More cheese

On Monday, to London to hear the Chopin preludes again, this time from Louis Lortie, a new to me pianist from Montreal. Becoming something of an old friend, having heard them from Wuja Yang only a couple of weeks ago and noticed at reference 2. No idea how many times in all, but a quick peek at the record suggests an average of at least once a year, starting in 2007 and noticed at reference 3.

Bad start with the ramp at Waterloo very light on Bullingdons, but there was one in working order near the bottom. Over the bridge and up Drury Lane to be greeted by what looked like a large field gun from the First World War lined up on the gates to the Masonic Temple. No idea what it was doing there.

The area around Oxford Street was pretty gummed up with traffic and the first two stands I tried near the Wigmore Hall was full, but I was able to slip into the last spot at Portman Square, with someone pulling out just as I pulled in. After which bother I thought I deserved a drop of Riesling at the Coach Makers - where the cheerful young barmaids made a spirited effort to sell me some lunch.

The recital opened with 6 canonic preludes from George Benjamin. Not without interest, not least as a showcase for the Fazioli grand brought in for the occasion.

And so onto the preludes, where I thought that Lortie played well to the rather harsh tones of the Fazioli, the last sighting of which was noticed at reference 5. He also liked to thump a bit in the loud bits, also to work his face. Rather different from Wuja Yang's effort, although I would be hard put to say why, but very good just the same.

The BBC contributed no less than one announcer and thirteen microphones, mostly hung from the roof in a large cluster.

Thought about, but decided against going back to the Coach Makers, heading instead for Seven Dials (a once seedy area which was the setting for some of John Buchan's thriller 'The Three Hostages', one which, as I recall, included language which would now be considered racist - and this from a future governor-general of Canada) and the Neal's Yard cheese shop there, where I was able to stock up on Lincolnshire Poacher, having been some days without. On the way taking the last spot on the stand at Soho Square and discovering that what was the famous Foyle's building was being demolished, in favour of what the foreign demolition worker whom I asked had no idea. The best he could do was the observation that heritage buildings were being torn down all over Europe.

After cheese, to a Swedish flavoured bakery in Earlham Street where they did me an excellent breakfast tea, cheese salad in sour dour breakfast roll and a cinnamon bun. A bit dear, but good; worth the money. Run by a young Swedish couple, with the ambience being completed by a couple of Swedish customers.

Onto Tooting, where I was able to check the stock in the book department of the Oxfam shop there, emerging with a near mint condition copy of 'Right Ho, Jeeves' for £2. I like the Hugh Laurie television version well enough, having recently invested £8 in the collected edition, but I am finding the book rather hard going. All seems a bit dated, rooted in public school slang of 100 years ago, and long winded. Maybe the trouble is that I am doing it the wrong way around, television first, book second. I also get the impression that the two dozen or so episodes have been assembled, patch-work fashion, by cut and paste from a much smaller number of books.

Wetherspoon's over the road in fine form and I thought about a dictionary of French names but decided against - I suspect not for the first time.

Reference 1: http://www.louislortie.com/.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/wuja.html.

Reference 3: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Hiromi+Okada.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Benjamin_(composer).

Reference 5: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/visiting-jigsaw.html.