
'Rafta, Rafta ...' by Ayub Khan-Din
4 March 2008
I very much enjoyed the National Theatre production of 'Rafta, Rafta ...' by Ayub Khan-Din which we saw at Milton Keynes Theatre last Saturday. It was based on the 1953 play 'All in Good Time' by Bill Naughton (which was filmed as 'The Family Way' with Hywel Bennett and John Mills) but updated to focus on an Indian family in modern day Bolton. A young couple, unable to afford their own home, start their married life sharing the groom's parents' small terraced house. The original plot worked remarkably well in its new setting - some things don't change that much and have a kind of universality across cultures! Michael Coveney, writing in the programme, suggested that Naughton sits on a line of popular playwriting from the likes of Harold Brighouse to Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn. There are clear echoes of 'Hobson's Choice' here and 'Rafta, Rafta ...' definitely has the look and feel of an Ayckbourn play - and is similarly extremely funny. Like Ayckbourn it is accessible and entertaining while gradually revealing its deeper, darker themes. There was a great central performance from Harish Patel as the comical patriarch, and a wonderful set showing a dolls-house cross-section of his two-up, two-down.
I very much enjoyed the National Theatre production of 'Rafta, Rafta ...' by Ayub Khan-Din which we saw at Milton Keynes Theatre last Saturday. It was based on the 1953 play 'All in Good Time' by Bill Naughton (which was filmed as 'The Family Way' with Hywel Bennett and John Mills) but updated to focus on an Indian family in modern day Bolton. A young couple, unable to afford their own home, start their married life sharing the groom's parents' small terraced house. The original plot worked remarkably well in its new setting - some things don't change that much and have a kind of universality across cultures! Michael Coveney, writing in the programme, suggested that Naughton sits on a line of popular playwriting from the likes of Harold Brighouse to Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn. There are clear echoes of 'Hobson's Choice' here and 'Rafta, Rafta ...' definitely has the look and feel of an Ayckbourn play - and is similarly extremely funny. Like Ayckbourn it is accessible and entertaining while gradually revealing its deeper, darker themes. There was a great central performance from Harish Patel as the comical patriarch, and a wonderful set showing a dolls-house cross-section of his two-up, two-down.
Friday, February 29, 2008
'There Will Be Blood'
29 February 2008
Paul Thomas Anderson's film 'There Will Be Blood' has received rave reviews - particularly for its tour-de-force performance by Daniel Day Lewis - with some daring to compare it with 'Citizen Kane'. It therefore had a lot to live up to when I went to see it yesterday and, while it didn't entirely succeed, it is a very impressive work. From the start it has the feel of an epic with wide open landscapes, long silences and a gritty visceral portrayal of the realities of digging for oil at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. There is some great cinematography - you really need to see it on a big screen for those scenes where the camera fixes on a long view of the countryside in which something important is happening between two tiny figures in the bottom left hand corner. The plot is intriguingly unpredictable whilst, paradoxically, almost everything that happens seems to have been telegraphed by a casual comment much earlier in the film. And while we clearly spend much of the film rooting for Daniel Day Lewis's character, Daniel Plainview, - particularly in his battles with the extremely creepy preacher played by Paul Dano - we never really like him. Is he a monster? - or just an ordinary man trying to achieve his goals? Is he lonely? - or just manipulative? An impressive film that generates more questions than it answers - and probably needs to be seen several times.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film 'There Will Be Blood' has received rave reviews - particularly for its tour-de-force performance by Daniel Day Lewis - with some daring to compare it with 'Citizen Kane'. It therefore had a lot to live up to when I went to see it yesterday and, while it didn't entirely succeed, it is a very impressive work. From the start it has the feel of an epic with wide open landscapes, long silences and a gritty visceral portrayal of the realities of digging for oil at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. There is some great cinematography - you really need to see it on a big screen for those scenes where the camera fixes on a long view of the countryside in which something important is happening between two tiny figures in the bottom left hand corner. The plot is intriguingly unpredictable whilst, paradoxically, almost everything that happens seems to have been telegraphed by a casual comment much earlier in the film. And while we clearly spend much of the film rooting for Daniel Day Lewis's character, Daniel Plainview, - particularly in his battles with the extremely creepy preacher played by Paul Dano - we never really like him. Is he a monster? - or just an ordinary man trying to achieve his goals? Is he lonely? - or just manipulative? An impressive film that generates more questions than it answers - and probably needs to be seen several times.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
'Vampire Weekend' by Vampire Weekend
27 February 2008
My new favourite band is Vampire Weekend. Their eponymous debut CD combines the cocky swagger of Arctic Monkeys (reviewed here in February 2006 and April 2007) with the American indie sound of bands like Tilly and the Wall (reviewed here in March 2007), a liberal use of strings and harpsichord and South African and West African guitar sounds - a unique and infectious concoction.
My new favourite band is Vampire Weekend. Their eponymous debut CD combines the cocky swagger of Arctic Monkeys (reviewed here in February 2006 and April 2007) with the American indie sound of bands like Tilly and the Wall (reviewed here in March 2007), a liberal use of strings and harpsichord and South African and West African guitar sounds - a unique and infectious concoction.
Monday, February 25, 2008
'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' adapted by Lisa Evans
25 February 2008
Having read Mary Shelley's original novel for the first time last year (reviewed here in May 2007), I was particularly looking forward to the new stage version of 'Frankenstein' adapted by Lisa Evans for the Northampton Royal & Derngate and Frantic Assembly. Laurie Sansom's ambitious production awakened memories of Rupert Goold's stagings of 'Faust', 'Paradise Lost' and 'Hamlet' which built the Royal Theatre's reputation for innovation. 'Frankenstein' was another impressive show with much to admire. Victor Frankenstein's story was set within a modern tale in which a woman visits her sister, Mary, in a secure psychiatric hospital where she is being held following her conviction for murdering her baby. This invites consideration of the term 'monster' and echoes Mary Shelley's themes of birth, creation and death. In her hospital room Mary is reading 'Frankenstein' and it is a magical moment when she first opens up the book and the characters explode through a trap door onto the stage to play out the drama in front of her. The links between Mary's story and the book are subtly strengthened as she takes on some of the roles in Frankenstein's narrative. But the main coup-de-theatre is the decision to cast the dancer Richard Winsor as the monster. Winsor has been one of the principal dancers in Matthew Bourne's company (playing the title role in 'Edward Scissorhands', reviewed here in January 2006) and gives an amazing physical performance as the monster: the scene in which he comes to life is truly incredible. He is compelling throughout, commanding the stage and acrobatically cantering up and down the set. Having said that, I'm not sure he was quite scary enough: I don't think his physical appearance would have created such a strong instant reaction from everyone he encountered and there were times when the tension was punctured by the audience seeing too much of the monster too soon. I also thought the framing device of Mary's story wasn't quite substantial enough: given that 'Frankenstein' is already a series of 'nested narratives', I think we needed something more unpredictable to draw us into the framing story. Perhaps it was because I had read the book quite recently but this very faithful adaptation lacked some elements of surprise and shock. Nevertheless there were some great moments and much food for thought - and it was wonderful to see Laurie Sansom continuing the practice of using a 'community cast' of local amateurs in the supporting roles (as he did in 'Follies' reviewed here in November 2006).
Having read Mary Shelley's original novel for the first time last year (reviewed here in May 2007), I was particularly looking forward to the new stage version of 'Frankenstein' adapted by Lisa Evans for the Northampton Royal & Derngate and Frantic Assembly. Laurie Sansom's ambitious production awakened memories of Rupert Goold's stagings of 'Faust', 'Paradise Lost' and 'Hamlet' which built the Royal Theatre's reputation for innovation. 'Frankenstein' was another impressive show with much to admire. Victor Frankenstein's story was set within a modern tale in which a woman visits her sister, Mary, in a secure psychiatric hospital where she is being held following her conviction for murdering her baby. This invites consideration of the term 'monster' and echoes Mary Shelley's themes of birth, creation and death. In her hospital room Mary is reading 'Frankenstein' and it is a magical moment when she first opens up the book and the characters explode through a trap door onto the stage to play out the drama in front of her. The links between Mary's story and the book are subtly strengthened as she takes on some of the roles in Frankenstein's narrative. But the main coup-de-theatre is the decision to cast the dancer Richard Winsor as the monster. Winsor has been one of the principal dancers in Matthew Bourne's company (playing the title role in 'Edward Scissorhands', reviewed here in January 2006) and gives an amazing physical performance as the monster: the scene in which he comes to life is truly incredible. He is compelling throughout, commanding the stage and acrobatically cantering up and down the set. Having said that, I'm not sure he was quite scary enough: I don't think his physical appearance would have created such a strong instant reaction from everyone he encountered and there were times when the tension was punctured by the audience seeing too much of the monster too soon. I also thought the framing device of Mary's story wasn't quite substantial enough: given that 'Frankenstein' is already a series of 'nested narratives', I think we needed something more unpredictable to draw us into the framing story. Perhaps it was because I had read the book quite recently but this very faithful adaptation lacked some elements of surprise and shock. Nevertheless there were some great moments and much food for thought - and it was wonderful to see Laurie Sansom continuing the practice of using a 'community cast' of local amateurs in the supporting roles (as he did in 'Follies' reviewed here in November 2006).
Friday, February 22, 2008
'One Good Turn' by Kate Atkinson
22 February 2008
Reading the blurb at the front of Kate Atkinson's latest novel, 'One Good Turn', I realised that I have read all her published books. While this obviously suggests that I like her writing, I think what has kept me reading is her exploration of a variety of styles - from the wonderful family saga of 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' to the comedy thriller ('Emotionally Weird'), dalliances with magic realism (in 'Human Croquet' and the short story collection 'Not the End of the World') and an innovative take on the detective novel ('Case Histories'). Jackson Brodie, the hero of 'Case Histories', gets a second outing in 'One Good Turn' which is subtitled 'A Jolly Murder Mystery' but I found it quite a different book with a complex but subtle structure. The story is told in the third person but the point of view rotates, chapter by chapter, through at least half a dozen main characters. In many cases the switch of viewpoint at the start of the chapter allows the author to skip back a few minutes and replay the latest action from a different perspective. This creates a gradual unveiling of what has happened. As with many of Atkinson's books, clever twists are sufficiently signposted for the reader to guess them just before the characters do - making for an extremely satisfying and enjoyable read. Intriguing, gripping, not too demanding but cleverer than it first appears. There is a running theme about Russian dolls and you gradually realise that the stories of each of the main characters do not just overlap but actually seem to fit inside each other. While the resolution of numerous loose ends is deftly achieved, the plot does seem to rest on a few enormously unlikely coincidences but, as long you don't take it too seriously, it's lots of fun. And, having seen Kate Atkinson at the Edinburgh Book Festival some years ago, it was particularly interesting to find her writing a scene about an author appearing at the Edinburgh Book Festival ...
