Tag: writing

A WEEK OF MUSIC, ART, ‘FOOTIE,’ AND AM UNEXPECTED TAKE ON FAIRYLAND

Another afternoon of music at Saint Pancras Church

What a week it’s been. It included me down with “the Autumn Ick” virus that is going around, but still some fun times had.

Wigmore Hall Does It Again

Wigmore Hall opened its doors to Opus 13, a string quarter from Oslo, played an hour of sublime music that left the audience begging for more.

They played Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C Major. This was Mozart’s “Dissonance Quartet”. It features the energy and playfulness of Mozart’s music with themes passed from instrument to instrument. There was mystery and joy in the music. This was followed by Grieg’s String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor. It is built around Grieg’s song, “Spillemaend” (Minstrel) which, itself, was based on a poem by Ibsen. It goes from lyrical to rhythmic dance music, to an energetic final movement. This was, perhaps, the best of the season for me.

Observe the Photography

The Observatory Cafe and Photography Coffee Shop on Marchmont Street in Bloomsbury, London has been one of my local favorites for years. In addition to great coffee and food, they display interesting photographs from local artists. They are currently showing the work of Frankie McCallister whose work focuses on landscape and urban landscape. Here are some examples of her work.

I found her work to have a peaceful feel to it. If you’re in London stop by the Observatory and have a look!

Not Exactly the Fairland I was Expecting

OK, so I should have looked more closely at the information on this new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I was expecting Tinkerbell and all the mythical creatures from fairy tales and literature. What I found, instead, was an in-your-face exploration of gay liberation and culture in London. Here is some of what I saw.

I was impressed by the way the curators put historical perspectives and outrageous and provocative phots together in a way that helped educate and celebrate. If your an ally or an open-minded person, you, along with the LGBTQ community, might find this interesting.

Fulham Wins!

On a day that saw the weather change continuously, my Fulham ‘All Whites,’ took on Hull City at Craven Cottage and prevailed 1-0. Oh, what a glorious day!

There is something incredible about watching a live football match. Craven Cottage is the perfect venue. The food, the fans, the action! It was an outstanding day!

On to the next week!

An Autumn Week-London at it’s Best

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Had it not been such a beautiful fay in Tavistock Park, I might have been.

Early Autumn is a great time in London. The weather is still warm. The crush of summer visitors has ended, and students have returned to school in the UK. Still, it is vacation/holiday time for Italians and Spanish and the fairly constant flow of the French via the Eurostar continues. University students from the UK and the world populate my Bloomsbury neighborhood. My daily travels on foot, Tube and bus are filled with bits of overheard conversation in the languages of the world. Long late afternoon chats with friends bring afternoons to a happy close.

The Wigmore Hall Concert Series Begins

Each year, I look forward to the return of the Wigmore Hall concerts on Sunday mornings and Monday afternoon. The matching bouquets on each side of the stage always set a mood of peace for the concerts. In the Spring, I choose the ones I will attend and by September, I am completely surprised by each concert that I attend. The first one was a wonderful trio of musicians called “Trio Zadig.”

Their selections included works by Lili Boulanger, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn. They also gave, an encore from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”

A Return Visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum

My first visit to the V&A in South Kensington had been a brief one and there were several exhibits I wanted to see. The one at the top of my list was closed for the day, but trying to find the room where it was held turned into one of my typical “it’s got to be here challenges that left me questioning my sanity until a kind docent explained the unanticipated closure. I’ll return to see that exhibit later.

Along the Way at the V&A

As I sought out the exhibits I had come to see, as always at the V&A, I came across some interesting things.

The lions came from Denmark where I will be next month. I was quite surprised to see them. Aren’t the stained glass windows lovely. They preceded a gallery of religious objects I’ll discuss shortly. Finally, two shots of the Cast Galleries, which are my favorites.

As I mentioned, I stumbled on a gallery of religious objects.

They went from the sublime to the downright strange. The first photo were some stunning examples of items described as “Modern Judaica in Britain. The Second was a depiction of a Christian cross made from Coca Cola cans. The question was whether it could be considered a religious object. To be clear, there were many other beautiful Christian and other religions.

Lasting Impressions-Women Print Makers 1900-Now

Finally found one of the exhibitions I was looking for.

Mary Ann Sloan “Artist Working at Her Pree

What an interesting selection of prints made by women from the pre-suffrage era through recent times.

Views of Glasgow

If you have never visited Glasgow, put it on your list. It is a vibrant, interesting city with museums, architecture, universities and centuries of Glaswegian culture. These few examples from the exhibition were not what I expected but did put me in mind of the city and makes me eager to return.

Saint Pancras Crypt

Saint Pancras New Church is a Greek Revival style building. It can be seen throughout the venerable building. No better example can be observed than the statuary above the entrance to the Crypt.

The statues, when they arrived on site were found to be too large to fit into the space. So, a bit was trimmed from their middles, making some believe that these ladies looked a bit qqcdowdy. They are impressive.

