Brahms

Following the affair with Brahms' first piano quartet about two years ago now (see reference 1), it was offered last week at the new-to-us Milton Court, next to the Barbican Centre. Another boxed set affair (see reference 2) as we were offered all three quartets in one sitting.

Started off with a pair of pigeons doing a beak dance on the platform at Epsom, something I don't recall seeing before.

Continued with our now familiar No.4 bus to the Barbican where, on this occasion, we took a slightly larger room than that noticed at reference 3 - to be irritated once again by the rate you buy on not including VAT. We also took the precaution of bringing our own tea bags, milk and materials for making a light pre-concert meal, giving ourselves a break from calorific and salty snack we might otherwise have bought outside.

Across the Barbican to inspect the flower beds and micro allotments, all doing well. Found it surprisingly easy to count the floors in the tallest tower block and was rather surprised to make it more than forty.

Down to Silk Street to chat to a lady bus driver from Redbridge who had just delivered her cargo to somewhere nearby and was settling down for the five hour wait until they had finished whatever it was they were doing. Slightly awkward amount of time to fill, so she was happy enough to chat.

Into Milton Court which was very smart, and full. For some reason, not knowing the place, I had booked seats at the back of the stage, rather than at the side or at the back, presumably because the stalls were full up. These seats turned out to be rather uncomfortable for what turned out to be rather a long shift. Being directly above the piano also meant that one had a job to hear the strings - an effect which may have been compounded by it being the pianist's show. So fine music and probably well played, but I would not take such seats again.

The front of house people let people in after the off which was a bit tiresome, involving as it did a fair amount of noise. The hall was also rather warm by the end of the evening.

I was intrigued by a pair of black objects suspended from the ceiling, looking rather like outsize vacuum cleaners. But it turned out that they were state of the art loudspeakers, which might have been clearer had we been sitting in front of them, rather than behind them.

Afterwards I thought that a journey to the Hand & Shears was called for, a pub I once worked bar at, at which time it was rather a good pub. A local for a mixture of mainly market and hospital related people, run by a Czech who was very impressed by my knowledge of Švejk, with the book having something of the status of the national bible to Czechs of his generation - that is to say who had served in the British army during the second war, married an English girl and stayed. Made a good enough thing of the pub that he and his wife were able to spend their weekends doing places like the Savoy and Covent Garden. She was also a good cook and made good sandwiches - this being in those far off days when one could still buy real sandwiches in pubs.

Sadly closed this Saturday evening (as it was in my day), so we repaired to the Red Cow opposite, formerly a market porters pub, now with a vaguely long-hair-hippie feel to it. Quiet, but with enough people to be alive and we had some very pleasant wine.

The following morning we had thought to try the fine church music which was said to be had at St. Bartholomew's, but in the event we decided that we had had enough music for the weekend and, after walking part of the way, found ourselves another No.4 bus.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/affair-with-brahms-concluded.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/boxed-set.html.

Reference 3: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/citadine.html.

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