Our Flanders and Swann evening was, unsurprisingly, a roaring success – how could it not have been! Both William Godfree (Donald Swann) and Michael Mates (Michael Flanders) were in excellent voice and delighted all with both old favourites and new. So it was extremely difficult to choose which to share with you.
Given that you can still hear ‘The Transport of Delight, ‘Mesalliance’ and the Hippopotamus song’ on last year’s post, I plumped for ‘The Gasman Cometh’, ‘La Plage’, ‘The Slow Train’ for those of us who still remember Dr Beeching, and – how could I resist it – ‘The GNU’.
The Gasman cometh
La plage
The Slow Train
The GNU
(It is obviously the age of the nonagenarians as you would not have believed that Michael, now 91, was a day over 75 and, quite by chance I heard both Sir David Attenborogh [99] and Professor Michael Crawford [95] holding forth yesterday, neither of them sounding a day over 75 either.)
As promised the concert was followed by a 1950s dinner – Coronation Chicken….
…Prawn Cocktail, Ham Mousse and Egg Mayonnaise, sprinkled with paprika!
A great night was had by all.
Madeleine at Craxton Studios
My Saturday afternoon could not have been more different, spent at the wonderfully quirky and historic Craxton Studios in West Hampstead. Looking out over their sun drenched yet shady garden we listened to Madeleine Mitchell and Elektra Schmidt playing Beethoven’s Sonata No 10 in G for piano and violin and Brahms’ Sonato no 3 in D Minor.
Having met last year in California where Elektra is based, Elektra and Madeleine struck up a musical friendship and more performances are planned. Check in to electraschmitdt.com or madeleinemitchell.com to find out what, where and when. And if you want to hear Madeleine in the more immediate future, book in for her concert with Kirsten Jensen (cello) and Julian Milford (piano) at the stunning Leighton House in Kensington – 24th June. Book here.
Garden opening with guitar, saxophone and cello….
And in the even more immediate future, do not forget our gardening opening this coming Sunday, 22nd.
12 – 6pm. Tea and home made cakes and plants to buy – £5 to include a cup of tea.
12 – 4pm. Guitar with James McClusky and the Secret Life Saxophone Quartet
4 – 6pm. William Jack jazz cello
All proceeds to the National Gardens Scheme‘s charities which include Marie Curie, Macmillan Cancer Support and Parkinson’s UK. Book here or pay on the door.
For other events see our Upcoming Events page.
Leave a Reply