Reading the blurb at the front of Kate Atkinson's latest novel, 'One Good Turn', I realised that I have read all her published books. While this obviously suggests that I like her writing, I think what has kept me reading is her exploration of a variety of styles - from the wonderful family saga of 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' to the comedy thriller ('Emotionally Weird'), dalliances with magic realism (in 'Human Croquet' and the short story collection 'Not the End of the World') and an innovative take on the detective novel ('Case Histories'). Jackson Brodie, the hero of 'Case Histories', gets a second outing in 'One Good Turn' which is subtitled 'A Jolly Murder Mystery' but I found it quite a different book with a complex but subtle structure. The story is told in the third person but the point of view rotates, chapter by chapter, through at least half a dozen main characters. In many cases the switch of viewpoint at the start of the chapter allows the author to skip back a few minutes and replay the latest action from a different perspective. This creates a gradual unveiling of what has happened. As with many of Atkinson's books, clever twists are sufficiently signposted for the reader to guess them just before the characters do - making for an extremely satisfying and enjoyable read. Intriguing, gripping, not too demanding but cleverer than it first appears. There is a running theme about Russian dolls and you gradually realise that the stories of each of the main characters do not just overlap but actually seem to fit inside each other. While the resolution of numerous loose ends is deftly achieved, the plot does seem to rest on a few enormously unlikely coincidences but, as long you don't take it too seriously, it's lots of fun. And, having seen Kate Atkinson at the Edinburgh Book Festival some years ago, it was particularly interesting to find her writing a scene about an author appearing at the Edinburgh Book Festival ...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Matthew Bourne's 'Nutcracker'
19 February 2008
On Saturday we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see Matthew Bourne's 'Nutcracker' - a modern dance realisation of the Tchaikowsky ballet. Colourful, witty, playful and larger than life this was more like a dance version of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' than Victorian whimsy. Very much like Bourne’s dance version of 'Edward Scissorhands' (reviewed here in January 2006), I would have preferred more direct connection with the music but it was lots of fun and enthusiastically received by a packed house. I particularly liked the liquorice allsorts and a stunning leap onto the oversized pillow at the back of the set.
On Saturday we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see Matthew Bourne's 'Nutcracker' - a modern dance realisation of the Tchaikowsky ballet. Colourful, witty, playful and larger than life this was more like a dance version of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' than Victorian whimsy. Very much like Bourne’s dance version of 'Edward Scissorhands' (reviewed here in January 2006), I would have preferred more direct connection with the music but it was lots of fun and enthusiastically received by a packed house. I particularly liked the liquorice allsorts and a stunning leap onto the oversized pillow at the back of the set.
Monday, February 11, 2008
'Juno'
11 February 2008
I used to love watching 'Hill Street Blues' but it usually took me up to the first ad-break to tune into what they were saying - I found the fast, cross-talking, American accents extremely hard to follow. I felt a bit the same on Sunday watching 'Juno' - the new Canadian comedy film directed by Jason Reitman. The universal language of the North American teenager with its rapid mumbling appears, like, totally incomprehensible, dude. But it was well worth sticking with it and tuning into the dialogue because the script, by Diablo Cody, is one of the wittiest I've come across in a long time. Juno is a 16-year old schoolgirl - a bravura performance by Ellen Page - who decides to see through her accidental pregnancy and to allow her baby to be adopted by a childless couple. Not to be confused with other lesser recent films on the unwanted pregnancy theme, 'Juno' is charming, quirky, witty and strangely beautiful. All the main characters are well-drawn, well-acted and sympathetic. It's an extremely funny and poignant film. 'Juno' has been much praised and received several five star reviews (maybe slightly over generous but it's definitely worth at least four stars) so we were surprised to find that, just two days after it was released, we had the whole cinema to ourselves at the early evening showing on Sunday - though perhaps this says more about the Odeon in Milton Keynes than the film. At least the audience was remarkably well-behaved!
I used to love watching 'Hill Street Blues' but it usually took me up to the first ad-break to tune into what they were saying - I found the fast, cross-talking, American accents extremely hard to follow. I felt a bit the same on Sunday watching 'Juno' - the new Canadian comedy film directed by Jason Reitman. The universal language of the North American teenager with its rapid mumbling appears, like, totally incomprehensible, dude. But it was well worth sticking with it and tuning into the dialogue because the script, by Diablo Cody, is one of the wittiest I've come across in a long time. Juno is a 16-year old schoolgirl - a bravura performance by Ellen Page - who decides to see through her accidental pregnancy and to allow her baby to be adopted by a childless couple. Not to be confused with other lesser recent films on the unwanted pregnancy theme, 'Juno' is charming, quirky, witty and strangely beautiful. All the main characters are well-drawn, well-acted and sympathetic. It's an extremely funny and poignant film. 'Juno' has been much praised and received several five star reviews (maybe slightly over generous but it's definitely worth at least four stars) so we were surprised to find that, just two days after it was released, we had the whole cinema to ourselves at the early evening showing on Sunday - though perhaps this says more about the Odeon in Milton Keynes than the film. At least the audience was remarkably well-behaved!
'The Clean House' by Sarah Ruhl
11 February 2008
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see their production of 'The Clean House' by Sarah Ruhl. This is a quirky comedy reflecting on the therapeutic powers of housework and comedy. Lane is a successful doctor with no time to clean her own house. Her young Brazilian cleaning lady, Matilde, hates housework and dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. Lane's sister, Virginia, fills her empty life with cleaning. It's an unusual play with nice touches of surrealism and you're never quite sure where it's going. It's quite short and I worried that it might end too suddenly, proving more slight and inconsequential than it promised - but in the end there is resolution - an enjoyable, thought-provoking, funny, refreshingly different evening at the theatre. Patricia Hodge and Eleanor Bron are dependably strong but I really enjoyed Natalia Tena as Matilde (she was Tonks in the latest Harry Potter film - a name to watch). 'The Clean House' is now touring - well worth catching.
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see their production of 'The Clean House' by Sarah Ruhl. This is a quirky comedy reflecting on the therapeutic powers of housework and comedy. Lane is a successful doctor with no time to clean her own house. Her young Brazilian cleaning lady, Matilde, hates housework and dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. Lane's sister, Virginia, fills her empty life with cleaning. It's an unusual play with nice touches of surrealism and you're never quite sure where it's going. It's quite short and I worried that it might end too suddenly, proving more slight and inconsequential than it promised - but in the end there is resolution - an enjoyable, thought-provoking, funny, refreshingly different evening at the theatre. Patricia Hodge and Eleanor Bron are dependably strong but I really enjoyed Natalia Tena as Matilde (she was Tonks in the latest Harry Potter film - a name to watch). 'The Clean House' is now touring - well worth catching.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
'Threads' by Ruth Notman
7 February 2008
I am very grateful to Steve Heap for alerting me to the wonderful debut album by 18-year-old folk singer Ruth Notman, 'Threads' is released on Steve's own label, Mrs Casey Music, and he is rightly proud of it. Ruth is from Nottingham and her Northern vowels give her more than a passing resemblance to Kate Rusby (reviewed here in June 2006) but her amazing vibrato gives her voice a distinctive quiver. 'Threads' is an engaging and interestingly varied collection of songs and got a four star review from Robin Denselow in The Guardian (see http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2215420,00.html). Some of the original songs reminded me of Karine Polwart (reviewed here in November 2005 and April 2006) and I particularly liked the jaunty piano-backed waltz 'Limbo' which sounded a lot like Nerina Pallot (reviewed here in May 2006). You can listen to a couple of tracks from 'Threads' at http://www.myspace.com/ruthnotman1. Do have a listen - then buy the CD and support this rising young star.
I am very grateful to Steve Heap for alerting me to the wonderful debut album by 18-year-old folk singer Ruth Notman, 'Threads' is released on Steve's own label, Mrs Casey Music, and he is rightly proud of it. Ruth is from Nottingham and her Northern vowels give her more than a passing resemblance to Kate Rusby (reviewed here in June 2006) but her amazing vibrato gives her voice a distinctive quiver. 'Threads' is an engaging and interestingly varied collection of songs and got a four star review from Robin Denselow in The Guardian (see http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2215420,00.html). Some of the original songs reminded me of Karine Polwart (reviewed here in November 2005 and April 2006) and I particularly liked the jaunty piano-backed waltz 'Limbo' which sounded a lot like Nerina Pallot (reviewed here in May 2006). You can listen to a couple of tracks from 'Threads' at http://www.myspace.com/ruthnotman1. Do have a listen - then buy the CD and support this rising young star.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008
6 February 2008
On Monday evening I was the guest of Steve Heap and Folk Arts England at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008 in London. It was brilliant! I could tell it was going to be an exciting occasion from the moment I walked into the reception at The Brewery. Scanning the crowd for someone I knew I came face to face with a very familiar figure: just before I started to say "where do I know you from" I realised it was Bob Hoskins! The room was full of famous people (and me!) - from the aristocracy of the folk world (including the likes of Martin Carthy, Maddy Prior and Shirley Collins) to Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Aled Jones, Alexei Sayle and Romeo Stodart from The Magic Numbers (reviewed here in July 2007). At one point I was standing between Kate Rusby (reviewed here in June 2006) and Eliza Carthy. Just as I was thinking I knew everyone but no-one knew me I was approached by someone who recognised me from the recent VAN Trustees event in Birmingham. When the show started the A-list celebrity count continued to escalate with awards being presented by Sean Bean, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Steve Harley, Graham Coxon from Blur, Brenda Blethyn and Phil Collins. But the fun of celebrity-spotting was quite properly eclipsed by the music. Steve Heap was delighted to see family friend (and no relation) Martin Simpson pick up the awards for best original song and album of the year and Martin's performance (with Kate Rusby on backing vocals) was a highlight. There were also performances by The Imagined Village (who I saw at WOMAD - reviewed here in August 2007), Seth Lakeman (reviewed here in April 2006 and August 2007), Rachel Unthank and The Winterset and John Martyn who received the lifetime achievement award. But my favourites were the electrifying Lau who brought the house down (and won the best group award) and the completely gorgeous Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis (reviewed here in February 2006 and April 2007) who was named folk singer of the year. It was wonderful to hear John Spiers (collecting the best live act award on behalf of Bellowhead - reviewed here in October 2006) using his acceptance speech to stress that the best thing about folk music is that anyone can do it and encouraging everyone to have a go. The show was very slickly compered by Mike Harding. You can find more details, video clips and listen again to the Radio 2 broadcast at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folkawards2008/ I had a wonderful time - many thanks Steve.
On Monday evening I was the guest of Steve Heap and Folk Arts England at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008 in London. It was brilliant! I could tell it was going to be an exciting occasion from the moment I walked into the reception at The Brewery. Scanning the crowd for someone I knew I came face to face with a very familiar figure: just before I started to say "where do I know you from" I realised it was Bob Hoskins! The room was full of famous people (and me!) - from the aristocracy of the folk world (including the likes of Martin Carthy, Maddy Prior and Shirley Collins) to Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Aled Jones, Alexei Sayle and Romeo Stodart from The Magic Numbers (reviewed here in July 2007). At one point I was standing between Kate Rusby (reviewed here in June 2006) and Eliza Carthy. Just as I was thinking I knew everyone but no-one knew me I was approached by someone who recognised me from the recent VAN Trustees event in Birmingham. When the show started the A-list celebrity count continued to escalate with awards being presented by Sean Bean, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Steve Harley, Graham Coxon from Blur, Brenda Blethyn and Phil Collins. But the fun of celebrity-spotting was quite properly eclipsed by the music. Steve Heap was delighted to see family friend (and no relation) Martin Simpson pick up the awards for best original song and album of the year and Martin's performance (with Kate Rusby on backing vocals) was a highlight. There were also performances by The Imagined Village (who I saw at WOMAD - reviewed here in August 2007), Seth Lakeman (reviewed here in April 2006 and August 2007), Rachel Unthank and The Winterset and John Martyn who received the lifetime achievement award. But my favourites were the electrifying Lau who brought the house down (and won the best group award) and the completely gorgeous Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis (reviewed here in February 2006 and April 2007) who was named folk singer of the year. It was wonderful to hear John Spiers (collecting the best live act award on behalf of Bellowhead - reviewed here in October 2006) using his acceptance speech to stress that the best thing about folk music is that anyone can do it and encouraging everyone to have a go. The show was very slickly compered by Mike Harding. You can find more details, video clips and listen again to the Radio 2 broadcast at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folkawards2008/ I had a wonderful time - many thanks Steve.
