Why music?
Waiting in the check-out queue at Sainsburys the other day, I was mesmerized by the sight of a lardy teenage girl standing – or rather pulsating and jerking compulsively like…
On Mendelssohn, Hampson, and ‘musical music’
Hello world, happy new year. Though I say it myself, I rather liked my Advent Calendar of 2008. It’s nicely ironic that I should have begun it with ‘Solving Musical…
A Little Night Music
To the Menier Chocolate Factory for dinner & Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music with Chris & parents and John from Atlanta. I can’t remember ever walking out of a…
Advent 25: And the last word…
…goes to John O’Brien. I could never pinpoint why John’s classes, and the experience of working with him was quite so different to every other teacher. Then one day, he…
Advent 24: Till Eulenspiegel
The top-prize for annoying till-routines goes jointly in my head to Boots and Smiths. Smiths at airports always seem to be running special offers, so that whatever you take to…
Advent 23: Brought to book
When Ivan Nagy took over ENB after Peter Schaufuss went to Berlin, we had another year of Peter’s Nutcracker to contend with until Ben Stevenson’s came in the following year.…