Cross dressing

That is to say a performance of the Schwanengesang (D957) by Anne Sofie von Otter and Kristian Bezuidenhout at the Wigmore Hall. The first time I had heard it sung by a mezzo and the first time I had heard either of the performers. But we have heard a soprano sing Schubert at least once, and liked it well enough. See reference 1.

The first time also that the cycle had been broken in two places, here by two short piano pieces, D915 and D178. We were told to keep our applause for the breaks, which was good: I don't care for lots of clapping as one goes along. I wondered whether there was something about the mezzo voice which meant that it needed to be rested in this way. Later on, I wondered how being the child of a Swedish diplomat posted to Berlin during the second world war would shape her character. A rather awkward posting, as things turned out.

A bright cool day which saw the first outing for Stockholm 2, that is to say the folding seat first noticed at reference 2, with the idea being that it was a half way house. It did not provide the full-on support of the rollator, but it did provide a seat should need arise and it could, at a pinch, be used as a walking stick. Plus, it did not get in the way nearly as much as the rollator; it was a lot less bother on public transport.

Journey to London only enlivened by the sight of a northbound goods trains involving tankers at Wimbledon. Then it was very hot again when I got off the tube at Oxford Circus. Passed on Olle & Steen on this occasion, settling instead for a rather cramped coffee bar more or less opposite All Bar One. I took a coffee and croissant - both good - with the catch that the builders next door set off a very noisy burglar alarm which drive me out onto a seat (not the Stockholm) outside. Where I had the consolation of a very smartly turned out lady sporting shoes with high heels which were see through. Rather effective at 5 metres.

A little time to spare, so I was able to exercise my Stockholm in Cavendish Square, host to its usual interesting mix of people. The advantage of having my own chair was that I could sit in the sun, which would not have been possible otherwise. The seat worked well enough, but it did not provide as much support as the rollator and one was not as relaxed. It would have been better had there been a suitable post or tree to lean against - as there would be, for example, on most railway platforms.

On the way to the hall, this drain cover caught my eye, partly because of the cracks - presumably someone had driven something too heavy over it - but more because of its having been named for Brecknock Road. But more of that below.

On into the hall, which was full for the occasion. But I was lucky to have a couple of no-shows in front of me, so seat K2, in the left hand wall block of seats, worked better than it might have otherwise.

Von Otter turned out in a fancy blue blouse, which looked like an expensive item to me, and a long dark skirt. A smart turn-out from someone who cared about such things. The young page turner, by way of contrast, was much more self-effacing, as was proper, except for a sparkle about her nose. Was she wearing a piece of nasal jewellery or was a dab of makeup catching the light? The music for the pianist appeared to be been especially assembled and bound for the occasion, and to include some pages which folded out. I would have been interested to see exactly what had been done, but it did not occur to me to attempt to go back-stage to scratch that one!

I did not attempt to follow the words, but I did like the demonstrative style, even if I did not recognise the closing song - Die Taubenpost - a song which I thought I knew well and have sometimes thought a bit creepy in content. Someone taking an unhealthily intrusive interest in the other life of his beloved.

By way of encore, we had a short piece, spoken to music. It sounded funny but I have no idea what it was or what it was about.

Out to a fine lunch - with lager rather than my usual wine - at 2Veneti of reference 4 - a place we use from time to time. Bread and olives, with both bread and olives being better than I had remembered. A fine piece of grilled cod. Hazelnut ice cream - ice cream for the second time in as many weeks - not having had it in a restaurant for years.

I must work out how to cook cod in this way. Grilling fish not being something that I have done since we used to take mackerel on a reasonably regular basis.

Out to inspect all the fine new temporary traffic lights festooned around Wigmore Street - being dug up yet again. They seem to like road works in Wigmore Street and Cavendish Square, with the south western corner of this last having served as a builder's yard for what seems like years and years.

And so onto Oxford Circus, the tube and home. I did stop over at Raynes Park but did not think to inspect the books that may have been there.

Drain cover

Back home I wondered about Brecknock Road. First, where was the drain cover made? I suppose now that the plumber of Brecknock Road who sold it to the council had ordered it from up north somewhere, rather than making the things himself, rather as you might order up branded clothing now.

Second, why did the name of this road in north London seem so familiar? A road which runs south from Tufnell Park tube station, quite near the Ward Road which was, coincidentally but at different times, home to a couple of members of the family. A coincidence which did not seem to account for the familiarity.

I remembered the 'Boston Arms', then a sleepy, old style boozer, used occasionally, but not the 'Aces and Eights', presumably rebadged since my day.

Not on my cycle run from Holborn to Wood Green, which ran up Camden Road/Seven Sisters Road a little to the east. But it was on BH's 134 bus route from Kentish Town to Hamden Road bus garage, very near the Pembroke Road a little to the north of Muswell Hill where we lived upstairs for a bit, back in the 1970s. Accommodation which was notable for its having a bath in a cupboard in the kitchen, a bath which we shared with another lodger. And a landlady from Ireland who had never seen a kipper before she caught BH cooking some.

Then there was Colney Hatch Lane, the Colney Hatch once being the familiar name of a famous mental hospital, also near my first allotment, at the junction of said lane and the North Circular Road, important in the days before the invention of the M25.

So a fine old trawl through our days in north London, but not a sufficient account of the familiarity of Brecknock Road.

Swansong

Then yesterday evening, I thought to listen to the the songs of the Schwanengesang again, using what I imagine was a famous recording by Fischer-Dieskau and Moore from Deutsche Grammophon. In which, the last song sounded much more familiar - and much better. Furthermore, at home, unlike in the concert hall, I chose to follow the words, supplied as a parallel text.

On the other hand, I was rather put out by what seemed like the terrible recording. Was my not-very-old hifi giving out on me or had I forgotten what vinyl sounded like? Not something I had used for months, my use of it having fallen right off since we started going to live concerts on a regular basis.

I then tried some Schubert piano sonatas, an old recording on a relatively new CD, and that sounded rather better.

The words were clearly the words of a man, and I associate to the remarks of a one-time correspondent about all the modern cross dressing in Shakespeare; remarks to the effect that the poetry in question was intended for a male voice and would not work with a female voice. Different shaped throats and so on and so forth. Quite apart from the sexes being quite different in other ways that mattered in this context. No doubt he would have had some suitable wriggle to cover the original use of boys to play the female parts. While I wondered yesterday about who played the older females - with the canon including several parts for same.

All very odd.

General Gordon

In the margins, I read of the looting, sacking and burning of the Summer Palace complex in 1860, near what used to be anglicised to Peking, by the Anglo French force involving Chinese Gordon, in the book first noticed at reference 5.

Having now taken a look at reference 6, it seems that this account is, to say the least of it, a rather simplified version of what happened. Nevertheless, it would not be surprising if the Chinese retained some anger towards the French and British about it. Now restored as a World Heritage Site, attracting around 10 million visitors a year. Compared with our Polesden Lacey which has now slipped out of our top ten with just 384,000 visitors in 2023-2024. With my never having heard of maybe half the places in the snap above. Up north?

It also seems that my gloss of the Second Opium War at reference 5 was a bit sloppy. Just as well that I waited to checking thing on an atlas before getting any deeper into this book, primarily about Chinese Gordon himself.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/12/trouser-roles.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/08/stockholm-2.html.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Sofie_von_Otter.

Reference 4: https://www.2veneti.com/.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/09/raynes-park.html.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace.