‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving

7 May 2010

I first discovered John Irving’s 1989 novel ‘A Prayer for Owen Meaney’ through the excellent BBC Radio 4 dramatisation last year, in which Toby Jones created the distinctive voice of Owen Meany (which in the book is always IN CAPITAL LETTERS). Reading the novel for the first time I felt the ‘present day’ (1987) passages focussing on the Reagan administration and the Iran-Contra affair – which were largely omitted from the radio abridgement – seemed strangely dated and irrelevant in a way in which the main ‘historic’ story, told in flashback, didn’t. The various impacts of the Vietnam War on the principal characters – perhaps originally intended to sew warnings about Reagan-era foreign policy – now seem much more the centre of attention. ‘A Prayer for Owen Meaney’ is a great comic (and tragic) novel with some brilliant set-piece scenes (the Nativity Play is a beautifully-constructed and hilarious passage). Irving plays around with time, flashing forward and back as he gradually moving through the characters’ lives in chronological order. And he teases the reader remorselessly, constantly hinting at what is to come and drip-feeding key details to build the final picture. The final revelation takes so long to come that the anticipation almost becomes irritating but it’s so worth waiting for you finish the book in awe and with a smile on your face.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

28 April 2010

Arriving at the final afternoon rehearsal for last Saturday’s Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert, we were expecting to face the challenging prospect of playing the ‘Cello Concerto by Samuel Barber – an interesting but tricky piece which I suspect had been new to most of us. What we were presented with, however, was a challenge of a different nature: our ‘cello soloist had been taken ill and it had proved impossible to find a replacement who knew this rarely performed work. So, at the last minute, the violinist Irmina Trynkos, who is due to play with us in our next concert, agreed to perform the Bruch Violin Concerto. At 2.15 pm the music was handed out to the orchestra for the first time and by 8.30 pm we had completed a stunning performance of this much-loved concerto. It was an exciting, edge-of-the-seat experience – not without a few hairy moments but very enjoyable. I’m now really looking forward to hearing Irmina play the ‘Poeme for Violin and Orchestra’ on 19 June. The rest of Saturday’s concert was an American affair including ‘Three Dance Episodes from On the Town’ by Bernstein, ‘Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo’ by Copland and what I thought was a really good performance of Gershwin’s ‘An American in Paris’ – a complex circus of a piece which came together wonderfully – and the car horns were great!

‘Dead Guilty’ by Richard Harris

23 April 2010

We had a few days in sunny Dorset last week and managed to fit in a visit to the Bournemouth Little Theatre Club to see a performance of ‘Dead Guilty’ by Richard Harris. This clever, psychological thriller was extremely well acted – a very high quality production – and kept us guessing to the end. Good to see BLTC, which has just celebrated its 90^th anniversary, going strong.

Phil Hammond

23 April 2010

Phil Hammond is a GP who has carved out an extensive second career as a comedian with regular appearances on Radio 4, a column in Private Eye and even a stint in the dictionary corner on Countdown! We saw him at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans at the beginning of a new national tour. He is a very slick performer: the material about his childhood and medical training seemed to be delivered with a speed and confidence that suggested it was far from the first time he had used it but it was still very funny. Phil Hammond is not a stand-up comedian who happens to be a doctor: almost all of his material is about the medical profession or the absurdities of the NHS. He clearly feels passionately about many of the current problems in the health service but at times his more serious rants sat slightly uncomfortably next to some of the comic set-pieces. Nevertheless he was impressive, assured and very funny.

'Here Lies Love' by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

8 April 2010

One of the most bizarre aspects of visiting the Vigário Geral favela in Rio de Janeiro was spotting, on the wall of a small family restaurant in the heart of the favela, the signature of former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. I suppose it wasn't that surprising, knowing that Byrne is a good friend of Brazilian Tropicália singer Caetano Veloso and that Veloso is a key supporter of our hosts, Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, but it still seemed an incongruous intrusion in the extreme surroundings of the favela. I guess nothing should really surprise me where David Byrne is concerned: his latest album, launched this week, sees Byrne collaborating with Fatboy Slim to produce a disco song cycle about the life of Imelda Marcos - a concept that sounds as if it should have been released on 1 April rather than 6 April! Nevertheless the result is fabulous: 'Here Lives Love' features 22 (mainly female) guest vocalists taking turns to tell the story of the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines, and the woman who raised her, through the medium of disco - a reference to Imelda Marcos' love of nightclubs. And those vocalists include some of my favourite singers such as Natalie Merchant, Martha Wainwright and the sublime Allison Moorer. I've always appreciated David Byrne's taste in collaborators since learning that the backing vocals on his wonderful 1989 album 'Rei Momo' were by another personal favourite, Kirsty MacColl. The cast list on 'Here Lies Love' also features Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Florence Welch, Róisín Murphy, Camille and Steve Earle as Ferdinand Marcos! The succession of female vocalists playing particular parts reminded me of 'God Help the Girl' (reviewed here in August 2009). But 'Here Lies Love' is unmistakably a David Byrne creation with the disco beats underpinned by his beloved Latin rhythms. A surreally infectious treat.