Friday, February 01, 2008
'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'
1 February 2008
Watching the dark, gritty BBC TV serialisation of 'Oliver Twist' just before Christmas, it seemed the most bizarre subject to have been made into a musical. Lionel Bart's 'Oliver!' is a grim, gruesome thriller turned twee. To see what it could have been you need to watch Tim Burton's new film of the Stephen Sondheim musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' which I saw this week. Strange, then, that the film features Johnny Depp channelling Anthony Newley - though Depp's Sweeney Todd is Bill Sikes rather than the Artful Dodger - an older, more world-weary and surly Edward Scissorhands. Burton's film is a stunning, mostly monochrome vision of Victorian London. He pulls off a rare trick in creating a musical that is truly scary. There is just about enough plot to carry us through but the pace is a bit variable: at times it feels like this gloriously designed film is stopping to gaze at itself. But once we got to the Viennese waltz of the pie song it hooked us into an increasingly frantic dance of death. From the opening deafeningly sinister chords of the Rugby School Chapel organ, the music is wonderful - a rare occasion to welcome the excessive volume that most modern cinemas seem to favour. And Helena Bonham-Carter is grotesquely, gothically gorgeous as Mrs Lovett: the quintessential Corpse Bride. I also loved the chair - straight out of Wallace and Gromit! 'Sweeney Todd' is definitely not for the squeamish but it's not really 'horror' - more a Shakespearean tragedy - with oodles of blood and tray upon tray of meat pies.
Watching the dark, gritty BBC TV serialisation of 'Oliver Twist' just before Christmas, it seemed the most bizarre subject to have been made into a musical. Lionel Bart's 'Oliver!' is a grim, gruesome thriller turned twee. To see what it could have been you need to watch Tim Burton's new film of the Stephen Sondheim musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' which I saw this week. Strange, then, that the film features Johnny Depp channelling Anthony Newley - though Depp's Sweeney Todd is Bill Sikes rather than the Artful Dodger - an older, more world-weary and surly Edward Scissorhands. Burton's film is a stunning, mostly monochrome vision of Victorian London. He pulls off a rare trick in creating a musical that is truly scary. There is just about enough plot to carry us through but the pace is a bit variable: at times it feels like this gloriously designed film is stopping to gaze at itself. But once we got to the Viennese waltz of the pie song it hooked us into an increasingly frantic dance of death. From the opening deafeningly sinister chords of the Rugby School Chapel organ, the music is wonderful - a rare occasion to welcome the excessive volume that most modern cinemas seem to favour. And Helena Bonham-Carter is grotesquely, gothically gorgeous as Mrs Lovett: the quintessential Corpse Bride. I also loved the chair - straight out of Wallace and Gromit! 'Sweeney Todd' is definitely not for the squeamish but it's not really 'horror' - more a Shakespearean tragedy - with oodles of blood and tray upon tray of meat pies.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Kaznowski Quartet concert
21 January 2008
For only the second time in the eight years we have lived in Eversholt, on Sunday there was a concert in our village church. The excellent local Kaznowski Quartet (Jan Kaznowski, Caroline Waters, Martin Gough and David Knight) gave us a mixed programme ('From Bach to the Beatles') based around the 'Petite Suite' by Debussy. We heard great arrangements for string quartet by Carlo Martelli and Bill Thorp of works by Dvorak, Grieg, Mozart and Bach interspersed with the four Debussy movements together with 'Penny Lane' and 'The Folks Who Live on the Hill'. It was a lovely afternoon and it was great to see the church absolutely packed.
For only the second time in the eight years we have lived in Eversholt, on Sunday there was a concert in our village church. The excellent local Kaznowski Quartet (Jan Kaznowski, Caroline Waters, Martin Gough and David Knight) gave us a mixed programme ('From Bach to the Beatles') based around the 'Petite Suite' by Debussy. We heard great arrangements for string quartet by Carlo Martelli and Bill Thorp of works by Dvorak, Grieg, Mozart and Bach interspersed with the four Debussy movements together with 'Penny Lane' and 'The Folks Who Live on the Hill'. It was a lovely afternoon and it was great to see the church absolutely packed.
‘May Contain Nuts’ by John O'Farrell
21 January 2008
The literary career of John O'Farrell seems to be following a course plotted by Nick Hornby. Having found success with a heartfelt and very funny memoir ('Things Can Only Get Better'), O'Farrell's first novel ('The Best A Man Can Get') was extremely enjoyable and cleverer than it initially appeared. He followed this with a similar second novel ('This is Your Life') and a couple of collections of his newspaper columns. Now, just as Nick Hornby did in 'How to be Good', John O'Farrell has written a novel where the first person narrator is female. 'May Contain Nuts' is the cutting edge tale of rich families in Chelsea desperate to get their children into a good school. He has lots of fun at the expense of four-wheel-drives, private tutors etc but I found it a bit predictable and I wasn't really convinced by O'Farrell as a woman.
The literary career of John O'Farrell seems to be following a course plotted by Nick Hornby. Having found success with a heartfelt and very funny memoir ('Things Can Only Get Better'), O'Farrell's first novel ('The Best A Man Can Get') was extremely enjoyable and cleverer than it initially appeared. He followed this with a similar second novel ('This is Your Life') and a couple of collections of his newspaper columns. Now, just as Nick Hornby did in 'How to be Good', John O'Farrell has written a novel where the first person narrator is female. 'May Contain Nuts' is the cutting edge tale of rich families in Chelsea desperate to get their children into a good school. He has lots of fun at the expense of four-wheel-drives, private tutors etc but I found it a bit predictable and I wasn't really convinced by O'Farrell as a woman.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
'Leading the Cheers' by Justin Cartwright
17 January 2008
Having enjoyed reading 'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) I was looking forward to trying his earlier novel (and winner of the Whitbread Novel Award) 'Leading the Cheers'. It's quite a different book, however, and I'm afraid it didn't engage me as much as 'The Promise of Happiness'. In 'Leading the Cheers' a middle-aged returns from London to his high school reunion in Michigan where he discovers that his clear recollections of his childhood are not as accurate as he thought. The search for the truth about misremembered events is complicated by the unreliable memories of each of the protagonists - one of whom is now too busy remembering his previous life as a member of a Native American tribe. I liked the idea that "life is like one of those old masters which reveal something more interesting underneath when they are cleaned or x-rayed." Although the book is very well written, because it is in the first person and I didn't find the narrator sympathetic or even particularly likeable I found it hard to get into it. Set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Dole presidential election there are repeated references to the controversial euthanasia proponent Jack Kevorkian, serial killers and Ralph Waldo Emerson - but I couldn't really see the connections that I think were being suggested. Having said all that, once I got going it was an interesting read with some nice plot twists - but overall I felt like I was floating disinterestedly through the book - much like its narrator!
Having enjoyed reading 'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) I was looking forward to trying his earlier novel (and winner of the Whitbread Novel Award) 'Leading the Cheers'. It's quite a different book, however, and I'm afraid it didn't engage me as much as 'The Promise of Happiness'. In 'Leading the Cheers' a middle-aged returns from London to his high school reunion in Michigan where he discovers that his clear recollections of his childhood are not as accurate as he thought. The search for the truth about misremembered events is complicated by the unreliable memories of each of the protagonists - one of whom is now too busy remembering his previous life as a member of a Native American tribe. I liked the idea that "life is like one of those old masters which reveal something more interesting underneath when they are cleaned or x-rayed." Although the book is very well written, because it is in the first person and I didn't find the narrator sympathetic or even particularly likeable I found it hard to get into it. Set against the backdrop of the Clinton/Dole presidential election there are repeated references to the controversial euthanasia proponent Jack Kevorkian, serial killers and Ralph Waldo Emerson - but I couldn't really see the connections that I think were being suggested. Having said all that, once I got going it was an interesting read with some nice plot twists - but overall I felt like I was floating disinterestedly through the book - much like its narrator!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
'10.0' by Berrogüetto
10 January 2008
I've been enjoying '10.0' - the CD by Galician folk/pop group Berrogüetto. Accordion and fiddle makes their tunes sound like Celtic or Scandinavian folk while harsh Spanish consonants give the songs a little extra bite. Some tracks have a more Eastern European feel and there is also a hint of Gypsy jazz (a la Hot Club de France). This mix reminded me of the Canadian folk group from Vancouver, The Bills (reviewed here in May 2006). Despite the complexity Berrogüetto is easy listening - joyous music.
I've been enjoying '10.0' - the CD by Galician folk/pop group Berrogüetto. Accordion and fiddle makes their tunes sound like Celtic or Scandinavian folk while harsh Spanish consonants give the songs a little extra bite. Some tracks have a more Eastern European feel and there is also a hint of Gypsy jazz (a la Hot Club de France). This mix reminded me of the Canadian folk group from Vancouver, The Bills (reviewed here in May 2006). Despite the complexity Berrogüetto is easy listening - joyous music.
Friday, January 04, 2008
‘The Snow Queen’ By Neil Duffield
4 January 2008
Last night we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see their Christmas show for children ‘The Snow Queen’, adapted by Neil Duffield from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. This was the second annual collaboration between The Stables and the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. It was a high quality production with clever use of set, costume and live music. There was a great sense of pace (particularly in the second half) and some genuinely scary moments. Nice to see straight drama for children among the plethora of pantomimes.
Last night we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see their Christmas show for children ‘The Snow Queen’, adapted by Neil Duffield from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. This was the second annual collaboration between The Stables and the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. It was a high quality production with clever use of set, costume and live music. There was a great sense of pace (particularly in the second half) and some genuinely scary moments. Nice to see straight drama for children among the plethora of pantomimes.
'The Night Watch' by Sarah Waters
4 January 2008
I raced through the 480 pages of Sarah Waters' novel 'The Night Watch' during the Christmas break. It's a gripping romantic thriller set in wartime London which follows the fortunes of four characters whose lives cross in a variety of ways. But 'The Night Watch' varies from most tales of London in the Blitz in two ways. Firstly, if you've encountered Waters' earlier novels 'Tipping the Velvet' and 'Fingersmith', it won't surprise you that the majority of the relationships described here are all-female. Secondly, the narrative of 'The Night Watch' happens in reverse: the book is divided into three sections, the first of which is set in 1947, the second in 1944 and the final pages in 1941. This gives the novel a peculiar fascination as you gradually unravel how the characters arrived at where you first find them. I'm not giving anything away (as it happens at the start of the book!) by telling you that all four main characters survive the war but no-one gets a particularly happy ending. I found it a thrilling puzzle of a book, albeit with a very bleak, sad outlook.
