Subtitled "From Tragedy to Triumph", the concert featured Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.5, Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, all played by the Harmony Sinfonia under Lindsay Ryan, with pianist Mario Mora.
It was a delightful evening; the music was varied and exciting; the only thing I found irritating was the outfit which Lindsay Ryan wore to conduct. She is a slightly plumpish lady - not fat, but with curves. Her dress had just one shoulder, and all the time she was conducting, you were very aware of her curves overflowing her dress and wobbling - she would have been much better in a less fitted, long-sleeved dress which didn't show quite so much bare flesh.
That said, though, she is obviously a brilliant musician, with a string of qualifications, and very confident out in front of the orchestra.
Afterwards there was wine and fruit juice and a chance to talk to people.
I had some problems finding the church - although I had the address, the map at Brockley Station was very badly lit, and I couldn't read it. Luckily, a young couple nearby had better eyesight, and found the road for me - in fact the church is quite near the station.
As I had plenty of time, I decided to get something to eat before going to the concert, and popped into a little Chinese cafe. I could understand afterwards why it was almost empty. I ordered a vegetable curry with rice and asked if the vegetables were well-cooked, and was assured they would be. I also asked for a meal to eat in.
When it arrived, it was in a carton, though they did get me a plate when I asked.
But the vegetables were almost raw, even though they had taken a while to bring the food - they obviously hadn't a clue. Not somewhere I will every again go for a meal.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Christmas Bazaar
As Janette was down in Catford, we met at Peckham Rye station, to go to the Christmas Bazaar at St. John's Church, East Dulwich, which was a short bus-ride away.
The church wasn't difficult to find, as it was just across a small green from the bus-stop, and the bazaar was being held in the church and attached community centre.
It was quite a small bazaar, but I did manage to find something for Isabella for Christmas - a little peach coloured "V" necked cardigan. We also had something to eat there - delicious leek and potato soup with a bread roll and a cup of tea.
The church wasn't difficult to find, as it was just across a small green from the bus-stop, and the bazaar was being held in the church and attached community centre.
It was quite a small bazaar, but I did manage to find something for Isabella for Christmas - a little peach coloured "V" necked cardigan. We also had something to eat there - delicious leek and potato soup with a bread roll and a cup of tea.
Friday, 29 November 2013
Pantostein
My first panto of the season, which was put on by the Beaufort Players in the hall of the Church of the Ascension in Hanger Lane, which is their usual venue.
I rushed straight off from Mass and got the Central Line to Hanger Lane, which is I think the quickest way to get there. From Hanger Lane you can get either a bus or walk down to the church, which is actually in Beaufort Gardens.
Pantostein, which the publicity described as "A scarily silly phantomime" was set in Transylvania, and was a new pantomime, written for the Beaufort Players. But it had all the usual ingredients, including the local allusions, as in "If you stand round doing nothing people will think you work for Ealing Council"
The actors were, as usual, excellent, although I sometimes found the fake German accents a bit difficult to follow.
Unusually for the Beaufort Players, the hall wasn't packed; often when I've been to their performances, I've had to sit right at the back, as everything nearer the front had already gone. But this evening I had an excellent aisle seat.
I rushed straight off from Mass and got the Central Line to Hanger Lane, which is I think the quickest way to get there. From Hanger Lane you can get either a bus or walk down to the church, which is actually in Beaufort Gardens.
Pantostein, which the publicity described as "A scarily silly phantomime" was set in Transylvania, and was a new pantomime, written for the Beaufort Players. But it had all the usual ingredients, including the local allusions, as in "If you stand round doing nothing people will think you work for Ealing Council"
The actors were, as usual, excellent, although I sometimes found the fake German accents a bit difficult to follow.
Unusually for the Beaufort Players, the hall wasn't packed; often when I've been to their performances, I've had to sit right at the back, as everything nearer the front had already gone. But this evening I had an excellent aisle seat.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Saving Mr. Banks
I couldn't get a ticket for the preview of this at the cinema in Soho, as it was fully booked. The next nearest venue was the Odeon Kingston, which I worked out I could just about get to providing I got away from work on time, by getting the Northern line to Euston, then the Victoria line to Vauxhall and finally Southern Rail to Kingston. Fortunately, I got all my connections, and as the cinema is just across the road from the station, I was there on time - they don't let latecomers into previews, and if you get there at the last moment, you often have to sit in a very poor seat at the side. Luckily, I was there in time to get a really good seat looking straight at the screen.