AfroReggae

30 March 2010

The favelas of Rio de Janeiro are desperate places – shanty towns where the rule of law is absent, dominated by drug traffickers and gangs, made even more shocking by their proximity to some of the most opulent parts of the city. In 1993 police killed 21 innocent people from Vigário Geral, one of the poorest favelas, in retaliation for the shooting dead of 4 policemen. In response to this tragic event, Grupo Cultural AfroReggae was created to offer young people from the favelas an alternative to a life of drugs and violence. AfroReggae began as a newspaper but soon started offering workshops in dance, percussion, circus skills and a host of other cultural disciplines. Controversially working with some of the major drug traffickers while also attracting major commercial sponsorship from companies including Santander and Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, AfroReggae has grown into a large and extremely successful organisation. We visited three of Rio’s favelas as guests of AfroReggae, being met and escorted at the entrances to each favela by some of the most brilliant samba drummers I have seen. We saw performances of dance, circus skills, percussion, drama, reggae, rock and orchestral music and had a question and answer session with AfroReggae founder Jose Junior. But the climax was undoubtedly a performance by the original Banda AfroReggae – now an internationally acclaimed group making a rare appearance back in the Vigário Geral favela. Banda AfroReggae are a mighty band – big, loud, funky and incredibly cool. Their music incorporates pop, rock, reggae, hip-hop and rap with Brazilian percussion: it’s fast, catchy and irresistible. Hearing Banda AfroReggae for the first time in a private performance in a small studio in the AfroReggae centre was an amazing experience – I’m a fan! You can see a report and photos on our visit to AfroReggae at http://www.afroreggae.org.br/2010/03/25/nucleos-de-vigario-complexo-e-lucas-recebem-visita-de-diretores-britanicos/, listen to AfroReggae on Spotify and see their remarkable story in the 2005 film ‘Favela Rising’.

Jards Macalé and Jorge Mautner

30 March 2010

The best known protagonists of the Tropicália movement are the musicians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil – both exiled to London in the late 1960s by the Brazilian military dictatorship. While we were in Sao Paulo we were lucky enough to catch a concert by two of their contemporaries Jards Macalé and Jorge Mautner at Sesc Pompéia. Both singers are now about 70 years old and are clearly revered by what was a packed and enthusiastic audience. The Tropicália movement was based on ‘antropofagia’ – cultural cannibalism, taking in influences from a range of genres and creating something new and unique. Though undoubtedly revolutionary at the time I’m afraid that, to me, the music now sounds a little tame – gentle, beautiful and soothing like bossa nova without the beat. Not being able to understand the Portuguese lyrics is clearly a major hindrance in listening to songs with a strong political message. But it was fascinating to watch the rapturous reaction of the crowd who were mouthing the words to many of the songs and quick to their feet to give a standing ovation to these two legendary performers.

Hélio Oticica exhibition

30 March 2010

I arrived in Sao Paulo just in time to attend the opening of an exhibition on Hélio Oticica at Centro Cultural. Hélio Oticica’s installation ‘Tropicália’, recreated in this exhibition (complete with live parrots!), gave its name to the famous Brazilian art movement of the late 1960s. Entering the packed crowd of paulistas observing and engaging with the works of art was an exciting, intriguing and slightly intimidating experience. It was hard, at times, to distinguish between performers and audience, particularly as many of the pieces by, or about, Hélio Oticica were intended to be worn. Like much conceptual art it was easy to dismiss some pieces as pretentious or provocative, particularly without being able to read the (Portuguese) explanatory text, but it was an entertaining and intriguing afternoon.