I raced through the 480 pages of Sarah Waters' novel 'The Night Watch' during the Christmas break. It's a gripping romantic thriller set in wartime London which follows the fortunes of four characters whose lives cross in a variety of ways. But 'The Night Watch' varies from most tales of London in the Blitz in two ways. Firstly, if you've encountered Waters' earlier novels 'Tipping the Velvet' and 'Fingersmith', it won't surprise you that the majority of the relationships described here are all-female. Secondly, the narrative of 'The Night Watch' happens in reverse: the book is divided into three sections, the first of which is set in 1947, the second in 1944 and the final pages in 1941. This gives the novel a peculiar fascination as you gradually unravel how the characters arrived at where you first find them. I'm not giving anything away (as it happens at the start of the book!) by telling you that all four main characters survive the war but no-one gets a particularly happy ending. I found it a thrilling puzzle of a book, albeit with a very bleak, sad outlook.
'A Christmas Carol - Ikrismas Kherol' adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May
4 January 2008
Between Christmas and New Year we headed into London to the Young Vic theatre to see Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' performed by his company of young black performers from Khayelitsha, South Africa. It was a great spectacle with a cast of 30, some great acting, wonderful singing, lovely stagecraft and amazing dancing. Shifting the story to a South African township worked effectively to highlight how little we have progressed in the last 150 years in terms of 'ignorance' and 'want'. I liked the parallel between the mine of Northern England where the conditions he encountered inspired Dickens to write 'A Christmas Carol' and the South African diamond mine scenes at the start of the play. I thought the back-projected film in the 'Christmas past' section was a little over-used and, at times, the hustle and bustle of the action obscured some of the dialogue. But it was an enjoyable and inspiring production and I was bowled over by the fantastic choreography (by Lungelo Ngamlana).
Between Christmas and New Year we headed into London to the Young Vic theatre to see Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' performed by his company of young black performers from Khayelitsha, South Africa. It was a great spectacle with a cast of 30, some great acting, wonderful singing, lovely stagecraft and amazing dancing. Shifting the story to a South African township worked effectively to highlight how little we have progressed in the last 150 years in terms of 'ignorance' and 'want'. I liked the parallel between the mine of Northern England where the conditions he encountered inspired Dickens to write 'A Christmas Carol' and the South African diamond mine scenes at the start of the play. I thought the back-projected film in the 'Christmas past' section was a little over-used and, at times, the hustle and bustle of the action obscured some of the dialogue. But it was an enjoyable and inspiring production and I was bowled over by the fantastic choreography (by Lungelo Ngamlana).
Thursday, January 03, 2008
'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright
3 January 2008
I hadn't heard of Justin Cartwright until I was given a copy of his novel 'The Promise of Happiness' though he has quite a few books and several literary prizes and nominations to his name. I really enjoyed 'The Promise of Happiness' - a study of modern family life which bears comparison to 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen. As with 'The Corrections' the story unfolds, in turn, through the eyes of two elderly parents and their three grown-up children as they move towards a family gathering. In Cartwright's book the narrative leads to a reunion in Cornwall after the elder daughter is released from an American prison. The alternating narrative viewpoints maintain the momentum and manage to elicit your simultaneous sympathy for several opposing points of view. Recommended.
I hadn't heard of Justin Cartwright until I was given a copy of his novel 'The Promise of Happiness' though he has quite a few books and several literary prizes and nominations to his name. I really enjoyed 'The Promise of Happiness' - a study of modern family life which bears comparison to 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen. As with 'The Corrections' the story unfolds, in turn, through the eyes of two elderly parents and their three grown-up children as they move towards a family gathering. In Cartwright's book the narrative leads to a reunion in Cornwall after the elder daughter is released from an American prison. The alternating narrative viewpoints maintain the momentum and manage to elicit your simultaneous sympathy for several opposing points of view. Recommended.
'The Golden Compass'
3 January 2008
I am a big fan of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' novels and was thrilled by the wonderful National Theatre adaptation a few years ago so I was both eagerly anticipating the film version and worrying that it might not live up to my expectations. I enjoyed 'The Golden Compass': excellent casting (Nicole Kidman perfect as Mrs Coulter and there aren't many films where you get Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Derek Jacobi and Tom Courtenay for your money), amazing special effects (particularly the daemons) and, after a slightly slow start, a thrilling sense of adventure. But I was disappointed when the film ended before the climax of the first book. 'Northern Lights' has an absolutely stunning finish - devastatingly tragic and amazingly exciting - which leaves you desperate for the second novel. In the National Theatre production the first of the two plays finished at this point leaving audience jaws dropping. In contrast the film disappointingly petered out. Having said that, until then it was well done and I am looking forward to the sequel.
I am a big fan of Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' novels and was thrilled by the wonderful National Theatre adaptation a few years ago so I was both eagerly anticipating the film version and worrying that it might not live up to my expectations. I enjoyed 'The Golden Compass': excellent casting (Nicole Kidman perfect as Mrs Coulter and there aren't many films where you get Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Derek Jacobi and Tom Courtenay for your money), amazing special effects (particularly the daemons) and, after a slightly slow start, a thrilling sense of adventure. But I was disappointed when the film ended before the climax of the first book. 'Northern Lights' has an absolutely stunning finish - devastatingly tragic and amazingly exciting - which leaves you desperate for the second novel. In the National Theatre production the first of the two plays finished at this point leaving audience jaws dropping. In contrast the film disappointingly petered out. Having said that, until then it was well done and I am looking forward to the sequel.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
'Gould's Book of Fish' by Richard Flanagan
2 January 2008
David Lack introduced me to 'Gould's Book of Fish - a novel in twelve fish' by Richard Flanagan. It's an incredibly clever book. William Buelow Gould was a real convict transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1828. Flanagan fictionalises Gould's story, giving us a gritty realist picture of an early Tasmanian prison colony - a horrible, brutal place - 'Papillon' relocated off the coast of Australia. But despite the detailed realism nothing is quite what it seems. Firstly the book is set within a framing device in which a modern-day Tasmanian forger discovers and becomes obsessed by Gould's memoirs (written in the margins of his book of fish paintings) but then loses the book and decides to re-write it from memory. So what we are reading is his half-remembered version of what Gould might have written - giving Flanagan license to take the story very gradually, subtly and incrementally into increasingly surreal territory. (This re-telling by a fictional author within a novel reminded me of Philip Roth's 'American Pastoral'.) All of which was very impressive but I'm afraid it didn't really engage me - I found the grotesque characters, violent events and oppressive conditions fairly hard-going and didn't really sympathise with anyone. I reluctantly struggled through most of the book only to encounter a great 'Usual Suspects' twist at the very end which almost made me want to go back and read the whole thing again - almost but not quite. For a much more engaging (and very funny) account of early Tasmanian history I would recommend Mathew Kneale's wonderful novel 'English Passengers'.
David Lack introduced me to 'Gould's Book of Fish - a novel in twelve fish' by Richard Flanagan. It's an incredibly clever book. William Buelow Gould was a real convict transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1828. Flanagan fictionalises Gould's story, giving us a gritty realist picture of an early Tasmanian prison colony - a horrible, brutal place - 'Papillon' relocated off the coast of Australia. But despite the detailed realism nothing is quite what it seems. Firstly the book is set within a framing device in which a modern-day Tasmanian forger discovers and becomes obsessed by Gould's memoirs (written in the margins of his book of fish paintings) but then loses the book and decides to re-write it from memory. So what we are reading is his half-remembered version of what Gould might have written - giving Flanagan license to take the story very gradually, subtly and incrementally into increasingly surreal territory. (This re-telling by a fictional author within a novel reminded me of Philip Roth's 'American Pastoral'.) All of which was very impressive but I'm afraid it didn't really engage me - I found the grotesque characters, violent events and oppressive conditions fairly hard-going and didn't really sympathise with anyone. I reluctantly struggled through most of the book only to encounter a great 'Usual Suspects' twist at the very end which almost made me want to go back and read the whole thing again - almost but not quite. For a much more engaging (and very funny) account of early Tasmanian history I would recommend Mathew Kneale's wonderful novel 'English Passengers'.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
'Go Marko Go!' by The Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar
20 December 2007
I've been listening this week to the new Boban Markovic album 'Go Marko Go!' (now credited to The Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar): while there are a couple of tracks I'm not sure I would have included there are several tunes that bowl me over every time - the tremendously funky 'Latin cocek', the slightly cheesy ballad 'Cig (Avalanche)' and the frenetic and amazingly exciting 'Dzumbus Funk' - wow!
I've been listening this week to the new Boban Markovic album 'Go Marko Go!' (now credited to The Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar): while there are a couple of tracks I'm not sure I would have included there are several tunes that bowl me over every time - the tremendously funky 'Latin cocek', the slightly cheesy ballad 'Cig (Avalanche)' and the frenetic and amazingly exciting 'Dzumbus Funk' - wow!
Monday, December 17, 2007
'Clare in the Community' (Series 4) by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
17 December 2007
We headed into London last Friday for our first visit to the BBC Radio Theatre in the basement of Broadcasting House. We were there to see the recording of two shows for the new series of 'Clare in the Community' by Harry Venning and David Ramsden (previously reviewed here in January 2007). It was great - still one of the best things on Radio 4. It always impresses me how slick radio actors are - recording a half-hour show in a single take then only needing a few small re-takes to amend minor slips. It was wonderful to see Sally Phillips whose facial expressions are just as funny on radio! And it was fascinating to watch those actors playing multiple parts - sometimes within the same scene. It is interesting how low-tech radio drama still is - all the actors clustered around a single microphone clutching their scripts - the technique hasn't really changed in the past fifty years. The new series of 'Clare in the Community' goes out on Radio 4 on Wednesday mornings at 11.30 am starting on 16 January.
We headed into London last Friday for our first visit to the BBC Radio Theatre in the basement of Broadcasting House. We were there to see the recording of two shows for the new series of 'Clare in the Community' by Harry Venning and David Ramsden (previously reviewed here in January 2007). It was great - still one of the best things on Radio 4. It always impresses me how slick radio actors are - recording a half-hour show in a single take then only needing a few small re-takes to amend minor slips. It was wonderful to see Sally Phillips whose facial expressions are just as funny on radio! And it was fascinating to watch those actors playing multiple parts - sometimes within the same scene. It is interesting how low-tech radio drama still is - all the actors clustered around a single microphone clutching their scripts - the technique hasn't really changed in the past fifty years. The new series of 'Clare in the Community' goes out on Radio 4 on Wednesday mornings at 11.30 am starting on 16 January.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
11 December 2007
This year's Northampton Symphony Orchestra 'Christmas Cracker' concert last Sunday had a teddy bear theme - featuring 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic', 'The Tame Bear' and 'The Wild Bears' from Elgar's 'Wand of Youth' and the narrated piece 'Paddington Bear's First Concert' by Herbert Chappell. The stage was festooned with teddy bears of all shapes and sizes and, when trumpeter Nick Bunker made his traditional fancy dress entrance at the beginning of the second half, he was inevitably disguised by a full bear costume - looking remarkably like he had just won the Turner Prize! Carols, film music ('E.T.'), mulled wine and mince pies and Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride' left us in no doubt that Christmas is definitely on its way.
This year's Northampton Symphony Orchestra 'Christmas Cracker' concert last Sunday had a teddy bear theme - featuring 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic', 'The Tame Bear' and 'The Wild Bears' from Elgar's 'Wand of Youth' and the narrated piece 'Paddington Bear's First Concert' by Herbert Chappell. The stage was festooned with teddy bears of all shapes and sizes and, when trumpeter Nick Bunker made his traditional fancy dress entrance at the beginning of the second half, he was inevitably disguised by a full bear costume - looking remarkably like he had just won the Turner Prize! Carols, film music ('E.T.'), mulled wine and mince pies and Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride' left us in no doubt that Christmas is definitely on its way.
