Carducci one

Ten days ago now, to Dorking for the first of three concerts being given by the Carducci quartet, to be found at reference 1, with the brain, for the moment, continuing to render them as the Carlucci quartet. Inspection of the record suggests that I had heard the quartet maybe four times, all bar one around 2016, for which see reference 2. So in the period, say 2015-2020 when they went into administration, we probably paid more visits to Carluccio's, which is where the brain has rested.

The brain also erred in thinking that the quartet had done Dorking before, whereas the facts on the ground were on Old Street and Wigmore Street.

For some reason the programme was free and seemed much fatter than usual. The lady selling said something about not wanting to handle cash with COVID still flying around but hoping to get their money back from advertising.

While at reference 1, I learn, first, that they did good business with their complete Shostakovich quartets and, second, that some of their website was powered by Blogger, as is this blog. But that rather peters out, suggesting that they have found a proper website builder.

We also have this arty shot, taken by one Tom Barnes. Was it Photoshopped or did the quartet actually have to visit the wreck?

Reasonably good house at the Martineau Hall, where the first bit of news was that they managed to attract more than 700 people to hear the Grimethorpe Colliery band in the Grand Hall. I wondered about getting into the band. Presumably in the olden days, you had to be a miner, maybe to actually work underground, but maybe that got relaxed when the band got into competitions. And presumably now, with the mine long gone, you just have to be able to blow brass. There is even the odd lady to be seen at reference 3.

For myself, I rather like brass bands in bandstands in parks. Not so keen on them in concert halls. A bit like folk groups, which do better in pubs. You lose a lot in translation.

I think the photograph used in the programme must have been taken some time ago; in any event I did not at first recognise any of them when they came on. Three of them used computers, seemingly worked by a wireless foot pedal. What turned out to be an excellent programme: Haydn Op.33 No.2; Fanny Mendelssohn quartet in E flat major, Beethoven Op.127.

Despite the Haydn being called 'The Joke' and the joke being explained in the programme, plenty of people clapped at the wrong places. So the joke has worn well.

Not having previously heard of Fanny Mendelssohn, the sister of the famous one, I was rather taken with her quartet. It seems that she wrote a good deal, but little of it got published or played in her lifetime, there being something of a prejudice against lady composers at the time. But she did get to dabble in some of her brother's work. Sadly, both had rather poor health and both died young by today's standards. See reference 4.

And the Beethoven went well, performed with great zest.

Along the way we came across a couple from Chessington - about the same distance as Epsom - who knew all about concerts at the Conway Hall in Holborn. A place which seems rather like a hangover from between the two world wars, and which I have visited from time to time, but not, I think for a concert. With the record suggesting three visits in 2015, then an outlier in 2019. While a quick glance at reference 5 suggests that these concerts are early on Sunday evenings, so I don't suppose that we are going to make it.

But we were reminded of the travails of visitor attractions on the edge of the upcoming ULEZ expansion, that is say of Chessington Garden Centre and Chessington World of Adventures. They worry about that proportion of their business which comes from the south and which might be deterred. But what can you do? As long as there are boundaries, there are going to be problems.

The tall Wellingtonia on the brow of a hill south of Leatherhead continued to taunt us on the way home. One day soon we will get to run the thing down.

At home, I attended to the lentil soup that had been started early in the morning of the Chandos outing noticed at reference 6. Brought the lentils back to heat. Added cross-sliced carrots 7 minutes from the off. Chopped a couple of cloves of garlic and fried it gently in butter. Added some onions. Added some cross-sliced wet streaky bacon - one advantage of which is that it is not too salty. Dry cured can be a bit fierce in that regard. Add to the lentils 2 minutes from the off.

It did very well, with maybe half a litre left for my breakfast, BH not caring for that sort of thing so early in the day.

References

Reference 1: https://carducciquartet.com/.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/search?q=carducci.

Reference 3: https://grimethorpeband.co.uk/.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Mendelssohn.

Reference 5: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/02/return-to-chandos.html.