The accessible part of the crypt at Saint Pancras is empty. It is used for art installations. Deeper inside are the remains from long ago that are left undisturbed.

The Long Goodbye, The First Noel, Secret Maps

The Long Goodbye

My last week in London is a time of reflection and of fond farewells to favorite places and friends. I’ll start with two pictures of the mighty trees in Russell Square Park as they go deeper into Autumn.

In summer these trees form a canopy over the park and shield much of the outside world from view. Now, though in various shadesof gold, green and brown, they remind me that my time in London is coming to an end for another year.

The First Noel

On a final visit to Covent Garden, I found that Christmas had come to the venerable shopping arcade, even before Halloween had arrived.

The weather outside has certainly been cold enough to remind us of the coming winter season, but this used to be a time in London when poppies were sold and displayed in honor of those who had lost their lives in defense of Britain, a tradition that goes back to World War 1.

Secret Maps

The British Library had one last gift for me in the form of its current exhbition “Secret Maps.”

The exhibit included ancient maps. secret maps, escape maps, an astrolabe and more. Below are a few examples.

All in all, an interesting experience

More of the Long Goodbye

A gathering took place at Caffe Tropea. A group of my friends, who I met at the caffe several years ago, came together for a chance to wish me farewell. It is one of the joys of my trips to London to have come to know this eclectic group of people. We laugh and joke, solve the world’s problems and drink delicious Italian coffee. It is always hard to wish this group goodbye.

As the last week continues, my friends Nigel, Gwynne, and Mike met me for lunch today. We spent a few hours chatting. It was warm enough to eat outside. We were, once again, at Caffe Tropea and thus able to enjoy the beautiful views in Russell Square Park.

Days of Culture, Days of Fun, Days of Confusion and (of course) Late Bloomers

Days of Culture

It has been a period of time where I saw another West End Production, and revisited an old favorite.

“Punch” is a powerful production about the impacts of youth culture and how one thoughtless act (a punch, thrown in support of one’s group can have a lifetime impact on multiple people and families.

The production included current music, flashing lights and the cutaway” technique of short scenes that changed quickly. The enselble cast was outstanding.

Below are a couple of shots of the Picadilly Circus area near the theatre.

I book the concerts I will see on Sunday mornings and Monday afternoons at Wigmore Hall in early Spring as soon as the booking period for “Friends of Wigmore Hall” opens. In my excitement, or due to the quality of performers, I occasionally book “back to back” Sunday and Monday concerts. That is what happened recently. And, so, only one bouquet is shown because it was there, looking fresh at both the Sunday and Monday performances.

Sunday’s performers were soloists from the Kronberg Academy.

Hana Chang, a brilliant violinist was just one of the performers.

The repetoire included pieces by Robert Schuman, Ernő Dohnányi, and Johannes Brahms.

Mondays performance was, as always recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio. Performing were the Kleio Quartet. Beow is a photo.

Their selections oncluded pieces by Elgar, Webern and Haydn. They played superbly. Elgar is always warmly received by London audiences, but all three of these pieces received laud applause from the audience. It was a truly delightful afternoon of music.

The final bit of culture was a return to my favorite museum, the Victoria and Albert. Here are just two pieces that caught my eye.

Dormer Window from Montal, Dordogne (1523-35)

These rare pieces, hundreds of years old remind us of the rich cultural heritage we all share and through casting and saving pieces through restoration, we have to enjoy today.

Birthday Fun

One of the great things about being in London in early October is the chance to celebrate the birthday of the older of two of my “nearly-grandnieces.” These are the granddaughters of my longest-standing English friends, Nigel and Gwynne and the daughters of their son and daughter-in-law, the amazing accomplished James and Katie. Below is a picture of the venue, a great community space, and a picture I took from my Uber along the way. The party was a wonderful chance to catch up with James and Katie’s extended families and to be reminded of how much noise a bunch of happy, healthy ten year olds can make.

Days of Confusion

I had several roller-coaster days after contacting a few “estate agents,” as real estate agents are known on this side of the pond. I saw one very small efficiency flat and then after a day or two of not expecting to hear further, I got a call from the agency closest to my current rental flat. The agent had a listing in my favorite building and the flat was perfect, a dream come true. My proposed offer was acceptable and I was “on the mountain top. Then came “Death Valley Days” (without Ronald Reagan or Twenty Mule-Team Borax). This was occasioned by a discussion with a mortgage brokerwho oepened my eyes to the ageism and insane taxing process of buying property in England. Basically, if you are an old f*rt, and you are not a UK citizen, bring a full cash offer, or don’t come to the party. It was a “fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy night,” (to quote Bette Davis in “All About Eve.”) kind of experience. But, I learned from it.

Late Bloomers

Flowers keep blooming in the two parks closest to the flat I am staying in. Enjoy.

Bonus Picture

Several weeks ago, when my dear friends Barbara and Kuhrt were in London from Denmark, we had dinner at a charming French restaurant next to Orange Square where this statue of a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart “lives.” I forgot to post it at the time.

I have 19 days left on this trip. I hope to have a few more posts.