'Hobo' by Charlie Winston

18 March 2010

I saw Charlie Winston, the troubadour from Suffolk, perform at Womad last July but I’ve only just managed to get hold of his excellent album ‘Hobo’. Winston sings catchy tunes with a confident swagger and tongue firmly in cheek. His voice reminds me in its occasional mock-opera moments both of Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy (reviewed here in September 2005 and July 2006) and David Byrne. These are upbeat, rhythmic and wryly amusing songs: I particularly like ‘My Life As A Duck’ but there are plenty of memorable tracks on the album.

‘Daughter of Fortune’ by Isabel Allende

18 March 2010

I’ve been reading ‘Daughter of Fortune’ by Isabel Allende, a family saga/epic thriller which starts in Chile in the 1830s before telling the story of the California gold rush. It’s a broad canvas which is historically fascinating and filmic in scope but I’m afraid it didn’t grab me and it’s taken me an age to finish it. Isabel Allende has a tendency to undercut the tension by suddenly flashing forward to the characters reminiscing about the current events many years later. I also felt there were odd changes in pace throughout the novel. I enjoyed the well-drawn characters and the settings but I feel I may have missed something.

Orchestra of St John's concert

8 March 2010

We were at Kings Place in London on Saturday for a concert by the Orchestra of St John's. The programme included 'Cantata No 51' by J S Bach, featuring the excellent young soprano Louise Wayman, and Haydn's 'Symphony No.44 - Trauer'. And it was very interesting to hear Handel's 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' contrasted with Alec Roth's 'Departure of the Queen of Sheba'. Written in 1999, Roth's work uses material from the familiar Handel piece to create a beautifully moving wordless dialogue between the Queen (oboe) and King Solomon (cor anglais). It's a lovely, gently romantic piece of music and it was great to see the composer in the audience on Saturday. The small Orchestra of St John's (featuring only 19 players at this concert) were very impressive: tight, clear and precise, demonstrating how exciting classical music can be.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

3 March 2010

For the past few weeks my personal soundtrack has consisted of Rachmaninov’s gorgeous 3^rd Piano Concerto playing almost continuously in my head in preparation for last Saturday’s Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert. It’s a fantastic and fiendishly difficult piece of music and it was very exciting to be accompanying the amazing young Italian pianist, Marco Fatichenti, who gave an incredible performance on Saturday at the Spinney Hill Theatre in Northampton. Marco played many of the most challenging passages of the concerto incredibly fast and his thrilling unpredictability gave the orchestra and our conductor, Alexander Walker, some nerve-wracking moments. But it was a wonderful performance and Marco’s cadenza at the end of the first movement deserved a standing ovation on its own. Tchaikowsky’s ‘Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydreams’ seemed a little tame by comparison but, having conquered the challenge of the Rachmaninov concerto, I felt the orchestra relaxed a little in the second half of the concert and gave a very good account of the symphony.

‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ byTennessee Williams

23 February 2010

We were at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End on Saturday to see ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams. This was a great production, directed by Debbie Allen, with an excellent cast including Adrian Lester, Sanaa Lathan and Phylicia Rashad (Allen’s sister). But even amongst such impressive company it was undoubtedly James Earl Jones as Big Daddy who stole the show. Jones is a compelling physical performer, appearing to change body shape with the moods of the character. It was fascinating, for example, just to watch how he used his arms. And it was wonderful to hear his iconic, deep, booming voice fill the theatre.

Victoria & Albert Museum Medieval and Renaissance galleries

23 February 2010

On Saturday we visited the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The exhibits are beautifully presented – there’s lots of space and light much like the refurbished Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (reviewed here in November 2009). I felt there was less of a coherent narrative than at the Ashmolean: the V&A tends to present historic objects as art. But the new galleries are visually stunning and there are some real gems to discover.

Five Star Swing

23 February 2010

Last Friday we were at Toddington Village Hall to see ‘Five Star Swing’ – an excellent five-piece jazz band including former members of the Herb Miller Orchestra and the Ivy Benson band. They played a mixed menu of swing and jazz standards including helpings of Sinatra, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and much more. The band had a good line in banter and it was a very entertaining evening.

