This has been the year that hasn’t got started yet, not really. January felt like a warm up, and February has flown by, not bringing any more cohesion to thought or deed. I have read only two books since the start of the year. Went to a concert once, the memory of it still firmly … More New starts
Here’s a quick round-up of some things that have been happening this month. Culture-wise this is promising to be a good year – I have tickets booked to hear the OAE play some Beethoven with Marin Alsop, Stephen Beresford’s adaptation of Fanny and Alexander starring Penelope Wilton opens for previews in February, later in the … More New Year’s things
It’s been a while. In fact, it’s been a whole month since I even looked at this blog. I haven’t gone away though – it just so happens that December is always rather busy. And I’m good at wasting time – for example, I spent one whole weekend painting Nutcracker illustrations, with results that I … More This year
After the gloriously busy first week of half term, the second was quieter and spent largely preparing for a surgery I had three weeks ago; it got rescheduled meaning I missed Andrei Bondarenko’s recital at the Lieder Festival. I did catch Roderick Williams singing Die Schöne Müllerin in Saint John the Evangelist, which is one … More Lately
Listen. With faint dry sound, Like steps of passing ghosts, The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees And fall. Adelaide Crapsey
It’s been one of those mad glorious weeks that tend to roll around once or twice a year, filled with goodies of every kind. Thursday week ago I saw a fab concert performance of Rameau’s Dardanus by the English Touring Opera at the Sheldonian. As it happens, this is my only opera this autumn – … More Lately
Few days ago I came back to check the date of the last post on this blog, and realised that it has been a year and a few days since I started my Shakespeare project in earnest. And I still haven’t quite finished, as there’s one more play he contributed to to get through, and … More Happy (sort of) anniversary
Today is the Holocaust Memorial Day here in the UK. For that, I’m reposting here (verbatim) a bit I published in my other blog about two years ago, after seeing Mark Hayhurst’s play Taken at Midnight. It’s story of a young lawyer who challenged Hitler in the early days of his pursuit for power, ending … More This day of remembrance
I made several attempts at getting everything I saw in one mosaic. Turns out that I don’t have an pictures from the Ariadne auf Naxos I saw in the spring, and only a curtain photo of Boris Godunov. And quite possibly nothing at all from Nabucco (either that, or I’m blind). The two recitals that … More It was a very good year. In some respects.
Tomorrow is the last Shakespeare Saturday on this blog. I’ll do a post on the collaborative and lost plays sometime in January, and yes, it will be on a Saturday. I’m not sure how I will actually continue this process, but I will. I’ll probably start by reading all the supporting literature that has been … More Housekeeping notice
Shakespeare for absolute beginners 