Southwold Literature Festival

Chris Patten in conversation with James Naughtie

Table Manners at the Old Vic

Waste by Harley Granville Barker

The Proms - Number 66

The Proms - Number 53

Hadrian - Empire and Conflict

The British Museum really know how to put on an exhibition. This one was appropriately set in the Reading Room - a structure based upon the Pantheon - a building re-constructed by the

subject of this collection of exhibits from the time of the Emperor Hadrian. And he was a truly remarkable man.

The Proms - Number 35

The programme was Elgar's In The South; Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto; and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade, performed by the BBC Philharmonic under the baton of Vassily

Sinaisky. This is a very competent, if unexciting orchestra and I didn't find that the conducting was particularly inspiring, but both the Elgar and the Rimsky-Korsakov is so uplifting that the music just shines through. I'm sure pianist Ashley Wass did a grand job with theVaughan Williams, but I'm not surprised this is not a regularly performed piece. There is always a difficulty with modern music - the romantics had it right - melodies and soaring notes, but in the twentieth century composers tended towards virtuosity - and that alone is not enough. Rating overall: 6/10

The Courtauld Cezannes at Somerset House

An exhibition of some of the Cezannes held by the Courtauld Collection - including not only some famous oils, but water colours and sketches by the great French late 19th Century painter - part of the impressionist group of artists. A great plus is that this exhibition is free on a Monday morning! What I really enjoyed about this (small) collection of Cezannes was the mixture and contrast between the various periods of Cezanne's artistic career - and it was terrific to see how some of his pictures were built up from sketches, through outline watercolours to the finished large scale oils. I liked all these pictures tremendously, even if the paintings of people were a touch out of proportion! You got a great feeling for the lives of these people, and the pictures of Provence just exude a feeling of heat. Rating 9/10

British International Motor Show - Excel Centre

I've just had a lovely day out at the Motor Show - it only comes to the Excel

Centre in East London only two years. Now I'm not normally a fan of cars (or 'motors' as my Essex compatriots would say), but the Motor Show really is something else. I was entranced by the motor homes - vast houses on wheels, some costing more than my flat! I fell in love with the yachts and motor cruisers (the Excel is adjacent to the old Royal Albert Dock) and I was impressed by the commitment the motor trade seems to have developed to investigating the potential of alternative fuels. I'm not entirely certain that riding around with quantities of hydrogen gas in the boot will ever catch on - I have visions of that famous sequence featuring the destruction of The Hindenberg! There were so many prototypes and products in development on show that maybe there is a future for road transport when the oil runs out.
Despite not being a fan of vehicles this was a really great day out - everything well displayed, lots of activities, things to see and do, and I'd rate it 9/10 as an experience

The Proms - Number 16

The first of the Proms series of concerts I'd been to in years - the Royal Albert Hall was packed for this collection of popular classics - the first half British, the second German. The Halle Orchestra under the baton of Mark Elder were on good form beginning with a rare performance of Butterworth's orchestral rhapsody A Shropshire Lad. The work was introduced and ended with the poem by A E Housman that inspired this work by a composer who died in the First World War. Vaughan Williams' Eighth Symphony is full of soaring strings and bears all the trademarks of this craftsman of twentieth century music. Janine Jansen the Dutch violinist was excellent as the soloist in Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1. I know this is ever so romantic and regularly appears at the top of 'favourite music' charts - but there is a reason for that - it has the ability to move and push all the emotional buttons, especially when performed by a violinist of Ms Jansen's calibre - I feel the tears welling up at a particular point in the first movement when the strings are rushing headlong higher and higher, with the soloist soaring alongside and above them. The performance culminated with Richard Strauss' quirky Till Eulenspiegel - performed with excellent good humour by this first rate orchestra. The only drawback to the evening was the Royal Albert Hall's notorious echo - which detracted from the reading of Housman's poem using radio mikes. Concert rating: 8/10

A Midsummer Night's Dream

An open air production by the Chapterhouse Theatre Company. With actors taking on multiple roles they really played this for laughs. Shakespeare can be very dull and high brow but this was excellent - really going for the humour and entertaining an audience with lots of children.

Doing open air productions in the English summer is risky, and although it was cold it didn't rain. We were glad that this went at a realyy fast pace and kept us all entralled. The cast were all excellent and projected well so that all could be heard. Rating 8/10.

