Beethoven and others

Ten days ago now to the Wigmore Hall to hear the Calidore String Quartet give us Beethoven Op.18.6 and Smetana No.1 in E minor. With a bonus in the form of the first movement of Beethoven's Op.18.4, a piece I used to get quite excited more than a decade or so ago and first noticed at reference 1. Now worn off a bit. Calidore new to us. Smetana probably new to us.

A cold, day start to the day, if not actually wet.

A trolley at Epsom station, in the event picked up the next day, as noticed at reference 3.

Cold at up top at Vauxhall, warm down below. Tube crowded by the time we got to Oxford Circus and there seemed to be plenty of people milling about up top.

All Bar One was quiet at 12:30 and the service was prompt. Chocolate beans were on, presumably some version of Smarties which were different enough not to attract invoices for use of concept & recipe from Nestlé. Or perhaps they are a cut price version made and sold by Nestlé to the trade? I reminisced about how I couldn't afford Smarties very often when I was young, with my usual fodder being Spangles or Refreshers, three and two old pennies respectively, as I recall. In the range of my primary school pocket money of perhaps six old pennies a week. I remain quite fond of sherbet flavoured sweets to this day and we (nearly) always use lemon sherbets for travelling in the car.

The twin towers of flowers flanking the stage looked a little tired, which was very unusual. As was the Yamaha piano at the back of the stage. One can only assume that some exotic performer had a special need for one. BH wondered about the Beckstein Hall under construction not many yards from the Wigmore Hall, formerly the Beckstein Hall. I did not think it likely that the Wigmore would jump ship from Steinway, whose showroom was also not many yards away. Reference 4 is silent on the point, but who knows?

Four rather old-speak music stands with computers, not like the special models we had on the last visit. Seating V1, V2, C, Va. Seats piano stool, piano stool, piano stool, tubular steel (with a back). Radio 3 lady unobtrusive, unlike at St. Luke's where they are intrusive, despite these last not being broadcast live. And, to be fair, they have not been as bad of late as they have been in the past.

Beethoven 18.6 good, although I did not know it as well as I had thought. Smetana OK, but not particularly attracted, Did not sit very well with the Beethoven to my mind. While Beethoven 18.4.1 reminded me of my previous infatuation.

For a change, we ate in the cafeteria on the fourth floor of John Lewis, 'the place to eat'. Curry and rice fine, although there could have been a bit more of it. Fish and chip adequate, if not as good as that served at Wetherspoon's for about the same money. They also sold pies, so the cafeteria is moving into the mainstream from its slightly more exotic starting point. They used, for example, to do rather a good puy lentil stew. But perhaps I do them down: they had green lentils at least not much more than a year ago, as noticed at reference 5. I might say in passing that the dressing gown bought from Selfridge's on that occasion has served and is serving well.

Given that my HP Elitebook is getting a bit tired and won't take Windows 11 as it stands, I inspected the laptops and was a bit startled by the prices. Maybe it is back to Tier 1 for another second hand one.

Did various other floors of interest to BH but we got out without spending too much. We also inspected the bear-themed Christmas decorations. I was pleased that John Lewis, perhaps out of respect for the cost-of-living crisis engulfing many people, had opted for quiet rather than flashy decorations.

While we thought that his circular arrangement was not a punt for the conference room market, rather Santa's grotto in a state of undress.

Thought about a stroll down through Berkeley Square, perhaps taking in coffee, cake and brandy at one of the places for that sort of thing in Piccadilly, or perhaps even a stroll through Green Park, but opted instead for the tube, nicely making the connection at Vauxhall for a train to Epsom at around 16:00. Thus missing out, on this occasion, on the Raynes Park Platform Library.

PS: I had thought that Smarties were from Rowntree's, one the triumvirate of Quaker confectioners dominating the business in the UK. Which have been the case when I was small, but Rowntree's was taken over by Nestlé in 1988 and while the name is still used for branding some lines, the old company no longer exists. And the stink of chocolate from the Yorkie Bar factory no longer hangs over the stretch of the Norwich ring road which goes past the Catholic Cathedral.

References

Reference 1: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2009/02/franklin-frets.html.

Reference 2: https://www.calidorestringquartet.com/.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/11/passed-on-way-to-station-on-monday.html.

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

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/09/brahms-and-dressing-gowns.html.