Monday, December 10, 2007
'The Three Musketeers' by Mike Ames & Steve Allen
10 December 2007
Barry has been painting the outside of our house and when he told me he was a regular pantomime dame my first reaction was to say "oh no you're not!". But it turns out that Barry is a leading member of the Tread the Boards Theatre Group in Milton Keynes so last Saturday we were at the Madcap Theatre in Wolverton to see this year's pantomime. In a move that would please Mark Pemberton, Tread the Boards had avoided the usual suspects in favour of a new adaptation of 'The Three Musketeers' by Mike Ames and Steve Allen. Rather a loose adaptation it has to be said - incorporating 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. The musketeers (motto: "All for one and every man for himself") were obviously played by women. Barry was not playing the dame this year, instead doubling at the King of France and the front half of a great pantomime horse. The plot was perhaps a little ambitious for some of the younger members of the audience: I'm not sure they really followed the finer points of French politics though, by the end, they had certainly latched onto the need to boo Cardinal Richelieu vociferously. The quality of acting and singing was naturally a bit mixed but there was a great show-stealing performance from Ian Nutt as the Queen of France and some fine mugging from Sally Hulme as D'Artagnan. And as one of the villains was skewered by a sword in the final scenes she fell to the floor shouting "save me a part for next year!".
Barry has been painting the outside of our house and when he told me he was a regular pantomime dame my first reaction was to say "oh no you're not!". But it turns out that Barry is a leading member of the Tread the Boards Theatre Group in Milton Keynes so last Saturday we were at the Madcap Theatre in Wolverton to see this year's pantomime. In a move that would please Mark Pemberton, Tread the Boards had avoided the usual suspects in favour of a new adaptation of 'The Three Musketeers' by Mike Ames and Steve Allen. Rather a loose adaptation it has to be said - incorporating 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. The musketeers (motto: "All for one and every man for himself") were obviously played by women. Barry was not playing the dame this year, instead doubling at the King of France and the front half of a great pantomime horse. The plot was perhaps a little ambitious for some of the younger members of the audience: I'm not sure they really followed the finer points of French politics though, by the end, they had certainly latched onto the need to boo Cardinal Richelieu vociferously. The quality of acting and singing was naturally a bit mixed but there was a great show-stealing performance from Ian Nutt as the Queen of France and some fine mugging from Sally Hulme as D'Artagnan. And as one of the villains was skewered by a sword in the final scenes she fell to the floor shouting "save me a part for next year!".
Thursday, December 06, 2007
'Segu Blue' by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
6 December 2007
For many people ‘world music’ really means West African music. The prominence of international superstars Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal has focused the attention of world music promoters and media on a small number of West African countries. But for me much of the most feted of this music sounds too like familiar American or European pop with a slight African tinge. I do have a soft spot for the retro fusion of the great big bands of the 1970s: the Rail Band of Mali, Bembeya Jazz of Guinea and, particularly, Orchestra Baobab of Senegal whose reunion album of 2002 ‘Specialist in All Styles’ first turned me on to the world music scene. Their Cuban/African sound is always infectiously danceable and I have fond memories of seeing them at the Derngate in Northampton in 2002. But my favourite West African artists are those who use traditional instruments and styles to create distinctively modern, serious and beautiful music. I particularly like the Wassalou music from Mali as sung by the clear strong voice of Oumou Sangaré or the more breathy vocals of Rokia Traoré. Rokia Traoré’s 2003 album ‘Bowmboi’ is a much played favourite of mine – a series of intensely rhythmic, sparsely decorated songs featuring the twang of the ngoni and the mellow xylophone sound of the balafon (and including two amazing tracks with the Kronos string quartet). As with much African music it makes much more sense when you dance to it: I saw Rokia Traoré at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2003 and every song lasted about 6 times longer than the recorded versions as she repeatedly lost herself in her joyously exuberant dancing. Many of the best CDs of traditional Malian music in recent years (including albums by Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure) have featured the virtuoso ngoni playing of Bassekou Kouyate. The ngoni is a small guitar-like instrument that looks like a rough hewn wooden cricket bat with a few strings strung along its length and creates a quiet, deadened twang. Bassekou Kouyate comes from the hereditary griot tradition and is the outstanding ngoni player of our time. I have been listening this week to his own CD ‘Segu Blue’ (with his band Ngoni Ba) which is definitely one of my albums of the year. I saw him perform at this year’s Womad Festival and he was captivating. This music is quite unlike anything else and takes some listening (and dancing) to really appreciate – but that, of course, is an essential part of it’s appeal.
For many people ‘world music’ really means West African music. The prominence of international superstars Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal has focused the attention of world music promoters and media on a small number of West African countries. But for me much of the most feted of this music sounds too like familiar American or European pop with a slight African tinge. I do have a soft spot for the retro fusion of the great big bands of the 1970s: the Rail Band of Mali, Bembeya Jazz of Guinea and, particularly, Orchestra Baobab of Senegal whose reunion album of 2002 ‘Specialist in All Styles’ first turned me on to the world music scene. Their Cuban/African sound is always infectiously danceable and I have fond memories of seeing them at the Derngate in Northampton in 2002. But my favourite West African artists are those who use traditional instruments and styles to create distinctively modern, serious and beautiful music. I particularly like the Wassalou music from Mali as sung by the clear strong voice of Oumou Sangaré or the more breathy vocals of Rokia Traoré. Rokia Traoré’s 2003 album ‘Bowmboi’ is a much played favourite of mine – a series of intensely rhythmic, sparsely decorated songs featuring the twang of the ngoni and the mellow xylophone sound of the balafon (and including two amazing tracks with the Kronos string quartet). As with much African music it makes much more sense when you dance to it: I saw Rokia Traoré at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2003 and every song lasted about 6 times longer than the recorded versions as she repeatedly lost herself in her joyously exuberant dancing. Many of the best CDs of traditional Malian music in recent years (including albums by Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure) have featured the virtuoso ngoni playing of Bassekou Kouyate. The ngoni is a small guitar-like instrument that looks like a rough hewn wooden cricket bat with a few strings strung along its length and creates a quiet, deadened twang. Bassekou Kouyate comes from the hereditary griot tradition and is the outstanding ngoni player of our time. I have been listening this week to his own CD ‘Segu Blue’ (with his band Ngoni Ba) which is definitely one of my albums of the year. I saw him perform at this year’s Womad Festival and he was captivating. This music is quite unlike anything else and takes some listening (and dancing) to really appreciate – but that, of course, is an essential part of it’s appeal.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
'the very best of éthiopiques'
29 November 2007
I don't usually buy compilations or archive recordings - wary of the amount of money I spend on music, and the number of hours in the day I have to listen to it, I generally restrict myself to new albums - but this week I have been listening to a 2 CD selection of Ethiopian music from 40 years ago - and it is remarkable. The flowering of Ethiopian popular music in the 1960s - incorporating Western instruments and influences but retaining the distinctive pentatonic scale and asymmetrical rhythms of the country's traditional music - was severely curtailed in 1974 by the new Mengistu regime's curfews and censorship which lasted until 1991. In recent years the golden age of Ethiopian music has been rediscovered, largely because of the efforts of one man - French record producer Francis Falceto who, from the late 1970s, starting collecting vintage recordings on reel-to-reel and vinyl that have so far formed the basis of 23 volumes of the 'Éthiopiques' series of CDs. To help us find a way in to this mammoth treasurer trove, Falceto has this year created a 2 CD sampler: 'the very best of éthiopiques'. It's addictive listening: to my ears there is a degree of 'parallel universe syndrome' about it. When John Williams was writing the music for the cantina scene in the original Star Wars film, George Lucas told him to imagine “several creatures in a future century finding some 1930s Benny Goodman swing band music in a time capsule or under a rock someplace – and how they might interpret it”. The music of swinging sixties Addis Ababa reminded me of this quote: electric guitars, saxophones and Hammond organ are used to create something completely unique but strangely familiar. The elements of naff produce the epitome of cool: highly recommended.
Monday, November 26, 2007
'Belshazzar's Feast' by William Walton
26 November 2007
Once a year our two local choral societies, Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale, join forces to stage a major work. Last night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see them perform Walton's 'Belshazzar's Feast' accompanied by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and conducted by Ian Smith. The evening started with the only cantata by John Ireland, 'These Things Shall Be' - a lovely piece I hadn't come across before which shows the influence of Elgar but also includes hints of Stravinsky and Debussy. Though I've heard it before I had never attended a performance of 'Belshazzar's Feast'. It's dramatic stuff with the original 'writing on the wall' which tells the king and his guests that they have been 'weighed in the balance and found wanting'. Walton's music is appropriately terrifying and magnificent featuring the full power of the enormous chorus, an extensive array of percussion instruments, two harps, additional (offstage) brass and a fine baritone solo from James Rutherford. An ambitious undertaking (you could palpably feel the intense concentration of the participants!) Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale achieved an impressive, exciting performance.
Once a year our two local choral societies, Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale, join forces to stage a major work. Last night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see them perform Walton's 'Belshazzar's Feast' accompanied by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra and conducted by Ian Smith. The evening started with the only cantata by John Ireland, 'These Things Shall Be' - a lovely piece I hadn't come across before which shows the influence of Elgar but also includes hints of Stravinsky and Debussy. Though I've heard it before I had never attended a performance of 'Belshazzar's Feast'. It's dramatic stuff with the original 'writing on the wall' which tells the king and his guests that they have been 'weighed in the balance and found wanting'. Walton's music is appropriately terrifying and magnificent featuring the full power of the enormous chorus, an extensive array of percussion instruments, two harps, additional (offstage) brass and a fine baritone solo from James Rutherford. An ambitious undertaking (you could palpably feel the intense concentration of the participants!) Danesborough Chorus and Milton Keynes Chorale achieved an impressive, exciting performance.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Vieux Farka Touré
23 November 2007
Last night we were at The Stables to see Vieux Farka Touré - son of the legendary Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré who died last year. Ironically Vieux is remarkably young - he'll hopefully grow into his name - but he is already a fine guitarist very much in the style of his father. He has that same ability to make his electric guitar talk and sing in upbeat and distinctively African blues. His band are tight and slick - with the best drummer I've seen for ages. Vieux has been catapulted into the limelight by his father's name and might have benefited from first serving an apprenticeship as guitarist in someone else's band: his stage presence (entry, exit, patter etc) need some work. But his music is highly recommended - if you haven't heard any other examples of Africa's recent reclaiming of the blues you could do worse than start with Vieux Farka Touré. His first UK tour has still to visit Reading, Southport and Glasgow and his acclaimed eponymous album is out now.