The Deep Blue Sea

A play by Terence Rattigan starring Greta Scacchi and Simon Williams at the Vaudeville Theatre. This playwright went out of fashion - but like many others needs to get far more coverage in the West End - because the themes touched upon in this play are universal and contemporary. The play opens in a seedy flat in 1950s London. Hester is discovered after a failed suicide attempt. She has left her successful (but dull) judge husband in favour of exciting younger WWII fighter pilot ace who cannot commit to anything at all. Both know that the relationship cannot work - but neither can face up to ending it - except by suicide or totally reckless behaviour. The house contains several interesting people (the struck off German Jewish doctor, the landlay with immense common sense, the young married couple finding little to keep their marriage on the straight and narrow) who all contribute advice. The acting was excellent, and although the play is a touch melodramatic for modern tastes it still interests and entertains. Rating: 8/10

God of Carnage

A play at the Gielgud Theatre starring Ralph Fiennes, Tasmin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott. I was so glad I had this recommended to me - by two totally different sources. It a French play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton (a wonderful pedigree then) and centres on the veneer of middle class respectability that is so easily punctured. Janet McTeer is a very caring liberal mother who is shocked when her son is hit by a stick wielding son of Ralph Fiennes' high flying lawyer currently defending a pharmaceutical company's latest, dubious pain relief 'cure'. He spemds most of the evening arguing on a mobile phone - how many people do we know like that? During the summit meeting between the two sets of parents things quickly fall apart as each oscillate between conciliation and aggression, desire to apportion blame, and escape labelling as a bad parent. Far from supporting one another Tasmin Greig and Ken Stott (respective wife and husband) regularly put the boot in to both their spouses and the opposing couple. Middle class pretentions are lampooned and laid bare - but not in the usual obvious semi-envious way much beloved of the comedians of the 1980s and 1990s, there isn't much ridicule. The intensity is maintained throughout the whole on act production, and this is very funny - probably because it is realistic - we all know people who are either exactly like one (or all) of these characters, or we ourselves contain enough elements as to make the humour slightly uneasy. Well wort seeing - even if Ralph Fiennes did appear to be doing an impression of Leonard Rossiter from time to time. Rating: 9/10

New Challenges to Security

I seem to have got myself on the mailing list of the Smith Institute, a think tank founded in commemoration of the late Labour Party Leader John Smith. His death led to Tony Blair taking

over as Leader and subsequently becoming Prime Minister. A while ago I attended a talk by Margaret Beckett (then Foreign Secretary) at 11 Downing Street. This time Jacqui Smith was talking on security matters at a hotel just round the corner from New Scotland Yard. Politicians always look different in the flesh, and there is a steely gaze emanating from Ms Smith that fixes you and almost dares you to contradict, but it also gives you the impression that she is taking in what you say. I had an opportunity to fall under that gimlet eye after her fascinating talk, also attended by David Steel, Baroness Jay and allegedly wavering MP Keith Vaz whose acolyte insisted on answering her mobile phone whilst the Secretary of State was flawlessly delivering her lecture. This was ahead of the vote on 42 days detention - Keith ended up supporting the government - did this speech persuade him? I was glad Jacqui Smith didn't just bang on about combating terrorism with draconian powers, she delved into the nature and difficulties of dealing with al-heida and how Islamist undercurrents provide challenges to democracies. She praised the efforts of those within youthful Muslim groups who were developing leadership skills for the next generation to help them to work within and alongside British institutions. So not exactly what I had expected, and far more thought provoking than the usual soundbites beloved of the media.

The Eurovision Debacle

So this year the competition has gone beyond being just ludicrous. The songs were not just mediocre they were bizarre, incomprehensible or just stupid. Andy Abraham sang a reasonable song and certainly didn't deserve to be last. The great Sir Terry Wogan is now considering his position, and all Western European countries need to accept the fact that they will never be winners, or leave the whole thing. Where did it all go wrong - well maybe the enormous proliferation of countries taking part didn't help, but it is the new 'political' voting that has taken over in the past few years that has nailed the whole contest. To the Eastern European bloc (and here I include the former Soviet republics and the Balkans) this contest is a big deal so all the populations of these countries who find themselves 'abroad' get voting in massive numbers. Germany always awarded maximum points to Turkey because of their large numbers of 'guest workers' but now the huge emigre Russian populations always vote for Russian, and the Balkan states vote for each other (because there are Serbs, Croats, Albanians, and Bosnians scattered throughout so many countries). This year the large Romanian population in Spain voted en bloc. This isn't going to change, and no tinkering with the voting system will solve the problem. The only alternative is a series of local contests for each area and then a fixed voting system for the 'finalists' otherwise the UK should withdraw from the whole thing.

