Category: review

  • Feverish Figaro

    To the ENO for the Marriage of Figaro last night, with around 20 fellow Onegin  chorus members, which added to the entertainment value.  We went because Kate Valentine, who sang Tatyana in our production of Eugene Onegin, is singing the Countess, and very relieved we were that she was singing the Countess, as she missed…

  • Feasting the senses

    Feasting the senses

    It’s been a bit of an indulgent weekend, feasting our senses, and there’s more to come. We started with the visual and a trip to the Guildhall Art Gallery in the heart of the city for an exhibition of John Atkinson Grimshaw paintings.  Grimshaw started out as a bit of a fellow traveller with the…

  • Songs from the Edge

    Songs from the Edge

    Our local church, St Augustine’s on One Tree Hill, likes music and as a consequence sees more of us than they would otherwise.  Last night there was more reason than usual to go, as our friends Mel, Katrina and Laura were playing. The evening was entitled Songs from the Edge: The edge of what, I…

  • The Passenger

    So the Wendy Dawn Thompson Fan Club (Blackheath Chapter) were out in force last night, Me and A, M and D (separately, we thought they were going a different night and bumped into them in the bar).  I have to admit I would not have gone to The Passenger if WDT (Vlasta) hadn’t been in…

  • Folkestone Triennial: Art-on-Sea

    Folkestone Triennial: Art-on-Sea

    A and I are a bit last-minute with exhibitions and regularly miss things because we think we’ll go ‘later’ and then just forget.  However, we actually made it to the Folkestone Triennial with two days to spare.  We followed the yellow seagulls sprayed on the pavement from the station to the visitor centre. There was…

  • A Sense of Place

    As a writer, reading is hedged about with difficulties – every book read takes time away from time writing (even when travelling, these days, although the book-to-read-on-the-train is still an honoured tradition), and there is the danger of absentmindedly siphoning off themes and even style, I am easily influenced by a good writer.  And, except…

  • Open Queue

    Open Queue

    It’s day two of London Open House and we’re off to Crossness Pumping Station.  This has been a long-held ambition, but with so much to choose from over the weekend it has taken, ooh, six years? to get here.  The instigator of this sudden resolve is our friend J who phoned and said: I’m going,…

  • London is Open

    London is Open

    Every year in September, buildings of historic, architectural and ecological note open for the public for free.  In London Open House is in full swing. Take a look at the overwhelming website – it’s all going on tomorrow as well. Most years I go and feast my eyes and wear out my feet: holidays are…

  • Opening Doors to the ‘Other Side’

    Opening Doors to the ‘Other Side’

    In a previous post I mentioned that I thought I might be missing out in not having seen a variety of operas.  I’ve started making up for it. The advantage of doing a community opera of the calibre of Blackheath’s is that you get to meet people who know a thing or two, and this…

  • Rinaldo – but no sea-serpents

    Rinaldo – but no sea-serpents

    Straight from Opera rehearsal, to watching Opera, at Blackheath Halls, this time a production from Trinity Laban.  Home from home you’d think, (and we are considering getting camp beds put up in the recital room we are there so much) but nonetheless it required a gear change.  I’m not familiar with Rinaldo, and we were in…