WOMAD 2009

30 July 2009

2009 was one of the best WOMAD Festivals I can remember. The weather was (mostly) kind - sunny but not too hot until the rain finally arrived on Sunday afternoon - and there were some wonderful performances. I saw 18 full sets and caught snatches of several others and there were many highlights. I liked the female vocal harmonies of the folk fusion band Acetre whose modern take on the traditional music of the Extremadura region halfway down the Spanish/Portugese border reminded me of both Värttinä from Finland and, particularly, the Warsaw Village Band (reviewed here in September 2008). It was a privilege to see both the outstanding Wassalou divas of Mali in one weekend - Rokia Traore (reviewed here in February 2008), and Oumou Sangare (reviewed here in March 2009) both producing stunning performances culminating in joyous dancing that never wanted to end. It was fascinating to see the legendary Ethopian singers Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete as part of an all-star showcase of the Ethiopiques series (reviewed here in November 2007). And I was entranced by the amazing three-octave voice of the Azerbaijani singer Gochag Askerov. Great to see Berlin's 17 Hippies (reviewed here in October 2007) live at last. Peter Gabriel performed specially to promote the charity Witness.org - ending with a powerful rendition of 'Biko' in memory of the Russian human rights activist, Natalia Estemirova, who was killed in Chechnya two weeks ago. Peter Gabriel also sang a movingly slow version of Paul Simon's 'The Boy in the Bubble' accompanied by strings. But after much deliberation my pick of the weekend has to be the French group Caravan Palace who play the gypsy jazz swing of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli to pounding high-tempo electronic beats. It's infectiously uplifting - doing for the Hot Club De France what Gotan Project did for tango but much less earnestly. Caravan Palace are playful and cheeky without ever being anything less than stylish. Their stage performance is compellingly theatrical and had everyone in the massive Siam tent dancing. Best known for inspiring Christopher Walken to dance his way round a hotel lobby (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mahYSenVRPM) Caravan Palace's eponymous album (which you can listen to free on Spotify) is guaranteed to cheer you up and get you moving.

'The Duckworth Lewis Method'

22 July 2009

I've never had any interest in cricket - I think it's just too English for me! - but I'm nevertheless hooked on 'The Duckworth Lewis Method' - the new cricket-themed album by Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy) and Thomas Walsh. Incredibly catchy (pun intended!) tunes and brilliant lyrics. You can't help but smile at a song that includes the lines: “Always denied entry/ By the English gentry/ Now we're driving Bentleys/ Playing 20/20".

'A History of Modern Britain’ by Andrew Marr

22 July 2009

I suspect most of us have an historical blindspot covering the ten years or so either side of our birth – the period that is too recent to be taught to us as history but of which we don’t have our own clear memories and understanding. I’ve been filling in the gaps in my knowledge by reading Andrew Marr’s ‘A History of Modern Britain’ (based on his TV series which I missed). Over the course of more than 600 pages Andrew Marr tells the story of post-war Britain, divided into 5 main periods. Within each period he addresses a range of topics (including economics, fashion, culture, housing and industry) thematically in short (mostly 2 or 3 page) chapters. These chapters take us forwards and backwards over the period in question as each theme is tackled, but maintain an overall chronological momentum. The central spine of the book, however, is politics (unsurprisingly for a former BBC Political Editor). I thoroughly enjoyed piecing together events of which I had previously only a sketchy knowledge and wallowing in nostalgic remembrance of my own childhood. I think I enjoyed reading about the more recent years less – perhaps because I felt that Marr’s own opinions and prejudices seemed more dominant, which may just have been because I have clearer opinions myself about the eras I encountered as an adult. But it was fascinating to look back with the benefit of hindsight over 60 years of politics and see the great extent to which major changes to our way of life have resulted from political luck and accident!

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

17 July 2009

The final concert of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s 2008-09 season was a Sunday afternoon thank-you to the Friends of the NSO. We played a light programme of Sibelius, Dvorak, Brahms, von Suppé and Johan Strauss. But I think the highlight was a lovely performance of Bruch’s ‘Romanze’ for viola and orchestra played by the NSO’s own Becky Dyson who is about to leave us to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

'Home' by David Storey

17 July 2009

Last Thursday we were at the Theatre Royal in Bath to see David Storey’s 1970 play ‘Home’. The original Royal Court production starred John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson as two elderly men sitting in a garden, passing the time of day. These parts were taken in this production by David Calder and Stephen Moore with Nichola McAuliffe and Lesley Joseph as the two women who provide a jarring contrast to their conversation. It’s a fascinating play which takes some time to reveal itself, while being very entertaining from the start. At first it feels like theatre of the absurd – the early exchanges between the two men could have come from ‘Waiting for Godot’ (reviewed here in May 2009). Then the real nature of their situation becomes clear and very poignant. But, throughout, the play is actually reflecting on a changing country as England searches for its new identity in the modern world. Very enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Wimbledon 2009