Tess May Tribute Concert

17 February 2010

Tess May was a French horn teacher who worked in the Milton Keynes area for more than 30 years. Tess died suddenly last year as a result of a stroke and last Saturday her friends, family, colleagues and pupils, past and present, gathered at Ousedale School in Newport Pagnell for a tribute concert to celebrate and remember Tess and to raise funds for the charity Headway and for a Milton Keynes Music Service Horn Scholarship. I played in a choir of massed French horns, including just about every horn player in the area. The concert also featured the Tess May Olney Brass Band and a full orchestral brass ensemble. Tess’s sons Tim and Peter played trumpet and euphonium solos and joined their father, Laurence, for an emotional encore. The climax of the evening was a performance of ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ by Mussorgsky with everyone who had taken part in the concert playing ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ – one of the loudest musical experiences you will ever hear! It was a wonderful evening – entertaining, eclectic and very moving: a great way to remember Tess. It was a privilege to be involved.

‘Roam’ by the Tom Dale Company

17 February 2010

Last Friday we were at the Trestle Arts Base in St Albans to see ‘Roam’ – a new piece by the Tom Dale Company. Choreographed by Tom Dale with specially commissioned tracks from maverick producer/composer Shackleton and drum&bass outfit Sion (“a captivating journey into a world of swinging sub bass and complex percussion”) and incorporating the work of poet Rick Holland, ‘Roam’ was a serious, impressive performance. The five young dancers demonstrated truly amazing athleticism. Not being fluent in the language of modern dance, I don’t really have the vocabulary to do the piece justice but it was clearly of a very high standard. As a musician, I found those sections that were more obviously rhythmic and related directly to the music easier to appreciate though I was impressed that even the slower, more abstract movements contained tiny muscular twitches that acknowledged the music’s beats. I’m not sure I fully grasped all the references to the desire to roam, which (according to the programme) explored the relationship between “intellectual roaming and more animalistic roaming for food and shelter”. But it was great to see something so different, thought-provoking and cool. You can see an extract at: http://vimeo.com/6879374

'Cello recital by Robert Foster at Toddington Music Society

12 February 2010

On Saturday evening we made the short journey to our neighbouring village for a concert presented by the Toddington Music Society. Robert Foster is a young ‘cellist (currently doing his GCSEs at a school in Dunstable) who won the Toddington Music Society Young Musician Competition in 2009. His prize was a solo recital in the Wilkinson Church Hall in Toddington – though the phrase solo recital is slightly misleading as Robert brought with him a host of friends to create an eclectic evening of high quality music-making. We heard piano and guitar solos and Robert played several pieces with a group of young string players as well as a variety of pieces for solo ‘cello and piano accompaniment. As well as the inevitable ‘cello perennials (‘The Swan’ from Saint-Saens’ ‘The Carnival Of Animals’ and the ‘Prelude’ from the first ‘Cello Suite’ by J.S. Bach) it was great to discover some more unusual offerings such as a piano piece by the Japanese film and video-game composer Nobuo Uematsu. But the highlight for me was a ‘cello duet by Friedrich August Kummer (a contemporary of Schubert) which Robert Foster played with his elder brother David, himself a former winner of the Toddington Young Musician Competition. It was a really enjoyable evening and wonderful to see such a high standard of young musical talent so close to home.

'Far' by Regina Spektor

5 February 2010

Regina Spektor is a singer who tends to get filed under ‘acquired taste’ but is definitely a taste worth acquiring. Moscow-born Regina Spektor grew up in New York where she studied classical piano. Her piano-backed pop/rock ballads remind me of Nerina Pallot (reviewed her in May 2006) with similarly clever lyrics. But Regina Spektor’s childlike voice is very much in the Kate Bush/ Joanna Newsom vein. Her latest album ‘Far’ is less earnest and more upbeat than Joanna Newsom (reviewed here in November 2006): jaunty but wistful.

‘Light a Candle’ by Forró in the Dark

29 January 2010

Forró in the Dark are a band formed by four New York-based Brazilian ex-pats who have taken forró (“the hip-swiveling, dancefloor-filling, rural party music of Brazil’s northeastern states”) and created from it a cool, modern, urban, infectiously catchy sound. Their album ‘Light a Candle’ is a varied set of songs in a number of languages (including English) which are cheery, upbeat and very danceable. Electric guitar, saxophone and flute are to the fore, accompanied by the ever-present syncopated tingle of the triangle. It’s music with a smile – easy to like if a bit indeterminately ‘international’ rather than distinctively Brazilian. At times Forró in the Dark sound remarkably like the German world music fusionists 17 Hippies (reviewed here in October 2007). Cheer-yourself-up music.