Goldberg

Last Sunday to the Goldberg Variations, the last time I had been to them properly having been as long ago as March 2007. See reference 1. That apart there was just the aberrant trio version at St. Luke's, just about a year ago. See reference 2. Had I had to guess, I would have guessed more hearings.

Journey uneventful enough. Lots of football people on the train. Striking window dressing at Niketown, lots of black and white stripes as I recall. BHS shut, so it was back to All Bar One and their little pots of smarties.

Into the hall, to find a person with oddly estuarine accents sitting in front of me, a person who was talking into his phone right up to the off. Almost a tapping on the shoulder job, but I restrained myself. Then during the performance, one phone, quite quiet, one sweet paper and several snoozes. One cello, that is to say the cellist from the Endellion Quartet, last seen by me on the stage - an occasion on which he was embarrassed by having to puff his sponsor. On this occasion, he managed to sit in entirely the wrong seat - several rows out - but he was excused by the right seat on the grounds that he was a musician and could not be expected to get rows rights.

The performance, by an American of whom I had not previously hear, Jeremy Denk, was very good - and very intensive. Perhaps all the more so because of his very restrained stage manners - only enlivened by his appearing to sing along with himself, silently I think.

Running time was 75 minutes, about which my neighbour was puzzled (having come for Denk rather than Bach). And so was I, thinking that my LP version ran to just two sides, not usually 75 minutes together. But that turned out to be quite wrong, as my LP version turned out to run to nearly four sides, so quite probably more than 75 minutes. To think that, as young people, we once heard the variations twice in one sitting, once harpsichord, once piano. Back home, there was talk in wikipedia of different performers taking a different line with all the repeats, so I thought a score was indicated to get to the bottom of it all - with the result that I am now the proud possessor of a fine edition from G. Henle Verlag. Lots of repeats all over the place.

Rendezvous'd afterwards with BH and off to the V&A to see the exhibition of Cameron photographs there, so that we can sound suitably impressive on this year's visit to Dimbola Lodge at Freshwater Bay.

First stop was eating, and lots of other people in South Kensington seemed to be on the same mission, but we found seats at a place called 'Roots and Bulbs' where we took tuna sandwiches and a very organic brownie. All rather dear, but the water was free and the service was very cheerful. Furthermore they would take our feedback very seriously. See reference 3.

The Cameron was crowded, but interesting. I had not realised, for example, that her photographic life was not much more than ten years long and started when she was near fifty. Or that her use of soft focus was much derided by the professionals of the time, who liked sharp focus. See reference 4. Sadly, I could not find the original of the picture at reference 5 , with that at Dimbola being, I think, a photographic reproduction of the original. I now wonder how many prints Cameron would typically have made of any one shot: perhaps the Dimbola people will know.

Trains still crowded on the way home, partly with Arsenal people who were by then happy that their team had started winning again after a long bad patch. Also the occasion for a second standing up for a lady - on both occasions by foreign gentlemen. Outing wrapped up by a very strange haul from the Raynes Park platform library, to which I think I had better return in a fresh post.

PS: is one supposed to use the 'Verlag' bit of 'G. Henle Verlag' in this sort of context? Are companies like continental gentlemen who are quite keen on their occupational titles?)

Reference 1: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=addictive+activity.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Kraut+und+R%C3%BCben.

Reference 3: http://www.rootsandbulbs.com/.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Margaret_Cameron.

Reference 5: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/photography.html. Which also links into a book which I am reading just presently about a chap with a very unusual memory for images. To which I shall return. In the meantime readers can ask google about luria.