1 July 2009

On Tuesday we braved the heat on Wimbledon’s Centre Court where we saw the quarter final matches between Dinara Safina and Sabine Lisicki, and Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. We had the best seats we’ve had in many years of going to Wimbledon – five rows up from the court, just beside the scoreboard (and just in front of a commentary box containing John McEnroe!). We had a wonderful view and saw some great tennis: the Safina/Lisicki match was the most exciting though we also enjoyed seeing the men’s doubles number one seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, who beat Kevin Ullyet and Bruno Soares. It was incredibly hot all day without a cloud in the sky and there were times when we would have welcomed the closing of the roof!

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare

1 July 2009

On Saturday we paid our annual visit to the gardens of Woburn Abbey for some open-air Shakespeare. This year we saw ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ performed by Chapterhouse Theatre (whose ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ we saw at Woburn two years ago, reviewed here in July 2007). Although I was fairly familiar with lots of aspects of it, I realised that I had never seen a production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. This was the perfect setting though the opening of the play, at the end of what had been a beautiful sunny day, was heralded by an enormous clap of thunder. As the evening progressed the storm seemed to circle us, with thunder and lightning moving gradually round but thankfully the rain missed us altogether. Outdoor performances present a variety of challenges, from the need for substantial voice projection to holding the attention and focus of a large, widespread and mixed audience. The actors accomplished all this impressively and the comedy, in particular, worked very well.

‘Private Fears in Public Places’ by Alan Ayckbourn

1 July 2009

Last Friday we caught up with the second play in the Royal Theatre, Northampton, ‘Ayckbourn at 70’ season (following ‘Just Between Ourselves’, reviewed here in May 2009). ‘Private Fears in Public Places’, written in 2004, is a slightly unusual Ayckbourn play, consisting of 54 short scenes without an interval. Laurie Sansom’s production gave us a different view of the Royal Theatre, placing all the audience on the stage amongst the action. The set created seven small performance spaces with the audience forming part of the backdrop. Those sitting beside the hotel bar were at cabaret tables or on high bar stools, while other audience members sat on a hillside of sofas in Stewart’s living room. We were in a section of the audience sitting on office chairs and filing cabinets in an estate agent’s office and the remaining floor space was covered with a range of colour-coded cushions. Royal & Derngate staff and volunteers were on hand to direct us to the relevant seating: most people emerged onto the stage intrigued and confused about where to go but, as we took our seats, one lady who had clearly paid attention to the careful explanation given by the box office strode onto the stage proudly declaring “we are a cushion”! ‘Private Fears in Public Places’ is a very sad exploration of loneliness without any big comic set-pieces – thoughtful and poignant – very well acted and excellently cast.

Milton Keynes Sinfonia concert

22 June 2009

It was good to be playing again with Milton Keynes Sinfonia on Saturday in a concert that included 'Danse Macabre' by Saint-Saens and an impressive performance from Jacqueline Johnson of the 'Cello Concerto' by Lalo. The main attraction, however, was the mighty 'Symphonie Fantastique' by Berlioz - a 'big' work in every sense: five long movements requiring a massive orchestra. (Berlioz stipulates, for example, that it should be performed with "no fewer than six harps": we only managed to find two harpists but they did sound wonderful!) It was interesting, however, after having been playing Mussorgsky/Ravel and Richard Strauss for the past few months, how 'classical' the 'Symphonie Fantastique' feels - very much closer to Beethoven's symphonies (though this is Beethoven "turned up to 11"!). It's also a very programmatic piece (originally entitled 'An Episode in the Life of an Artist') with movements including a 'Ball', the famous 'March to the Scaffold' and the 'Witches Sabbath'. It's a very exciting piece to play - albeit one requiring a high degree of concentration - with a (literally) breathtaking ending. It was great fun and I think we gave a very good account of this challenging work. The concert was dedicated to the memory of Mrs Zillah Knight (the mother of the orchestra's conductor David Knight) who sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

19 June 2009

Last Saturday I played in a great concert with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra. The suite from ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ by Richard Strauss was a real challenge but lots of fun – a wonderful piece of music. I enjoyed (as a spectator) the ‘Violin Concert No. 3’ by Saint Saens: soloist David LePage created a wonderfully rich sound so that every delicate harmonic seemed to fill the room. We finished with a very exciting performance of Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. It was a really enjoyable evening.

