April cello

At the end of last month to the Wigmore Hall on a Saturday lunch time for a change, for Beethoven cello sonatas, not previously heard, despite our fondness for violin sonatas. Grynyuk we have heard several times, on the first occasion when he was a star pupil at Guildhall, then known as Sasha rather than Alexei, with the former being the diminutive of the latter, something of which Russians - and I dare say Ukrainians and Belarusians too - make quite a performance. Elschenbroich hails from the RNCM, that is to say from up north, but there is a Bolivian flavour to his cv.

Sunny but cool as we headed for the 11:19 from Epsom. Where both station and train turned out to be a lot more crowded than we were expecting. Vauxhall was very crowded too, mainly with young males, but we did not come across anyone convenient to ask what was going on, although we assumed that they were on their way to something sporty. 30 seconds with Bing fails to turn up anything other than a couple of football matches: lots of sports sites but they don't seem to be very strong on recent history. Bit like the Microsoft calendar function used to be, mopping up past events with irritating efficiency. Nothing like as bad now.

All Bar One at Regent Street was not too crowded and smarties were available. As were microscopic boxes of free popcorn, hung off your glass if you bought the right sort of drink. Not for the first time, I wondered about the construction of their handsome bit of bar furniture. Made in a factory and assembled on the spot? It seemed unlikely that one would make such a thing out of raw timber, on the spot, even with the power tools that shopfitting carpenters are apt to sport these days, but there are degrees of factory made. And it also seemed unlikely that the thing was shipped in more or less in one piece. A bit big for that.

Wigmore Hall about half full. We had a page turner and the pianist seemed to be using his score. While the cellist seemed far away, much into bodily expression of emotion - of which there was a great deal - and for whom the score was little more than a prop. Both sonatas were much more lively than I was expecting, coming as I do from Mozart's violin sonatas, which I mostly think of as serene. But good, all the same.

Coming out, surprised to find that a new concert hall seemed to be under construction. Reference 4 suggests that it will actually be a rather grander version of the Steinway showroom, around the corner in Marylebone Lane. Are Bechstein trying to stage a come back, to grab at least a share of the near monopoly of concert pianos presently held by Steinway? Is there really room for two such establishments? The only Bechstein I remember coming across is the one in a rather run down, once grand, church in Rochester Row, noticed at reference 6.

Onto the pizza place in Langham Place, for once open, which turned out to be part of the Treehouse Hotel adjacent - references 7a and 7b - having once been a Pizza Express outlet, now a Pizzeria Mozza. Not busy, but a steady trickle, with young people seemingly preferring to eat outside. That is to say, not us. Opened proceedings with a 2020 Chardonnay from Alois Lageder, chosen on the grounds that it came from the Alto Adige, an area I have a penchant for. For the full story see reference 8. Perfectly satisfactory on this occasion.

While we got going we took in the décor and the ambience, seemingly the work of one Nancy Silverton. It seems that she is a serious baker and pastry cook by trade, a pioneer of and missionary for the sour dough bread which is presently infesting London. The book was available for those interested and I was reminded of the huge amount we collectively spend on pretty cook books.

Sour dough aside, we rather liked the bread basket, which I can't now find on the online version of the menu. And note the value add on the olives: all  kinds of bits and bobs. Followed in my case with a lasagne, green rather than red. The special of the day and rather different to the lasagne that I am used to: I might have done better with one of the rather exotic looking pizzas on the menu. Perhaps the one which features Brussels Sprouts? BH took her usual chicken salad, also missing from the online menu.

The wine did not come by the glass, so when we had finished the bottle, the barman suggested something from Bibi Graetz. A wine grower to be found at reference 10, where there are some handsome snaps. The wine was probably fine, but did not sit that well on my palate after the Chardonnay. But there is a good wine list, so I shall probably do better next time.

And wound up with a spot of yellow grappa, Nardini Reserva. Served in something approaching a proper glass, last seen, I think, in the Caffe Caldesi, a place which is perhaps due for another visit.

Note the books of matches, a basket of which was to be found next to the books by our chef. Anyone would think that smoking was still allowed. Perhaps it was allowed on the seats outside.

The view from our table. Enlivened by a steady procession of young people, mainly young ladies, seemingly headed for events in the hotel visible right. Lots of bright, tightly fitting clothes. 

But the feature in the middle turned out to be some kind of an entrance into something BBC and underground, presumably a hangover from the days when the hotel was part of the BBC operation. Perhaps involving a lot of industrial strength electricity supply machinery.

Behind that we had the Algerian embassy, the scene of a rather sorry looking demonstration about people who had disappeared, or perhaps simply been executed, during one of the various rounds of troubles since the Algerians escaped from under the French boot. I did not feel up for what I imagined would be another dreadful tale of community violence, on a par with the Iranian tale I noticed at reference 11.

On a more cheerful note, the piece of avian art decorating the front of the hotel. Perhaps all the hotels in the chain have one, commissioned on guidelines setting out the hotel layout and ethos from some promising local artist of woodland materials. Perhaps in this case, someone from our very own University of Creation, with good access to the woodland materials of Epsom Common.

Just caught a train at Vauxhall, which was good as we had been out for a fair while. Not as crowded as the morning train, also good.

PS: will I get the newly released CD, snapped above? This despite not using the hifi as much as once a month these days. Odd how it has fallen away.

References

Reference 1: https://grynyuk.com/.

Reference 2: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2009/03/another-day.html.

Reference 3: https://leonard-elschenbroich.com/en/.

Reference 4: https://www.bechstein.com/en/the-world-of-bechstein/news/bechstein-returns-to-londons-wigmore-street/.

Reference 5: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/04/visiting-jigsaw.html. Previous notice of the Steinway showroom.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/03/piano.html.

Reference 7a: https://www.treehousehotels.com/london.

Reference 7b: https://www.treehousehotels.com/about-us/our-story. '... Treehouse Hotel was founded on the ideas that inspire a child to build a treehouse. Adventure, independence, cozy spaces and repurposing crafty things are what make a place warm and special. That’s why every Treehouse Hotel celebrates found objects, nostalgic tunes, handmade details and locally sourced treats...'.

Reference 8: https://aloislageder.eu/. 'The Alois Lageder winery in Alto Adige comprises fiftyfive hectares of the family's own vineyards, which are managed on the basis of biodynamic principles. Our holistic approach is reflected in our wine-growing activities, our long-standing relationships with numerous grape growers and our ambition to create awareness for an agriculture that is in tune with nature'. Plus a handsome snap of a seriously horned cow: perhaps no-one told them about the global warming coming off our herds of cows.

Reference 9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Silverton.

Reference 10: https://www.bibigraetz.com/en/.

Reference 11: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/05/sweded.html.