Saving Mr. Banks is about Walt Disney's negotiations with author P.L.Travers in connection with making a film of her book, Mary Poppins. With Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, and Emma Thompson as P.L.Travers, the two headstrong characters fight it out every inch of the way; Walt Disney is determined to make the film, but P.L.Travers has her own ideas about her book, and is equally determined to have her own way. She must have been a nightmare to work with, but at the same time, Mary Poppins was very precious to her, not least because it is, in many ways, not just a story but part of her own story. The Mr. Banks of the title is in fact her father, whose reputation she is determined to maintain.
Although I'm sure the film exercised a great deal of poetic licence, it was well-made and well scripted - the characters seemed real, even if very cantankerous and impossible to work with. Only those such as the two scriptwriters and her driver were really nice characters.
Much of the film consists of flashbacks to P.L.Travers's childhood in Queensland, where she lived in a house miles from anywhere - one wonders how her father, a bank manager, got to work every day, since the house seemed to be a very long way from the town. She idolised her father, an alcoholic who died, in the film from TB, while she was still quite young. It took a while before I realised that these were flashbacks, rather than a parallel story.
I've now added Mary Poppins to my list of books to read - the list is rather long, so I don't know when I will eventually get round to reading it.
Saving Mr. Banks is about Walt Disney's negotiations with author P.L.Travers in connection with making a film of her book, Mary Poppins. With Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, and Emma Thompson as P.L.Travers, the two headstrong characters fight it out every inch of the way; Walt Disney is determined to make the film, but P.L.Travers has her own ideas about her book, and is equally determined to have her own way. She must have been a nightmare to work with, but at the same time, Mary Poppins was very precious to her, not least because it is, in many ways, not just a story but part of her own story. The Mr. Banks of the title is in fact her father, whose reputation she is determined to maintain.
Although I'm sure the film exercised a great deal of poetic licence, it was well-made and well scripted - the characters seemed real, even if very cantankerous and impossible to work with. Only those such as the two scriptwriters and her driver were really nice characters.
Much of the film consists of flashbacks to P.L.Travers's childhood in Queensland, where she lived in a house miles from anywhere - one wonders how her father, a bank manager, got to work every day, since the house seemed to be a very long way from the town. She idolised her father, an alcoholic who died, in the film from TB, while she was still quite young. It took a while before I realised that these were flashbacks, rather than a parallel story.
I've now added Mary Poppins to my list of books to read - the list is rather long, so I don't know when I will eventually get round to reading it.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Sunday, 17 November 2013
El Dorado
Sunday afternoon, and I decided, after a lazy lunch, that I would visit the new exhibition at the British Museum.
There are in fact two special exhibitions on at the moment, but the one I wanted to see was on Columbia before the Spanish conquest, and the place of gold in their society.
It was quite a fascinating exhibition. Most of the items could not be dated accurately, and were listed as somewhere between 200 bc and 1600 AD, but what struck me was the similarity between the gold jewellery of pre-Spanish conquest Columbia and that of Europe and Central Asia. It was as if the people from all thsoe areas had been in contact with each other, although history tells otherwise, at least in the case of South America. Even the methods of production were similar. So a question arises - how did people so far apart come up with the same ideas for creating beautiful gold jewellery. And why did they all choose gold?
The exhibition was much smaller than many of the previous exhibitions I have been to there - an hour and a half was plenty to see it all - but it was still worth going to see.
There are in fact two special exhibitions on at the moment, but the one I wanted to see was on Columbia before the Spanish conquest, and the place of gold in their society.
It was quite a fascinating exhibition. Most of the items could not be dated accurately, and were listed as somewhere between 200 bc and 1600 AD, but what struck me was the similarity between the gold jewellery of pre-Spanish conquest Columbia and that of Europe and Central Asia. It was as if the people from all thsoe areas had been in contact with each other, although history tells otherwise, at least in the case of South America. Even the methods of production were similar. So a question arises - how did people so far apart come up with the same ideas for creating beautiful gold jewellery. And why did they all choose gold?