‘Notes on an Exhibition’ by Patrick Gale

18 June 2009

‘Notes on an Exhibition’ by Patrick Gale is another novel that owes something to Jonathan Franzen’s ‘The Corrections’. Gale’s family portrait of elderly parents and their three grown-up children has much in common with ‘A Spot of Bother’ by Mark Haddon (reviewed here in June 2007) but particularly reminded me of 'The Promise of Happiness' by Justin Cartwright (reviewed here in January 2008) – perhaps because of its Cornish setting. ‘Notes on an Exhibition’, however, starts with a death and uses an episodic, non-linear, structure to gradually fill in the family’s story (which also reminded me of 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger (reviewed here in September 2005)). Looking back over the life of abstract painter Rachel Kelly, Gale writes chapters which are each loosely based on one of her artistic works and show key events through the eyes of different members of her family. As the jigsaw picture begins to become clearer there is much satisfaction in anticipating the various revelations in her story. But Gale avoids the book becoming too predictable by laying a few false trails and impressively avoiding ending the novel where you would expect – with subtle restraint rather than melodramatic dénouement.

Belgium and The Netherlands

18 June 2009

We had a lovely week in Belgium and the Netherlands, spending a couple of days in each of Bruges, Ghent and Utrecht. All three are charming, medieval, towns with cobbled streets and tree-lined canals. Bruges is beautiful but more of a tourist trap than the other two and feels like an historic theme park. Ghent has a much younger feel with a big student population. The historic centre of Utrecht has more residential accommodation and the narrow streets were much busier: it’s quite an effort to avoid being mown down by thousands of bicycles as you stroll along! We enjoyed a concert of music by Monteverdi given by the Anima Vocalis choir in Bruges, an exhibition about the wonderful Belgium impressionist painter Emile Claus in Ghent and a big band concert in Utrecht. We also loved the museum of automatic musical instruments in Utrecht ('Museum Van Speelklok tot Pierement: From Musical Clock To Street Organ') – fascinating guided tour and demonstrations.

'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins

2 June 2009

Having been enthralled by Kate Summerscale's 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House' (reviewed here in April 2009) I turned to one of the fictional works the case inspired. 'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins was the first great English detective novel and it's ambitious, inventive, entertaining and amusing. It's no simple re-telling of the Road Hill case - the crime here is theft rather than murder and, despite the familiar country house setting we seem to be in quite a different story. But every now and then, as a film director might pay homage to classic movie by recreating an iconic scene, Collins inserts a recognisable element of the Road Hill case. I found 'The Moonstone' surprisingly readable - much easier-going than Collins' contemporary and friend, Charles Dickens. The narrative structure tells the story through a series of accounts written by some of the principal characters and the lack of an authorial voice occasionally made me forget I was reading a Victorian novel rather than a modern work set in the 1840s. At times this style of first person narration reminded me of Adam Thorpe's 'Pieces of Light' (reviewed here in July 2008) for example (though this might also reflect Thorpe's skill in recreating an authentic period voice). Collins' detective, Sergeant Cuff, plays an oddly peripheral role for much of the book - not yet really the hero of the story - but the scenes in which he and the family steward, Betteredge, investigate the crime (seen through Betteredge's eyes) were a clear precursor of Holmes and Watson. 'The Moonstone' is gripping, intricately plotted and very funny, never going quite where you expect it to: a real gem!

'Educating Rita' by Willy Russell

1 June 2009

The Open University at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes looks remarkably like a typical, leafy university campus, with one major exception - there are no students. Apart from a few postgraduates, OU students never actually visit the university's headquarters, giving you the impression, as you stroll between the faculty buildings, of a permanent vacation. Nevertheless Walton Hall does its best to resemble any other university - with sports facilities, bars, a refectory and a host of university societies, including a choir and amateur drama group. The Open University is currently celebrating its 40th birthday and I can think of few better ways to mark the occasion than to watch the Open Theatre Group in the Old Lecture Theatre performing Willy Russell's 'Educating Rita' - as we did last Friday. Once derided by some at the OU as poking fun at the Open University, 'Educating Rita' is now seen more as a celebration of the kind of universal access to further education that the OU was established to provide. And it's a fantastic play. As someone with just a vague recollection of having seen the film starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine, I was impressed by how substantial, complex, funny and moving the play is. The Open Theatre Group production was excellent with brilliant performances by Laurie Lazard and Richard Walker.

Championship Play-Off Final

29 May 2009

On Monday we made our first visit to the new Wembley Stadium to watch Jeannie's team, Burnley, in the Championship Play-Off Final playing Sheffield United for a place in the Premiership. Wembley is magnificent: despite being very high up and towards the back we had a wonderful view and it was very exciting to be part of a crowd of 80,000. And even better to witness Wade Elliott's brilliant goal which took Burnley back to the top division for the first time in 33 years. Burnley is the smallest town to be represented in English football's top tier since the advent of the Premier League: there are more people inside Old Trafford for each Manchester United home game than the entire population of Burnley! It may prove to be a brief flirtation with elite status but we're looking forward to next season. 

