My posts in this music blog are rare. We listen a lot, mainly to BBC Radio 3 (thankfully still free on the internet though I'd willingly pay, as I would for tv on the i-Player). But my contact with live performances is getting less frequent. After last night's excellent outing I regret that.
The little village of Mus, just over the Gard border, has an annual chamber music festival in a beautifully restored Temple (protestant chapel). A few years ago we went to a performance of Saint-Saens' Carnival of the animals, but since then nothing there has caught our attention until this year. But Mary (who spent lots of time turning pages for a pianist in her late teens/20s) particularly wanted to go to this concert.
The young performers were brilliant. Mary thought I would enjoy the Ravel less than the Schubert, but I realised that you can appreciate late 19th century music as parallel to impressionist painting, so I found the whole concert well worth going out for.
After 60+ years of choral singing I think my singing days are nearing an end. I have spent much of my time in France as virtually the only tenor in choirs of varying sizes, and it's ironic that I should decide to withdraw just when the choir B.a.Bach has more tenors than I've ever known around me. But on the other hand, at least there are some, and circumstances made the latest concerts almost impossible for me - illness, travel problems but above all a quite unexpected new difficulty for me in finding my way in complex (8-part) music. all contributed to my decision to quit while I'm ahead.
But music is a huge part of my life as it is of Mary's, and I'm frrequently full of admiration of her dedication to the cello. She is still regularly involved in groups, and has lessons with a good teacher, in the music school in Vauvert.
One of our pleasures lately has been to organise opera evenings, in our living room with a large tv and DVDs. Not frequent, but always very enjoyable, with two halves of music separated by a shared meal with a few friends. Last year we saw a Glyndebourne production of The Marriage of Figaro, and next week we'll enjoy another Glyndebourne production, of Handel's Julius Caesar in Egypt, with an outstanding cast including Sarah Connolly as JC and Angelica Kirschlager as Sesto among a number of trouser roles, and Danielle de Niese as a wonderful Cleopatra. The discs come with subtitles in French if needed, though so far our small audiences have been content with English!