Last night we were at The Stables to see Vieux Farka Touré - son of the legendary Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré who died last year. Ironically Vieux is remarkably young - he'll hopefully grow into his name - but he is already a fine guitarist very much in the style of his father. He has that same ability to make his electric guitar talk and sing in upbeat and distinctively African blues. His band are tight and slick - with the best drummer I've seen for ages. Vieux has been catapulted into the limelight by his father's name and might have benefited from first serving an apprenticeship as guitarist in someone else's band: his stage presence (entry, exit, patter etc) need some work. But his music is highly recommended - if you haven't heard any other examples of Africa's recent reclaiming of the blues you could do worse than start with Vieux Farka Touré. His first UK tour has still to visit Reading, Southport and Glasgow and his acclaimed eponymous album is out now.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
'Kurr' by Amiina
20 November 2007
I am grateful to Tara Connaghan for alerting me to the Icelandic group Amiina whose album 'Kurr' I've been listening to this week. The cover photo shows the four girls sitting at a table: they are knitting but they look remarkably like they might be about to play the table in the manner of Karbido (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) and the sounds they make are equally peculiar and entrancing. Amiina create miniature instrumental soundscapes: as if they have been locked in the school music cupboard overnight, the girls try out a wide variety of instruments including strings, woodwind, brass but mainly loads of tuned percussion. Gentle, quiet, repetitive and soothing.
I am grateful to Tara Connaghan for alerting me to the Icelandic group Amiina whose album 'Kurr' I've been listening to this week. The cover photo shows the four girls sitting at a table: they are knitting but they look remarkably like they might be about to play the table in the manner of Karbido (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago) and the sounds they make are equally peculiar and entrancing. Amiina create miniature instrumental soundscapes: as if they have been locked in the school music cupboard overnight, the girls try out a wide variety of instruments including strings, woodwind, brass but mainly loads of tuned percussion. Gentle, quiet, repetitive and soothing.
'Kaushiki' by Kaushiki Chakrabarty
20 November 2007
Despite my enthusiasm for 'world music', it took me some time to start to appreciate Indian classical music. My way in was a label called 'Sense', based in Leicester, and specifically the album 'Kala' by the exceptional young exponent of the North Indian violin, Kala Ramnath. Perhaps there was something about the familiarity of the violin rather than sitar or sarod - though the North Indian style sounds quite different to the violin of western classical music - but 'Kala' captivated me. With Indian classical music (and profound apologies to real afficionados!) you can't really dip in and out - you need to settle back and listen to the whole piece, letting it wash over you and latching on to the repetitive figures which gradually, and very subtly, change to take you seamlessly from the slow alap (introduction) to a frenzied climax. Other 'Sense' recordings I would recommend include 'Samwad' (violinist Kala Ramnath with sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee), 'Akaash' (Rahul Sharma playing the santoor - a type of hammered dulcimer), 'Drive East' (shorter, lighter tracks by the group Yashila, featuring Kala Ramnath) and 'Pure' (by the young vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty who won a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music last year). This week I have been enjoying the new album by Kaushiki Chakrabarty (also on the Sense label), simply titled ' Kaushiki' - a 3 CD set full of variety and beautiful singing.
Despite my enthusiasm for 'world music', it took me some time to start to appreciate Indian classical music. My way in was a label called 'Sense', based in Leicester, and specifically the album 'Kala' by the exceptional young exponent of the North Indian violin, Kala Ramnath. Perhaps there was something about the familiarity of the violin rather than sitar or sarod - though the North Indian style sounds quite different to the violin of western classical music - but 'Kala' captivated me. With Indian classical music (and profound apologies to real afficionados!) you can't really dip in and out - you need to settle back and listen to the whole piece, letting it wash over you and latching on to the repetitive figures which gradually, and very subtly, change to take you seamlessly from the slow alap (introduction) to a frenzied climax. Other 'Sense' recordings I would recommend include 'Samwad' (violinist Kala Ramnath with sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee), 'Akaash' (Rahul Sharma playing the santoor - a type of hammered dulcimer), 'Drive East' (shorter, lighter tracks by the group Yashila, featuring Kala Ramnath) and 'Pure' (by the young vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty who won a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music last year). This week I have been enjoying the new album by Kaushiki Chakrabarty (also on the Sense label), simply titled ' Kaushiki' - a 3 CD set full of variety and beautiful singing.
'The Glass Cage' by J B Priestly
20 November 2007
We were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Saturday to see 'The Glass Cage' by J B Priestly - an interesting, unfamiliar play set in Toronto in 1906. The McBane family prepare to welcome three young cousins - the children of black sheep Uncle Charlie - whom they have never met. These three mysterious strangers at first appear shy, quiet and intimidated but all is not as it seems. We are in classic drawing room drama territory but the dark sense of foreboding and the ambiguity of the out-of-place strangers suggests something much more modern - by someone like Edward Albee perhaps. Laurie Sansom's production was straightforward - without the adventurousness of Stephen Daldry's 'An Inspector Calls' - but there were some impressive performances - particularly from Rebecca Grant and James Floyd and a great turn from Robert Demeger. The text could have done with some pruning but it was an interesting evening.
We were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Saturday to see 'The Glass Cage' by J B Priestly - an interesting, unfamiliar play set in Toronto in 1906. The McBane family prepare to welcome three young cousins - the children of black sheep Uncle Charlie - whom they have never met. These three mysterious strangers at first appear shy, quiet and intimidated but all is not as it seems. We are in classic drawing room drama territory but the dark sense of foreboding and the ambiguity of the out-of-place strangers suggests something much more modern - by someone like Edward Albee perhaps. Laurie Sansom's production was straightforward - without the adventurousness of Stephen Daldry's 'An Inspector Calls' - but there were some impressive performances - particularly from Rebecca Grant and James Floyd and a great turn from Robert Demeger. The text could have done with some pruning but it was an interesting evening.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
‘Churning Strides’ by Thee, Stranded Horse
14 November 2007
Calling your band ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ suggests a degree of pretentiousness and the album ‘Churning Strides’ is strange stuff indeed. ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ is the French guitar and kora player Yann Tambour – though he plays the kora like a guitar and the two are mostly indistinguishable. He sings very quietly in English and French, often in a peculiar nasal voice, sounding like Nick Drake imitating Joanna Newsom. He never reaches Newsom’s hysterical exuberance though at times he matches her for incomprehensible lyrics. He is also a master of the Pinteresque unexpected pause. Serious, mesmerising, odd, pretty but never particularly cheery.
Calling your band ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ suggests a degree of pretentiousness and the album ‘Churning Strides’ is strange stuff indeed. ‘Thee, Stranded Horse’ is the French guitar and kora player Yann Tambour – though he plays the kora like a guitar and the two are mostly indistinguishable. He sings very quietly in English and French, often in a peculiar nasal voice, sounding like Nick Drake imitating Joanna Newsom. He never reaches Newsom’s hysterical exuberance though at times he matches her for incomprehensible lyrics. He is also a master of the Pinteresque unexpected pause. Serious, mesmerising, odd, pretty but never particularly cheery.
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
14 November 2007
For many people the opening of Grieg’s Piano Concerto conjures up images of Eric Morecambe and ‘André Preview’ but it always takes me back to the Concert Hall at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1983. I had recently become the principal horn player in the Didsbury Symphony Orchestra and we were playing the Grieg concerto with Peter Donohoe. There are several exposed horn solos in the piece and I was incredibly nervous. More than 20 years later, when I hear the passages of music leading up to one of those solos – even listening to the radio – I still get a shiver down the spine! Peter Donohoe gave an amazing performance – playing extremely fast and incredibly flamboyantly. At the end of the first movement there was rapturous applause – a really exciting moment. Some people frown on applause between movements but when it is a spontaneous expression of delight (rather than a polite sense of duty), as a performer, it is immensely satisfying. At the end of the concerto Peter Donohoe treated the audience to several encores and it gradually began to dawn on me that many people had come to hear him rather than us! Amongst all the orchestral concerts I have played in over the years it still stands out as a highlight. Last Saturday we tackled the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra accompanying Lucy Parham. In contrast to the showmanship of Peter Donohoe, Lucy gave a beautiful, delicate performance, emphasising what a wonderful piece of music it is. Coupling the Grieg with Dvorak’s lovely seventh symphony created a gentle, romantic programme which drew a polished performance from the orchestra. And this time I was not playing the first horn part so I could relax and enjoy David Lack’s excellent solos.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Milton Keynes Sinfonia concert
5 November 2007
Last weekend I played with Milton Keynes Sinfonia in a concert which included Elgar's Symphony No. 1. I can usually take or leave Elgar but the first symphony is a great piece of music - you can hear why listeners to its original performances in 1908 felt that England had finally produced a composer who could bear comparison with the great Germanic symphonists. The first movement opens with a beautiful, slow, typical Elgarian tune with a gentle, plodding accompaniment. Throughout the movement - and those that follow - just when you have been sufficiently distracted to forget the opening, this theme returns again and again as if it has never stopped going. It's like a few players have been shut in a separate room to play this quiet tune continuously and every now and again we open the door to check they are still there. Meanwhile, while the door is closed, we are taken on a mammoth emotional journey with grand climaxes reminiscent of Brahms or Wagner but always distinctively Elgar - as the omnipresent opening them constantly reminds us. Great fun to play - a great piece of music. The first half of the concert saw Timothy Short play the Piano Concerto in G major by Ravel - and incredibly ambitious piece, parts of which sound like they could have been written by Gershwin, and a virtuosic performance by Short.
Last weekend I played with Milton Keynes Sinfonia in a concert which included Elgar's Symphony No. 1. I can usually take or leave Elgar but the first symphony is a great piece of music - you can hear why listeners to its original performances in 1908 felt that England had finally produced a composer who could bear comparison with the great Germanic symphonists. The first movement opens with a beautiful, slow, typical Elgarian tune with a gentle, plodding accompaniment. Throughout the movement - and those that follow - just when you have been sufficiently distracted to forget the opening, this theme returns again and again as if it has never stopped going. It's like a few players have been shut in a separate room to play this quiet tune continuously and every now and again we open the door to check they are still there. Meanwhile, while the door is closed, we are taken on a mammoth emotional journey with grand climaxes reminiscent of Brahms or Wagner but always distinctively Elgar - as the omnipresent opening them constantly reminds us. Great fun to play - a great piece of music. The first half of the concert saw Timothy Short play the Piano Concerto in G major by Ravel - and incredibly ambitious piece, parts of which sound like they could have been written by Gershwin, and a virtuosic performance by Short.