'Just Between Ourselves' by Alan Ayckbourn

26 May 2009

The Royal Theatre, Northampton, is celebrating its 125th anniversary and the 70th birthday of Alan Ayckbourn by presenting three classic Ayckbourn plays featuring the same company of actors. On Saturday we saw 'Just Between Ourselves' - a typically bleak comedy from 1976. Ayckbourn has written 72 plays but I seem to keep choosing to watch those that I have already seen. As soon as I saw the car on stage I remembered that we had seen 'Just Between Ourselves' before - in August 2002 at the Theatre Royal in Bath. Then, the irrepressibly cheerful Dennis was played by Les Dennis while in Northampton the part was taken by Kim Wall. But I was amazed to discover that we had seen Matthew Cottle play Neil in both productions and that Dorothy Atkinson who was playing Dennis's wife Vera on Saturday had been Neil's wife Pam seven years ago in Bath. Ayckbourn cleverly manipulates your emotions with great set-piece scenes (particularly I think where he shows characters sharing a meal) that manage to be both hilarious and painfully sad. 

Mark Steel

18 May 2009

On Sunday evening we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see the comedian Mark Steel. Last time he visited The Stables he was touring his 'Vive La Revolution' show examining the comic potential of the French Revolution (reviewed here in June 2006). This time we were treated to more straightforward stand-up encompassing the 2012 Olympics, the tyranny of supermarkets and (inevitably) MP's expenses. But there's always slightly more to Mark Steel than meets the eye as, for example, a series of funny but seemingly unconnected rants about the absence of humanity in call centres and shops turned out to have been a carefully constructed illustration of Karl Marx's theory of alienation. Steel is clever, likeable and extremely funny and, unlike many other contemporary comedians, his cultural references don't pass me by (when he launched into a parody of Radio 4's 'thought for the day' I knew we were on the same wavelength!). And you always get good value for money when you see him live - a lengthy and varied set.

 

Imam Baildi

15 May 2009

Imam Baildi are two Greek brothers, Orestis and Lysandros Falireas, whose wonderful eponymous CD takes old Greek tunes from the 40's, 50's and 60's (from their father's collection of 78s) and adds modern instruments and beats to create music which is cool, mysterious and incredibly catchy. Sounding not quite like anything else I’ve heard, the music of Imam Baildi has really stuck in my head this week – particularly the track ‘O Pasatebos’ which I’ve been playing over and over. Listen to them for free on Spotify.

'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett

5 May 2009

When it comes to Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot', I've been spoiled. I first encountered the play as a teenager - when the hidden meaning in its absurdity comes most easily. And that first encounter was with the seminal 1980 Manchester Royal Exchange production starring Max Wall and Trevor Peacock. My second experience of Godot was a 1991 West End production with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. Mayall and Edmondson were extremely good but hampered by an audience that had come expecting a different kind of comedy. While I was working for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the early 1990s I helped with a recording of 'Waiting for Godot' which gave me a chance to examine the text of the play in detail. And this week I've been at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart as Estragon and Vladimir with Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup as Pozzo and Lucky. As you would expect, the acting was wonderful: I particularly enjoyed the movement - McKellen and Stewart both demonstrating a range of subtle gesture and the occasional dance step to suggest an earlier existence for their characters as a music hall double act. I enjoyed the clear positioning of Vladimir and Estragon on a path between Laurel and Hardy and 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'. But coming to the play again a little older, and with such fond memories of previous performances, I found it less inspiring than I remembered. (It was interesting to see so many young faces in the packed, enthusiastic audience.) There were still some lovely moments and great lines and it was wonderful to see such a stellar cast in a serious play. There was a satisfying sense of completeness when I discovered from the programme that Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart also appeared together in the 1977 Royal Festival Hall premiere of Tom Stoppard's 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favour' - a play which we also recorded at RNIB and which I saw at the National Theatre only a couple of months ago (reviewed here in February 2009).

Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert

28 April 2009

On Saturday I was at St Matthews Church in Northampton to play with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra in a concert which included Dvorak’s gorgeous ‘Symphony No. 8’ – one of my favourite pieces of music. We started with the ‘Peacock Variations’ by Kodaly, a work I hadn’t come across before and one that took me a few weeks to get to grips with – though well worth the effort. Zoltan Kodaly wrote interesting, tuneful music which is often tricky to play but well orchestrated and very enjoyable – an often underrated composer. Our concert also included Mozart’s fourth (and most well known) Horn Concerto played by Katrina Lauder. Katrina is now a freelance professional horn player and teacher but was an amateur member of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra between 1991 and 1994 and was taught by our principal horn David Lack. She gave a great performance of the Mozart concerto, leaving us fellow horn players particularly envious of her effortless lip trills! It was a lovely concert and a good programme to work through with our new conductor Alexander Walker, after our excursion into film music in March.