psmv5: Fauré and Franck

Generally speaking we get on well with piano quartets and piano quintets, so Franck was the draw for this concert, with his F minor piano quintet. With the concluding phrase 'con fuoco' being chopped off the bottom of the programme above. Plus Fauré's Op.121 string quartet.

Search of the archive reveals a very modest amount of Fauré and rather less Franck. But both these works were new to us. Musicians to be found at references 2 and 3. Also both new - although I have been reminded in the margins that Windows search cares about neither case nor accents, while Word search does care about accents.

Once again, failed to work out what had caught my eye about the white bricks the other week. It will come to me one day.

I don't think it was anything to do with their not being the standard size or shape.

Arrived at Wigmore Street to be greeted by a speeding digger in among the continuing roadworks. After which into Olle & Steen, where we had a couple of small children, one very small, one very lively and very cute. There was a leaking tomato crisis while we were in visual contact. Brown paper bags contraindicated.

We got on well enough with the new-to-us music, but not so well that we will be looking out for more. But always good to push at the boundaries a bit.

Outside, a flash car - a Lamborghini - with occupants but without a front registration plate. There was one at the back. But my guess is that is a violation.

Google Images says a Lamborghini Huracán LP610-4 Spyder. While my knowledge extends no further than the plaque.

Guess right, with a fine of up to £1,000 for violation. Maybe more for second and subsequent offences, but maybe that counts as contempt of court. Snap above from the horse's mouth. Maybe if you can stump up the £100,000 and likely more needed for the car you don't care about the occasional piffling fine.

We thought to try St. Christopher Place for lunch, winding up at Olivelli of reference 4, which the waitress told us had been a family concern, but had now sold out to a small chain. This branch was called Mayfair. A middle-of-the-road Italian flavoured restaurant, rather smaller but along similar lines to Ponti's of Great Castle Street.

Wine adequate - Vernaccia di San Gimignano Rocca delle Macie of reference 6 - and we learned later that we would have done better with the one on the right, which was off-menu. We had not realised that it was for sale, rather a table ornament, and by the time the waitress put us right it was too late.

Both Bing and Google respond to the search key 'Borgo del Mandorlo - Sicilia - Nero D'Avola', but neither turns up a source, only middlemen.

I started with some rather messy prawns. But they tasted OK.

Followed by veal which had too much lemon on it for me. But they were quick to provide a generous portion of bread, even if it was brown sour dough. And BH was well pleased with her risotto, visible behind.

Their take on tiramisu.

More Thames Water problems outside.

Clever window displays at Selfridges, although you would not know that from the snap above. Involving wind, as I recall, to blow the fabric about in an arty way.

It seemed that there was a new butchery concession in the ground floor food hall, with a butcher who was happy to talk and who had a fine display of meat, with fore rib coming in at £3.60 for 100g, maybe 25% more than Ben the Butcher? He also had bones. And he explained how it was some shoulders of lamb had the leg sticking out, and some had it neatly folded in. All down to judicious application of rubber bands.

Altogether a much bigger and more attractive display than that at Waitrose of Epsom, rather tired by comparison.

There did not seem to be much food in the ground floor food hall: you could not do a weekly shop there. But by then, we had had more or less enough and did not explore down stairs. Just settled for some of their quite decent kabanos. The chap on the checkout knew all about mincemeat for mince pies and knew that they only carried the stuff at Christmas.

Out of there to catch our bus to Victoria and so home.

Very forward & lively young girl on the train, with her - her sister and mum just down from a visit to somewhere north of Edinburgh. Various fun and games. Mum in pretty good shape considering.