28 August 2006
"I have four candles and one evening in which to complete this account" - writes Christopher Marlowe at the start of the novella 'Tamburlaine Must Die' by Louise Welsh. Well it only took me one candle to read it! This is a very short book but a believable trip into the dark streets and noisy taverns of Elizabethan London. I was hoping for a few more twists and turns in the plot but it was interesting and well-written. Would make a good radio play.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
‘Dore’ by Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion
24 August 2006
I've also been listening to the album ‘Dore’ by Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion which is incredibly varied and interesting – a really eclectic mix of rock, folk, country, pop and more – with an equally wide-ranging instrumentation including saxophone, brass, pedal steel guitar and harp. Intriguing and accessible – it’s really growing on me. Listen to samples at www.tradtunes.com
I've also been listening to the album ‘Dore’ by Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion which is incredibly varied and interesting – a really eclectic mix of rock, folk, country, pop and more – with an equally wide-ranging instrumentation including saxophone, brass, pedal steel guitar and harp. Intriguing and accessible – it’s really growing on me. Listen to samples at www.tradtunes.com
‘Gweini Tymor’ by Siân James
24 August 2006
I’ve been listening to some contemporary Welsh music this week. I’ve tried ‘Gweini Tymor’ – an album of traditional Welsh folk songs arranged and performed by Siân James. These are beautiful, quiet, contemplative songs with sparse accompaniment featuring some lovely harp playing. You can hear samples of this album and many more at www.tradtunes.com
I’ve been listening to some contemporary Welsh music this week. I’ve tried ‘Gweini Tymor’ – an album of traditional Welsh folk songs arranged and performed by Siân James. These are beautiful, quiet, contemplative songs with sparse accompaniment featuring some lovely harp playing. You can hear samples of this album and many more at www.tradtunes.com
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Edinburgh Festivals 2006
17 August 2006
Just a brief visit to the delights of the Edinburgh Festivals this August but still time to pack in something like 15 shows. Particular highlights so far (at the time of writing) include a wonderful performance of Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras at the Usher Hall on Tuesday, the live broadcasts of BBC Radio Scotland's 'MacAulay & Co' at the Spiegel Garden, Tony Benn talking about democracy at The Radio Cafe - and loads of great Fringe theatre. We particularly like the intensity of high quality performances in small, out of the way venues. Yesterday we saw 'The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches' - an adaptation of the Quebecois novel by Gaétan Soucy at the Underbelly - inventive, funny, strange and fantastically acted. Still not sure exactly what it was about but we were still talking about it for hours afterwards!
Just a brief visit to the delights of the Edinburgh Festivals this August but still time to pack in something like 15 shows. Particular highlights so far (at the time of writing) include a wonderful performance of Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras at the Usher Hall on Tuesday, the live broadcasts of BBC Radio Scotland's 'MacAulay & Co' at the Spiegel Garden, Tony Benn talking about democracy at The Radio Cafe - and loads of great Fringe theatre. We particularly like the intensity of high quality performances in small, out of the way venues. Yesterday we saw 'The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches' - an adaptation of the Quebecois novel by Gaétan Soucy at the Underbelly - inventive, funny, strange and fantastically acted. Still not sure exactly what it was about but we were still talking about it for hours afterwards!
'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare
17 August 2006
On Saturday we were in the lovely village of Alderton, just off the A5 north of Milton Keynes, to see an open air performance of Romeo and Juliet by the touring company Heartbreak Productions. Unfortunately the weather wasn't ideal - and the wind in the trees made some of the dialogue difficult to hear - but it was still a very enjoyable evening. It was an energetic and enthusiastic production with some inventive devices. I particularly liked the idea of having the Montagues and Capulets in colour coded football shirts with the characters' names written on the back.
On Saturday we were in the lovely village of Alderton, just off the A5 north of Milton Keynes, to see an open air performance of Romeo and Juliet by the touring company Heartbreak Productions. Unfortunately the weather wasn't ideal - and the wind in the trees made some of the dialogue difficult to hear - but it was still a very enjoyable evening. It was an energetic and enthusiastic production with some inventive devices. I particularly liked the idea of having the Montagues and Capulets in colour coded football shirts with the characters' names written on the back.
Friday, August 11, 2006
'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver
11 August 2006
I have been reading 'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver - an amazing novel. It takes the form of letters from the mother of a teenager who has committed a Columbine-style high school massacre to her estranged husband. Much of the subject matter is distressing and makes for uncomfortable reading - though it is not without humour. But I found it completely compelling - very clever and well-written - a gripping and emotional ride that made me feel like I had been holding my breath throughout - and made me burst into tears after finishing the final page - brilliant!
I have been reading 'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver - an amazing novel. It takes the form of letters from the mother of a teenager who has committed a Columbine-style high school massacre to her estranged husband. Much of the subject matter is distressing and makes for uncomfortable reading - though it is not without humour. But I found it completely compelling - very clever and well-written - a gripping and emotional ride that made me feel like I had been holding my breath throughout - and made me burst into tears after finishing the final page - brilliant!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
WOMAD Festival, Reading
4 August 2006
I had a wonderful weekend at the WOMAD Festival. I saw 16 full performances and dipped in and out of many more – seeing a total of 39 bands in 3 days! Loads of fantastic music and a lovely atmosphere as always.
The highlights for me were the beautiful, haunting sound of the Chinese bamboo flute played by Guo Yue, eclectic dance music with a political message from Mexican band Los De Abajo, exquisite Indian classical music from the maestro of the slide-guitar Debashish Bhattacharya and the amazing sound of Mitsoura – electronic dance music combining traditional gypsy music from Hungary and Rajasthan.
But I think my favourite was the great Finnish folk/rock band Värttinä, whose music I have enjoyed for some years – it was fantastic to finally see them live. The three female vocalists produce scrunching harmonies against complex syncopated rhythms in a truly theatrical performance. If, like me, you got a bit bored with rock music and fancy something accessible, catchy but refreshingly different you might like to try Värttinä. I would recommend starting with their 2003 CD ‘iki’ which you will find in the World Music section of most larger music shops – or see www.varttina.com for more details.
‘Inside Job’ by Brian Clemens
27 July 2006
Last weekend we had a lovely couple of days staying with friends in Norfolk – including a trip to one of our favourite places, the old fashioned seaside town of Sheringham. We rounded off the day with a visit to the Little Theatre in Sheringham which always has a summer repertory season. We saw a thriller called ‘Inside Job’ by Brian Clemens which was good fun with plenty of plot twists – and it was only at the end that we remembered we had seen it before some years ago (probably at the Little Theatre, Sheringham!).
‘The Sunday Philosophy Club’ by Alexander McCall Smith
21 July 2006
I’ve just finished reading ‘The Sunday Philosophy Club’ by Alexander McCall Smith – an enjoyable, genteel mystery from the author of ‘The Number One Ladies Detective Agency’ which shows a much nicer side of Edinburgh than Ian Rankin – more Miss Marple than Inspector Rebus.
Croydon Summer Festival World Party
21 July 2006
On Saturday we were at the Croydon Summer Festival World Party – a super free festival in Lloyd Park, Croydon which we first discovered three years ago. Three stages, plenty of exotic food and drink, fairground, flags and sunshine – and some great music from Nigeria, Spain, China, Senegal, Romania and Croydon! (They always showcase the winners of the local unsigned bands contest – who invariably bring a big crowd of supporters and often make a point of thanking their school music teacher.) The main attraction for me was Ojos De Brujo – the flamenco hip-hop collective from Barcelona – exciting stuff! But I also enjoyed some of the performances on the small ‘almost acoustic’ stage – particularly Chi-2 – two Chinese violinists weaving haunting melodies over electronic beats provided by Oivind from Norway and his laptop!
‘Victory for the Comic Muse’ by The Divine Comedy
14 July 2006
I’ve been listening this week to ‘Victory for the Comic Muse’ – the new album by The Divine Comedy. Regular readers will remember that I only discovered TDC last year and have been catching up on their back catalogue. I think the new CD finds them still in good form – maybe not their best but there are some fantastic lyrics – who else would write a song called ‘Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World’?
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
14 July 2006
Last Saturday I was playing in Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s annual Friends’ Concert – a really nice occasion – a free private concert for everyone has supported us over the past 12 months by subscribing to our Friends organisation. We played a programme of works by English composers including Elgar, Arnold (inevitably!), Gordon Jacob (whose pieces for wind instruments are great fun) and George Butterworth (who wrote some beautiful music but died tragically early in the Battle of the Somme).
