Chandos

A visit to St. Luke's last week, after something of a rest.

Usual form, pulling a Bullington off the ramp at Waterloo and dropping it off at Roscoe Street after a run of 14m 35s.

Bacon sandwich not quite up to its usual form, the bread not being quite fresh.

St. Luke's about two thirds full. Eleven microphones, not quite enough for one each for the musicians. Another small organ in a box. And some of the mechanism of the harpsicord appeared to be visible above the keyboard, but not close enough to be sure.

Academy of Ancient Music in good form, with two of Handel's Cannons Chandos Anthems, No.3 and No.5 with the Trio Sonata Op.2 in between. Helped along by one soprano, three tenors and a bass baritone.

Slightly to my surprise, it did not make much difference that the words of the anthems, taken from psalms, were in English, this despite the first one being full of gloom about sinning and sinfulness.

And odd to be coming back to Handel, more than fifty years after my late brother embarked on his musical journey with the Water Music. My recollection also is that my father had a fair idea about the route that his (youngest son's) journey would take after Handel, perhaps having been through something of the sort himself.

Fiona Talkington was her usual jolly self and prompted the director (of the Academy) to explain that the anthems were composed for performance in the handsome and very suitable church attached to the brand new palace, Cannons, built for his patron, the Duke of Chandos. The good duke lost a lot of money in the famous South Sea Bubble and Cannons did not last very long, being sold for scrap in 1747, but the church, St. Lawrence is still at Little Stanmore and is illustrated above. Rather unusual for an out of town parish church and clearly a place to be visited at some point.

I took the scenic route to Concert Hall Approach from the near empty stand at the Finsbury Leisure Centre, taking 20m 59s. Street food going strong underneath the Festival Hall and for once I indulged. What amounted to a small cold pizza with a name involving Focaccia. Rather good. Two Chelsea buns, taken home to be shared, also rather good. One olive loaf, noticed many posts ago at reference 2.

About ten people in the queue in W. H. Smiths, rather than use the machines provided. I was bold, getting out slightly faster than I would have done had I queued.

Changed at Earlsfield, but cloudy and no aeroplanes at all. A few sounds but no visuals.

Back at Epsom, strolled up the hill, passed on the Cricketers and came across four drakes marching across Meadway. Drakes who were not to be hurried by an approaching car. Perhaps they somehow knew that it was driven by a lady who was going to stop and wait.

PS: this was also the occasion which occasioned the rant about cyclists at reference 1.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/06/rant.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/05/toy-boat.html.

Reference 3: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/02/stabat-mater.html. Appears to be the last occasion on which I heard the Academy.