The exhibition was much smaller than many of the previous exhibitions I have been to there - an hour and a half was plenty to see it all - but it was still worth going to see.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
The Browning Version and Harlequinade
The Ladbroke Players were putting on their usual November production at St. Peter's Kensington Park Road this week - and as they are always first class, I decided to go along and see their latest efforts - two short plays by Terence Rattigan.
The first one was "The Browning Version", an interesting look at relationships between various people and how they were played out against the background of a public school. Andrew Crocker Harris, apparently sour, stern and very correct, is not liked by the boys, although some - perhaps many - respect him. He is married to a wife whom he does not love, but believes his marriage vows demand that he supports her.
She, on the other hand, is having an affair with a young colleague, and has no compunction in upsetting and putting her husband down. He knows about her affair, but says nothing, as he does not want to cause trouble, and tends to be very compliant about everything.
He is touched when a boy gives him a Latin translation - the Browning Version of the title - but is devastated when his wife waspishly informs him that the gift was to placate him, and the boy's comments were not sincere.
He suddenly realises just what his wife is and - perhaps for the first time in his life - stands up for himself.
Harlequinade was completely different - a comedy about a bohemian acting couple who are organising a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Once again the acting was superb - I don't know why anyone bothers to go to the West end when there is such talent on the doorstep.
The first one was "The Browning Version", an interesting look at relationships between various people and how they were played out against the background of a public school. Andrew Crocker Harris, apparently sour, stern and very correct, is not liked by the boys, although some - perhaps many - respect him. He is married to a wife whom he does not love, but believes his marriage vows demand that he supports her.
She, on the other hand, is having an affair with a young colleague, and has no compunction in upsetting and putting her husband down. He knows about her affair, but says nothing, as he does not want to cause trouble, and tends to be very compliant about everything.
He is touched when a boy gives him a Latin translation - the Browning Version of the title - but is devastated when his wife waspishly informs him that the gift was to placate him, and the boy's comments were not sincere.
He suddenly realises just what his wife is and - perhaps for the first time in his life - stands up for himself.
Harlequinade was completely different - a comedy about a bohemian acting couple who are organising a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Once again the acting was superb - I don't know why anyone bothers to go to the West end when there is such talent on the doorstep.
The Lord Mayor's Show
Morning Coffee at Haberdasher's Hall at the invitation of a member - always a pleasure - and then on to watch the Lord Mayor's Show from a spot on Ludgate Hill.
On a nice day, the route would have been packed, but today was cold and wet; the forecast was rain from 11 a.m. - 1.00 p.m., and they weren't far wrong. I had gone prepared with a thick plastic mac which is proof against everything - a tropical downpour wouldn't have any affect - and in addition had taken a brolly. With gloves and waterproof boots to complete the outfit, I was reasonably warm and certainly dry.
The parade was the usual spectacle, with gaily coloured floats, bands, dancers, etc. Some of them must have been freezing in their flimsy costumes, although a lot have taken the precaution of wearing plastic macs to keep dry.
This year, the Lord Mayor is a woman, Fiona Woolf, whose achievements, naturally, are rather impressive - you don't get to be Lord Mayor of London unless they are. She is only the second woman to hold the post in its 800 year history.
For that reason, I wanted to take a photo, and as the procession was nearing the end, the rain stopped, so I was able to get out my camera.
Unfortunately, by the time I had got it out of my rucksack, and out of its case, she had passed and I missed her - I looked up to see her coach disappearing along the street.
Afterward, we went back to Haberdashers' Hall for lunch - steaming hot bowls of soup and bread and sandwiches and chips plus sweets as well, and wine and coffee. All most, most welcome after coming in from the cold.
Haberdashers' Hall is quite new, but has been very tastefully designed, with rooms built around a courtyard with a fountain. The whole atmosphere is peaceful and timeless. It must be rather nice living in the flats above it.
On a nice day, the route would have been packed, but today was cold and wet; the forecast was rain from 11 a.m. - 1.00 p.m., and they weren't far wrong. I had gone prepared with a thick plastic mac which is proof against everything - a tropical downpour wouldn't have any affect - and in addition had taken a brolly. With gloves and waterproof boots to complete the outfit, I was reasonably warm and certainly dry.
The parade was the usual spectacle, with gaily coloured floats, bands, dancers, etc. Some of them must have been freezing in their flimsy costumes, although a lot have taken the precaution of wearing plastic macs to keep dry.
