They were there, in Castle Howard woods, but a sheen rather than a sheet. Perhaps a week too early. But primroses and violets and celandine and dogs’ mercury. Ploughed fields a rich reddish brown, stubble from last year still in autumnal colours. May blossom rioting in the hedges, besieged by bees. Birdsong constantly, but the birds small flitting through the branches, mostly hidden. And we were on the bus home before the rain came.
Norwegian female sax player – for this concert soprano sax. Her own compositions – influenced clearly by her origins in Norway and contemporary Norwegian jazz, but also more widely by European jazz. Excellent backing but perhaps not as well sound-balanced at the Venue as it could have been. Listening afterwards to the CD I found it more subtle. But overall really excellent quartet playing, and beautiful pieces.
I couldn’t get the film, which I last saw about 20 years ago, out of my mind, which was a shame, as I’m sure the production at York Theatre Royal was really quite a good revival. And timely, since as a nation we’re stuck in Afghanistan. Somehow the come on everybody it’s a music hall didn’t quite work here – it seemed contrived.Some good moments – particularly the dance of the shell-shocked.Maybe it’s me. Maybe I have read so much about WW1, been to the battlefields in Flanders; I feel the reality behind the laughter so acutely that I anticipate the descent from laughter into horror.