‘Salaam Music Village’, Kew Gardens
7 July 2006
We were at Kew Gardens on Sunday for ‘Salaam Music Village’ – a festival of Islamic music from around the world. It was a very hot, sunny day and thousands of people were trying to find whatever shade the foliage could provide while listening to groups from Morocco, Kenya, Yemen, Iraq and Bosnia. Musicians had flown in from all over the world specially for the festival but it was only the Iranian group who live in Finchley who had any travel problems – getting stuck on the North Circular Road! There was a wide variety of beautiful, rhythmic and contemplative music – my favourite was the Indonesian group from Aceh. This free festival was organised by Cultural Co-operation – an independent arts charity that promotes cross-cultural contact, dialogue and understanding (and gave free entry to Kew Gardens which usually costs £11.75!). If you’re interested and anywhere near London they are doing the whole thing again in Regent’s Park this weekend – details at www.culturalco-operation.org
We were at Kew Gardens on Sunday for ‘Salaam Music Village’ – a festival of Islamic music from around the world. It was a very hot, sunny day and thousands of people were trying to find whatever shade the foliage could provide while listening to groups from Morocco, Kenya, Yemen, Iraq and Bosnia. Musicians had flown in from all over the world specially for the festival but it was only the Iranian group who live in Finchley who had any travel problems – getting stuck on the North Circular Road! There was a wide variety of beautiful, rhythmic and contemplative music – my favourite was the Indonesian group from Aceh. This free festival was organised by Cultural Co-operation – an independent arts charity that promotes cross-cultural contact, dialogue and understanding (and gave free entry to Kew Gardens which usually costs £11.75!). If you’re interested and anywhere near London they are doing the whole thing again in Regent’s Park this weekend – details at www.culturalco-operation.org
‘Black Swan Green’ by David Mitchell
7 July 2006
I’ve just finished reading ‘Black Swan Green’ by David Mitchell. I’ve really enjoyed all four of his novels and, while this year in the life of a 13-year old boy in the Malverns in 1982 is less ambitious and more subtle than ‘Cloud Atlas’, ‘Ghostwritten’ or (my favourite) ‘number9dream’, I found it believable and touching. When we saw David Mitchell at the Oxford Literary Festival last year, he read us extracts from the unpublished manuscript of ‘Black Swan Green’ and scribbled a few amendments based on the audience reaction so it was fun trying to spot the bits of the book we helped to write!
Philharmonia concert
30 June 2006
Last Saturday we were at the Corn Exchange in Bedford to see the Philharmonia play Mahler Symphony No 1 and the first Shostakovich violin concerto with the brilliant 21-year-old Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan – very exciting stuff – a name to watch out for.
Wimbledon 2006
30 June 2006
Well, looking on the bright side, on Monday we saw 35 minutes of Kim Clijsters’ opening match at Wimbledon for free (as we got our money back!). Unfortunately we then had to spend 5 hours sheltering from the rain, waiting to see if there would be any more play – there wasn’t. We were very philosophical – having been very lucky with the weather at each of our previous visits to Wimbledon. But it was very annoying watching Henman’s exciting first round match on the TV on Tuesday and knowing we should have seen it live on Monday!
'Guardian World Cup Show' podcast
23 June 2006
I’ve been really enjoying the Guardian’s World Cup Show podcasts – a daily 30-minute ‘radio’ programme which you can download at: http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/worldcupshow/ – you don’t need to actually watch any of the football – just listen to James Richardson and the team every morning. They have set up a little recording booth in a corner of one of the Guardian offices and every night at around midnight they drag a few Guardian journalists in to chat about the day’s games. They also speak on the phone to the Guardian’s reporters in Germany who have actually been at the matches. It’s all very homemade and chaotic – and great fun. They have developed some very funny running jokes and some truly awful puns.
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
23 June 2006
Last Saturday I was playing with Northampton Symphony Orchestra in a concert including the fantastic ‘Symphonic Metamorphosen’ by Hindemith – another of my favourite composers – which has one of the most exciting endings to a piece of music that I’ve played.
Kate Rusby
16 June 2006
On Monday I was back at The Stables to see one of the big stars of the young English folk revival, Kate Rusby. I had tried to get tickets for her the past couple of times she visited The Stables but she always sells out very quickly – this time I only succeeded because she added an extra date – which also eventually sold out. She was great – I love her voice (and her Barnsley accent!) – and you get the bonus of a fantastic band led by one of the top names in Scottish folk, John McCusker (who happens to be Kate Rusby’s husband). I’ve been listening to her latest CD ‘The Girl Who Couldn't Fly’ which is lovely (though I think the selection of songs is a bit patchy) – worth buying just for track 6 – the old standard ‘You Belong To Me’ which she recorded after hearing it on the soundtrack to ‘Shrek’ – she makes it her own and it’s been haunting me all week. You can download this single track for 80 pence from http://shopping.katerusby.com/item-24-The_Girl_Who_Couldn_t_Fly.aspx
‘The Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding
16 June 2006
I also read ‘The Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding for the first time – I did start it in my teens but gave up fairly early on. It is fairly slow and atmospheric but this time around I found it much more interesting. He is very good at drawing you in to the boys (stranded on an island after a plane crash with no adults around) evolving quickly into quite a grown-up model of society (with a leader, ‘parliament’, allocated responsibilities etc) then reminding you that they are still very young. Ralph, for example, (who is 12 years old) fast becomes a mature and thoughtful leader – but still stands on his head every time he gets excited!
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