This year, the Lord Mayor is a woman, Fiona Woolf, whose achievements, naturally, are rather impressive - you don't get to be Lord Mayor of London unless they are. She is only the second woman to hold the post in its 800 year history.
For that reason, I wanted to take a photo, and as the procession was nearing the end, the rain stopped, so I was able to get out my camera.
Unfortunately, by the time I had got it out of my rucksack, and out of its case, she had passed and I missed her - I looked up to see her coach disappearing along the street.
Afterward, we went back to Haberdashers' Hall for lunch - steaming hot bowls of soup and bread and sandwiches and chips plus sweets as well, and wine and coffee. All most, most welcome after coming in from the cold.
Haberdashers' Hall is quite new, but has been very tastefully designed, with rooms built around a courtyard with a fountain. The whole atmosphere is peaceful and timeless. It must be rather nice living in the flats above it.
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Fighting Food Fraud
Another lecture at the Chemistry Society, this time on fighting food fraud,which has been going on for centuries and is still a huge problem, whether it's water in beer (or frozen chicken) or less inoxious products added to increase bulk.
Dr. Duncan Campbell, who was giving the lecture, was an expert, but unfortunately he is not a good lecturer, and this fact was not helped by the fact that there was a problem with the microphone, so I missed quite a lot.
But it was still interesting, including the way the authorities have striven to prevent unscrupulous traders from defrauding their unsuspecting customers.
Dr. Duncan Campbell, who was giving the lecture, was an expert, but unfortunately he is not a good lecturer, and this fact was not helped by the fact that there was a problem with the microphone, so I missed quite a lot.
But it was still interesting, including the way the authorities have striven to prevent unscrupulous traders from defrauding their unsuspecting customers.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
The Real China
I'd noticed the new Chinese restaurant in Hammersmith Broadway a couple of weeks ago, occupying as it does what used to be the Russian restaurant across the courtyard from The Trout. One of the big attractions was that it had an eat-all-you-like buffet for £4.95, much cheaper than the current cost at Aroma in the West 12 Centre, and the food looked quite good as well. So I tried it one evening, and this evening invited a friend to go there with me for dinner.
They apologised for the reduced number of dishes on offer and invited us to go in and have a look before paying. We had a look, and although not every pan contained food, there was plenty that looked appetising. So we went in, and I had a cup of Chinese tea to accompany the meal, while my friend had, as usual, English tea. Frankly, if you've going to a Chinese restaurant, I think it's nice to drink their local drink - and anyway, I like Chinese tea.
The real China isn't very big, with low ceilings, and I don't think the owners are even Chinese, although they obviously come from somewhere in the East. This evening, there was a large party of what seemed to be Chinese and Filipinos there, all young, all obviously happy and enjoying themselves. It's always a good sign if a Chinese restaurant is packed with Chinese.
The food is a mixture of English and Chinese, with things like chips and hash browns and potato balls along with friend rice, noodles and variour meat curries - which i didn't try, being vegetarian.
It was all well cooked, and the great thing about places like that is that you can take just a little of each dish, and then go back for seconds, or even thirds. You never feel you ought to eat things you don't really like, as you get to choose exactly what you put on your plate.
I just hope that as it becomes more well-known and popular, they won't put up the prices, as Aroma did.
They apologised for the reduced number of dishes on offer and invited us to go in and have a look before paying. We had a look, and although not every pan contained food, there was plenty that looked appetising. So we went in, and I had a cup of Chinese tea to accompany the meal, while my friend had, as usual, English tea. Frankly, if you've going to a Chinese restaurant, I think it's nice to drink their local drink - and anyway, I like Chinese tea.
The real China isn't very big, with low ceilings, and I don't think the owners are even Chinese, although they obviously come from somewhere in the East. This evening, there was a large party of what seemed to be Chinese and Filipinos there, all young, all obviously happy and enjoying themselves. It's always a good sign if a Chinese restaurant is packed with Chinese.
The food is a mixture of English and Chinese, with things like chips and hash browns and potato balls along with friend rice, noodles and variour meat curries - which i didn't try, being vegetarian.
It was all well cooked, and the great thing about places like that is that you can take just a little of each dish, and then go back for seconds, or even thirds. You never feel you ought to eat things you don't really like, as you get to choose exactly what you put on your plate.
I just hope that as it becomes more well-known and popular, they won't put up the prices, as Aroma did.
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