'Karbido - The Table'
5 November 2007
We started last weekend by going to see four men playing a table! If you've ever drummed your fingers on a table you will be aware of the musical possibilities it holds. Now imagine attaching a microphone to the underneath of the table top and turning up the amplifier so that every gentle stroke, scrape or tap on the surface resonates around the room. 'Karbido' are a quartet who sit around a square wooden table creating the most amazing sounds from it. As well as exploiting the percussive qualities of the wood, they place items on the table (a metal bowl which sounds like a bell when struck, a selection of half-filled wine glasses which sing when a finger traces the rim, a spinning coin etc.) and use other items attached to the sides of the table (metal plates which can be struck or played with a violin bow, guitar strings, flutes and a didgeridoo). In an hour-long performance they create a wide variety of musical styles and sounds including alap, congotronics, throat singing, ambient/new age and heavy rock. Some sections would stand alone as musical tracks - others are more fascinating in terms of the choreography of the four players reaching across the table and across each other. The audience - seated in the round so that we could all see the faces of one or two of the musicians - moved from bemused anticipation through amused appreciation to enthusiastic acclaim. And once the players had left the stage the audience surged forward to spend ages peering and prodding the star of the show and its four wooden legs. Bizarre and captivating - take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWik13ZyjbM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vDTy_W6ors
We started last weekend by going to see four men playing a table! If you've ever drummed your fingers on a table you will be aware of the musical possibilities it holds. Now imagine attaching a microphone to the underneath of the table top and turning up the amplifier so that every gentle stroke, scrape or tap on the surface resonates around the room. 'Karbido' are a quartet who sit around a square wooden table creating the most amazing sounds from it. As well as exploiting the percussive qualities of the wood, they place items on the table (a metal bowl which sounds like a bell when struck, a selection of half-filled wine glasses which sing when a finger traces the rim, a spinning coin etc.) and use other items attached to the sides of the table (metal plates which can be struck or played with a violin bow, guitar strings, flutes and a didgeridoo). In an hour-long performance they create a wide variety of musical styles and sounds including alap, congotronics, throat singing, ambient/new age and heavy rock. Some sections would stand alone as musical tracks - others are more fascinating in terms of the choreography of the four players reaching across the table and across each other. The audience - seated in the round so that we could all see the faces of one or two of the musicians - moved from bemused anticipation through amused appreciation to enthusiastic acclaim. And once the players had left the stage the audience surged forward to spend ages peering and prodding the star of the show and its four wooden legs. Bizarre and captivating - take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWik13ZyjbM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vDTy_W6ors
Monday, October 29, 2007
'The Fourth Bear' by Jasper Fforde
29 October 2007
Having been charmed by 'The Big Over Easy' (reviewed here in April 2007), I had been eagerly awaiting the return of DCI Jack Spratt and DS Mary Mary in Jasper Fforde's second Nursery Crime Division novel, 'The Fourth Bear'. I wasn't disappointed. Goldilocks is missing, bears are buying and selling illegal porridge and Punch and Judy are turning out to be the neighbours from Hell. 'The Fourth Bear' is another mixing bowl of remarkably silly parodies which works because it has at its heart a solid and intriguing whodunnit. Slightly more focussed and less rambling than its predecessor it still manages to incorporate aliens, ancient Greek immortals and characters from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Edward Lear. Fforde manages to make the most two dimensional characters both believable and sympathetic. There is a touching sub-plot about the stigma associated with being a PDR (Person of Dubious Reality) - though the closer you look the more it seems that everyone in this book is a PDR. This leads to some surreal metatextual moments (particularly Jack's psychiatric interview by Virginia Kreeper) with lots of characters clearly in search of an author. And 'The Fourth Bear' is extremely funny with some lovingly crafted and truly awful puns. The ten pages of Chapter Four serve purely to lead to a groan-inducing pun. A minor character is introduced on page 63 in order to lay the ground for a series of appalling puns on page 319. All great fun - and when you've finished, the book comes complete with 'DVD extras' - a 'making-of' documentary, deleted scenes etc which you can access through Fforde's website, but only by answering a question which requires you to have finished reading the novel. I'm very much looking forward to 'The Last Great Tortoise Race' which will be the next outing for the Nursery Crime Division.
Having been charmed by 'The Big Over Easy' (reviewed here in April 2007), I had been eagerly awaiting the return of DCI Jack Spratt and DS Mary Mary in Jasper Fforde's second Nursery Crime Division novel, 'The Fourth Bear'. I wasn't disappointed. Goldilocks is missing, bears are buying and selling illegal porridge and Punch and Judy are turning out to be the neighbours from Hell. 'The Fourth Bear' is another mixing bowl of remarkably silly parodies which works because it has at its heart a solid and intriguing whodunnit. Slightly more focussed and less rambling than its predecessor it still manages to incorporate aliens, ancient Greek immortals and characters from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Edward Lear. Fforde manages to make the most two dimensional characters both believable and sympathetic. There is a touching sub-plot about the stigma associated with being a PDR (Person of Dubious Reality) - though the closer you look the more it seems that everyone in this book is a PDR. This leads to some surreal metatextual moments (particularly Jack's psychiatric interview by Virginia Kreeper) with lots of characters clearly in search of an author. And 'The Fourth Bear' is extremely funny with some lovingly crafted and truly awful puns. The ten pages of Chapter Four serve purely to lead to a groan-inducing pun. A minor character is introduced on page 63 in order to lay the ground for a series of appalling puns on page 319. All great fun - and when you've finished, the book comes complete with 'DVD extras' - a 'making-of' documentary, deleted scenes etc which you can access through Fforde's website, but only by answering a question which requires you to have finished reading the novel. I'm very much looking forward to 'The Last Great Tortoise Race' which will be the next outing for the Nursery Crime Division.
Friday, October 26, 2007
'Stardust'
26 October 2007
Last night I returned to the Pola cinema in Welshpool which reminds me a lot of my childhood film-going at the Scala in Withington - cinema as it used to be. I saw the children's fantasy 'Stardust' starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, the always impressive Mark Strong and a show-stealing Michelle Pfeiffer as a witch trying to regain her youthful beauty. With a wealth of cameos including Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellen and Robert De Niro and plenty of opportunity for spotting familiar British actors in bit parts it was lots of fun. Visually sumptuous with more than a hint of Terry Gilliam, it has a quirky but satisfyingly predictable plot - enjoyable baloney.
Last night I returned to the Pola cinema in Welshpool which reminds me a lot of my childhood film-going at the Scala in Withington - cinema as it used to be. I saw the children's fantasy 'Stardust' starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, the always impressive Mark Strong and a show-stealing Michelle Pfeiffer as a witch trying to regain her youthful beauty. With a wealth of cameos including Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellen and Robert De Niro and plenty of opportunity for spotting familiar British actors in bit parts it was lots of fun. Visually sumptuous with more than a hint of Terry Gilliam, it has a quirky but satisfyingly predictable plot - enjoyable baloney.
Monday, October 22, 2007
'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens
22 October 2007
Finished it! 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens is a very long book but I've really enjoyed the journey. It definitely helped being familiar with the plot from the BBC TV adaptation and it actually felt satisfyingly indulgent to take so long over each of the key scenes I remembered. Like most Dickens novels 'Bleak House' was originally published in instalments but, unlike some of his other books, this didn't result in a rambling plot. 'Bleak House' is tightly plotted and covers a relatively short period of time - and a fairly limited geography. The various narrative strands are interlinked and draw together with a brooding sense of fate and inevitability - and only a small amount of cheesy coincidence. The murder mystery plot that seemed to dominate the TV version comes very late in the novel and is not exploited half as much as it could have been - the conventions of detective fiction having yet to establish themselves. The structure of the book is interesting with two alternating narrators: Esther Summerson recounts her own story with hindsight in the first person while an omniscient third person narrator in the present tense shows us what is going on elsewhere. The third person narrator adds some great poetic descriptive passages: the technique of 'floating' over the streets and buildings of the Inns of Court and dropping in on various characters before flitting on to another location reminded me of 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas. But the main attraction of Dickens is the characters - and there are some wonderful creations in 'Bleak House'. To anyone who is familiar with the story, the names themselves will always instantly recreate the distinctive personalities: Tulkinghorn, Guppy, Krook, Smallweed, Lady Dedlock, Old Mr Turveydrop, Snagsby, Caddy Jellyby, etc etc. There is a dose of sentimentality and melodrama but the book also addresses an impressive range of social and political issues within its relatively small frame. And it is often very funny. Having worked for some years in the area around Chancery Lane, there was a particular attraction for me in the geography of the story. If you too have been expecting a judgement you can now release the birds - I recommend 'Bleak House' to the court.
Finished it! 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens is a very long book but I've really enjoyed the journey. It definitely helped being familiar with the plot from the BBC TV adaptation and it actually felt satisfyingly indulgent to take so long over each of the key scenes I remembered. Like most Dickens novels 'Bleak House' was originally published in instalments but, unlike some of his other books, this didn't result in a rambling plot. 'Bleak House' is tightly plotted and covers a relatively short period of time - and a fairly limited geography. The various narrative strands are interlinked and draw together with a brooding sense of fate and inevitability - and only a small amount of cheesy coincidence. The murder mystery plot that seemed to dominate the TV version comes very late in the novel and is not exploited half as much as it could have been - the conventions of detective fiction having yet to establish themselves. The structure of the book is interesting with two alternating narrators: Esther Summerson recounts her own story with hindsight in the first person while an omniscient third person narrator in the present tense shows us what is going on elsewhere. The third person narrator adds some great poetic descriptive passages: the technique of 'floating' over the streets and buildings of the Inns of Court and dropping in on various characters before flitting on to another location reminded me of 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas. But the main attraction of Dickens is the characters - and there are some wonderful creations in 'Bleak House'. To anyone who is familiar with the story, the names themselves will always instantly recreate the distinctive personalities: Tulkinghorn, Guppy, Krook, Smallweed, Lady Dedlock, Old Mr Turveydrop, Snagsby, Caddy Jellyby, etc etc. There is a dose of sentimentality and melodrama but the book also addresses an impressive range of social and political issues within its relatively small frame. And it is often very funny. Having worked for some years in the area around Chancery Lane, there was a particular attraction for me in the geography of the story. If you too have been expecting a judgement you can now release the birds - I recommend 'Bleak House' to the court.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
'The Flying Club Cup' by Beirut
16 October 2007
In 'Gulag Orkestar', the wonderful CD by Beirut (reviewed here in November 2006), twenty-something Zach Condon from Albuquerque, New Mexico, drew on the Gypsy brass sound of the Balkans. In his follow-up album 'The Flying Club Cup', which I've been listening to this week, he somehow manages to adopt a series of completely different styles whilst remaining distinctly recognisable. Here he travels across Europe, lingering particularly in France. Pulsating rhythms, mostly in quick waltz time, provide the landscape over which his languid vocals soar - often multi-tracked to create a chorus of Condons. His slightly strained, mock-operatic voice reminds me at times of Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy. The songs all have a feeling of melancholy ennui. The instrumentation includes the ukulele and accordion of 'Gulag Orkestar' as well as strings and piano. The brass sound is more mellow: accompanied by a wealth of percussion including clashed cymbals and tambourine it conjures up the image of a Salvation Army band leading a particularly cool New Orleans funeral march. I can't wait to see what he does next.
In 'Gulag Orkestar', the wonderful CD by Beirut (reviewed here in November 2006), twenty-something Zach Condon from Albuquerque, New Mexico, drew on the Gypsy brass sound of the Balkans. In his follow-up album 'The Flying Club Cup', which I've been listening to this week, he somehow manages to adopt a series of completely different styles whilst remaining distinctly recognisable. Here he travels across Europe, lingering particularly in France. Pulsating rhythms, mostly in quick waltz time, provide the landscape over which his languid vocals soar - often multi-tracked to create a chorus of Condons. His slightly strained, mock-operatic voice reminds me at times of Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy. The songs all have a feeling of melancholy ennui. The instrumentation includes the ukulele and accordion of 'Gulag Orkestar' as well as strings and piano. The brass sound is more mellow: accompanied by a wealth of percussion including clashed cymbals and tambourine it conjures up the image of a Salvation Army band leading a particularly cool New Orleans funeral march. I can't wait to see what he does next.
Friday, October 12, 2007
'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' by Douglas Adams
12 October 2007
I'm loving the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Douglas Adams' novel 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' (Wednesdays at 6.30 pm - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/). Dramatised and produced by Dirk Maggs who so wonderfully realised the final instalments of 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' after Douglas Adams' death, for any Hitch Hiker's fans this is a real treat. And it's so long since I read the book I've completely forgotten whatever tenuous grasp of the plot I might have had at the time. Listen to it - and then listen again to try to work out what's going on! One of the best uses radio could be put to.
I'm loving the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Douglas Adams' novel 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' (Wednesdays at 6.30 pm - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/). Dramatised and produced by Dirk Maggs who so wonderfully realised the final instalments of 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' after Douglas Adams' death, for any Hitch Hiker's fans this is a real treat. And it's so long since I read the book I've completely forgotten whatever tenuous grasp of the plot I might have had at the time. Listen to it - and then listen again to try to work out what's going on! One of the best uses radio could be put to.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
'Time of My Life' by Alan Ayckbourn
9 October 2007
There's a particular satisfaction when the risk involved in taking a 'lucky dip' approach to selecting a cultural dish results in a delicious feast. We felt that satisfaction the first time we discovered the 2-for-1 ticket booth in Leicester Square. It was 1993 and we were rewarded with half price tickets to a matinee of the new Alan Ayckbourn play which had just transferred from its premiere in Scarborough to the West End. 'Time of My Life' starred Anton Rodgers and Gwen Taylor in a family drama set in an Italian restaurant. As with most of Ayckbourn's prolific output it is a deceptively simple play - with a single set and no difficult staging arrangements - intentionally giving it a sustainable life in the amateur theatre. The particular device in 'Time of My Life' is multiple timelines moving in different directions. We can see three tables in the restaurant: the first hosts a family birthday meal while the other two tables simultaneously show us members of the family moving forwards and backwards, respectively, through time. These windows on the present, future and past gradually reveal poignant depths to the story, exploring when it is that we are truly happy - and whether we ever realise at the time. Although this all sounds complex it is easy to follow and follows a typical Ayckbourn path of making us laugh while we slip along an inexorably sad trajectory. We really enjoyed that original production in 1993 and were surprised when its run ended prematurely. Fourteen years later Ayckbourn cites 'Time of My Life' as one of his favourite and most under-rated plays. Last Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Laurie Sansom's new production of the play. Sansom came to Northampton after four years working with Ayckbourn as Associate Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and has created an enjoyable and effective revival. Our fond memories of the play were reinforced - particularly fond because we originally discovered it by accident!
There's a particular satisfaction when the risk involved in taking a 'lucky dip' approach to selecting a cultural dish results in a delicious feast. We felt that satisfaction the first time we discovered the 2-for-1 ticket booth in Leicester Square. It was 1993 and we were rewarded with half price tickets to a matinee of the new Alan Ayckbourn play which had just transferred from its premiere in Scarborough to the West End. 'Time of My Life' starred Anton Rodgers and Gwen Taylor in a family drama set in an Italian restaurant. As with most of Ayckbourn's prolific output it is a deceptively simple play - with a single set and no difficult staging arrangements - intentionally giving it a sustainable life in the amateur theatre. The particular device in 'Time of My Life' is multiple timelines moving in different directions. We can see three tables in the restaurant: the first hosts a family birthday meal while the other two tables simultaneously show us members of the family moving forwards and backwards, respectively, through time. These windows on the present, future and past gradually reveal poignant depths to the story, exploring when it is that we are truly happy - and whether we ever realise at the time. Although this all sounds complex it is easy to follow and follows a typical Ayckbourn path of making us laugh while we slip along an inexorably sad trajectory. We really enjoyed that original production in 1993 and were surprised when its run ended prematurely. Fourteen years later Ayckbourn cites 'Time of My Life' as one of his favourite and most under-rated plays. Last Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Laurie Sansom's new production of the play. Sansom came to Northampton after four years working with Ayckbourn as Associate Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and has created an enjoyable and effective revival. Our fond memories of the play were reinforced - particularly fond because we originally discovered it by accident!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
'Heimlich' by 17 Hippies
3 October 2007
I've been enjoying the album 'Heimlich' by the German band 17 Hippies which has been championed by Charlie Gillet on BBC Radio 3 over the last few weeks. Almost impossible to categorise, 17 Hippies sing in German, French and English and play instruments including clarinet, banjo and accordion. Mostly chirpy upbeat songs. Confusingly there are not 17 of them and they are not hippies! Catchy, quirky, refreshingly different.
I've been enjoying the album 'Heimlich' by the German band 17 Hippies which has been championed by Charlie Gillet on BBC Radio 3 over the last few weeks. Almost impossible to categorise, 17 Hippies sing in German, French and English and play instruments including clarinet, banjo and accordion. Mostly chirpy upbeat songs. Confusingly there are not 17 of them and they are not hippies! Catchy, quirky, refreshingly different.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
'Sinfonietta' by Leoš Janáček
2 October 2007
I've been listening to James Naughtie's history of Western classical music, 'The Making of Music', on BBC Radio 4 and last week one snatch of music particularly caught my attention - the 'Sinfonietta' by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. I got hold of a recording and I've been playing it all week. I'm not sure how the piece had previously passed me by - it's fantastic. It was written in 1926 and there are five short movements - the whole thing only lasts about 26 minutes. There is some gorgeous brass writing (indeed the first movement is just brass) with a number of variations on the opening fanfare that first grabbed my ears. If you don't already know the Sinfonietta, I would recommend discovering it for yourself.
I've been listening to James Naughtie's history of Western classical music, 'The Making of Music', on BBC Radio 4 and last week one snatch of music particularly caught my attention - the 'Sinfonietta' by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. I got hold of a recording and I've been playing it all week. I'm not sure how the piece had previously passed me by - it's fantastic. It was written in 1926 and there are five short movements - the whole thing only lasts about 26 minutes. There is some gorgeous brass writing (indeed the first movement is just brass) with a number of variations on the opening fanfare that first grabbed my ears. If you don't already know the Sinfonietta, I would recommend discovering it for yourself.
Monday, October 01, 2007
'Donkeys' Years' by Michael Frayn
1 October 2007
On Saturday we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see 'Donkeys' Years' by Michael Frayn. A group of middle-aged men assemble in "one of the smaller courts, in one of the lesser colleges, at one of the older universities" for a college reunion 25 years on. Finding themselves quartered in their old college rooms, they soon revert to their student behaviour and there is much drinking, running in and out of bedrooms, defacing the statue of King Henry and throwing people in the lake. Not much of a story but a very slick and well-paced farce. This is quite an early Michael Frayn play - later he would create the classic de-constructed farce, 'Noises Off' - 'Donkeys' Years' is more one-dimensional but very funny nonetheless. This production is now touring after a stint in the West End and boasts a cast of very familiar faces including Ian Lavendar, Richard Hope, Sara Crowe and Norman Pace but the evening belongs to Mark Hadfield - great physical comedy and timing.
On Saturday we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to see 'Donkeys' Years' by Michael Frayn. A group of middle-aged men assemble in "one of the smaller courts, in one of the lesser colleges, at one of the older universities" for a college reunion 25 years on. Finding themselves quartered in their old college rooms, they soon revert to their student behaviour and there is much drinking, running in and out of bedrooms, defacing the statue of King Henry and throwing people in the lake. Not much of a story but a very slick and well-paced farce. This is quite an early Michael Frayn play - later he would create the classic de-constructed farce, 'Noises Off' - 'Donkeys' Years' is more one-dimensional but very funny nonetheless. This production is now touring after a stint in the West End and boasts a cast of very familiar faces including Ian Lavendar, Richard Hope, Sara Crowe and Norman Pace but the evening belongs to Mark Hadfield - great physical comedy and timing.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Davis Cup Tennis - Great Britain vs. Croatia
26 September 2007
On Sunday we were back at Number One Court at Wimbledon to see the last two matches of Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Croatia. There was a packed crowd – primarily there to mark the retirement of Tim Henman. Unfortunately, for us, we picked the wrong day as Henman’s final volley in Saturday’s doubles match had won the tie for Britain – but it was still fun to experience the party atmosphere of the remaining singles matches and to give Henman and the team their final send-off. We saw Andy Murray win an exciting match against Roko Karanusic before another young Scottish player, Jamie Baker, put up a brave display in losing to the impressive Croatian teenager, Marin Cilic. And not a drop of rain …
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wester Ross
21 September 2007
We had a great week on the North West coast of Scotland last week. Wester Ross is a stunning area - just looking at the map was strangely compelling with masses of contour lines right down to the sea, large swathes of uninhabited land and few roads or tracks. The reality didn't disappoint - while it took a very long time to get there, it was well worth it. The sea lochs - Gairloch, Loch Ewe, Little Loch Broom and Loch Broom - are spectacular and the view from the road above Gairloch inland to the massive Loch Maree was amazing. We had mostly good weather with three very sunny days and managed lots of hill and coast walking. We stayed in a cottage at Sand, near Laide, overlooking Gruinard Bay and we enjoyed the little towns of Gairloch and Poolewe and got as far north as Ullapool. Our only real disappointment was not managing to see much of the promised marine wildlife - despite much binoculared-gazing from clifftops and a boat trip which only resulted in a distant glimpse of a pod of porpoises and a single friendly seal. I think all the local dolphins must have been holidaying elsewhere!
We had a great week on the North West coast of Scotland last week. Wester Ross is a stunning area - just looking at the map was strangely compelling with masses of contour lines right down to the sea, large swathes of uninhabited land and few roads or tracks. The reality didn't disappoint - while it took a very long time to get there, it was well worth it. The sea lochs - Gairloch, Loch Ewe, Little Loch Broom and Loch Broom - are spectacular and the view from the road above Gairloch inland to the massive Loch Maree was amazing. We had mostly good weather with three very sunny days and managed lots of hill and coast walking. We stayed in a cottage at Sand, near Laide, overlooking Gruinard Bay and we enjoyed the little towns of Gairloch and Poolewe and got as far north as Ullapool. Our only real disappointment was not managing to see much of the promised marine wildlife - despite much binoculared-gazing from clifftops and a boat trip which only resulted in a distant glimpse of a pod of porpoises and a single friendly seal. I think all the local dolphins must have been holidaying elsewhere!
Friday, September 07, 2007
'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens - progress report
7 September 2007
I am about a third of the way through reading 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens. I have to admit I've never read any Dickens but having relished the BBC TV adaptation of Bleak House last year (reviewed here in February 2006) I was persuaded to give it a go and I'm really enjoying it. It is, however, a very long book - at more than 900 pages quite a daunting prospect - and being familiar with the plot and characters from the TV version has definitely helped me to get going with it. I will report more fully when I finally get to the end but I thought I would mention it today because I notice that the BBC adaptation is being repeated on BBC4 - starting with two episodes tonight (Friday 7 September) at 7.30 pm and continuing on Monday. If you haven't seen it and you can get hold of BBC4 I would urge you to take a look. And then why not try the book itself …
I am about a third of the way through reading 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens. I have to admit I've never read any Dickens but having relished the BBC TV adaptation of Bleak House last year (reviewed here in February 2006) I was persuaded to give it a go and I'm really enjoying it. It is, however, a very long book - at more than 900 pages quite a daunting prospect - and being familiar with the plot and characters from the TV version has definitely helped me to get going with it. I will report more fully when I finally get to the end but I thought I would mention it today because I notice that the BBC adaptation is being repeated on BBC4 - starting with two episodes tonight (Friday 7 September) at 7.30 pm and continuing on Monday. If you haven't seen it and you can get hold of BBC4 I would urge you to take a look. And then why not try the book itself …
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