Pygmalion

A production at the Old Vic starring Tim Piggott-Smith as Henry Higgins and Michelle Dockery as Eliza Doolittle and featuring the wonderful Una Stubbs as Mrs Pearce the housekeeper. Although this must be a century old, George Bernard Shaw's play about the English class structure, language, women's role in relation to men, and the bizarre nature of modern 'sciences' remains as fresh and funny as it was when it was written. Tim Piggott-Smith might have been born to the role of the 'phoneticist' who proclaims that he can tell where anyone was born and grew up from a few spoken words, and believes that every person betrays their place in society every time they open their mouth. He accepts a bet from fellow language student Col Pickering that he can pluck a lowly flower girl from 'the gutter' and pass them off as a Duchess at an Embassy reception within six months. Despite warnings from his mother and his housekeeper he launches into the project without considering what the girl (Eliza) will do once her independence has been taken away - because with the accent of a flower girl from Lissom Grove she can earn a meagre living and a livelihood, with the accent of a Duchess she cannot obtain any kind of work. In passing Higgins gives Eliza's father a fiver and thereby raises him from the ranks of the 'undeserving poor' - a position that allows him to be a dustman and he can 'touch' any man for a sub - into employment at £3,000 a year as a philosophy lecturer - a position that means 'every man touches him for money'. The cast is superb in this production - Shaw is very wordy, and must require some learning, but none seemed to be delivering their lines or declaiming them, the diction was clear, the timing wonderful, the humour precise - the actor playing Eliza's father has several long speeches, all spoken with feeling and made the audience (containing several school parties) laugh out loud. Una Stubbs as Mrs Pearce proves what an excellent comic actress she is in her scenes. Even though there are many reminders of the musical adaptation My Fair Lady this play is certainly worth reviving. Rating 9/10

Madama Butterfly

I saw this terrific production at the Hackney Empire, performed by the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa and starring a Korean singer, Elena Dee. Although it isn't my favourite Puccini (that honour must go to Tosca) this was such an outstanding evening my allegiance might be threatened. Elena Dee was ideal for the role of Butterfly - such a haunting voice, so full of emotion and tenderness, that I can't believe there was a dry eye in the house as she renderd One Fine Day. Unusually though, every singer was first class, even the bit part players, and this was complemented by a terrific orchestra and a traditional set. This was opera without being messed about - and none the worse for that in my opinion. Rating: 9/10

Humphrey Lyttleton

I was sorry to hear that Humphrey Lyttleton had died. I didn't really know him for his jazz playing (Louis Armstrong said that he was the greatest British trumpeter). I knew him from the great Radio 4 programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue - one of the great radio inventions, following directly from a very silly 1960s series I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again. I once saw the team live at a tribute performance to the late Willie Rushton. Lyttleton as Chairman provided the ideal foli to the comedians who appeared as panellists in this antidote to panel games. His introductions, full of smutty double entrendres that only he could get away with, said with deadpan seriousness that was superby funny. I think he is truly irreplacable, and I doubt that any further programmes will be made.

A Choral Pilgrimage - The Sixteen

A concert of Tudor music performed at the glorious Old Naval Chapel at Greenwich, designed by Wren, next to the banks of the River Thames. An appropriate setting for this performance by a choir known as the 16. The programme consisted of pieces of religious music from the time of the Reformation in England, so some in Latin, others in English according to the time of composition, and which monarch was on the throne. The choir is excellent, technically, but rather like the Chapel the music was too formal, too plain, and to my ears too unemotional. It doesn't move me. Each group of voices piles layers of song one upon the other giving me the feeling of being wrapped in successive levels of woolly blankets, comfortable but not really exciting or pleasurable. The singing is superb and admirable I'm sure, but not really for me. Rating 6/10

Amazing Rare Things

A collection of items from the Royal Collection selected by David Attenborough and currently on exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. A truly superb exhibition - including some unforgettable Leonardo da Vinci sketches of animal anatomy, and wonderful botanical illustrations. I especially liked the illustrations of flora and fauna from Surinam, drawn and painted in such incredible detail by a woman botanist from the Netherlands who travelled to South America for a few years, studied the local plants and wildlife and then sailed home to publish her findings. As always exhibitions at the Queen's Gallery are well laid out, the numbers of visitors well regulated to give plenty of space to examine the materials, and each special exhibition is always accompanied by a selection of items from the Queen's collection. On this occasion we found portraits of Victoria's children, the Ko-I-Noor diamond, some superb decorative armour and remarkable porcelain. Rating: 8/10

A Visit to Tate Modern

I'm not a great fan of modern art - in fact can someone tell me the difference between conceptual art and installation art? On the other hand, Tate Modern has the advantage

of having a wonderful location at the end of the Millennium Bridge, and facing the most spectacular view of St Paul's Cathedral. Usually the Turbine Hall (a vast space suitable for something massive) has a very unusual exhibit. On this occasion it was between things - the previous item - a crack in the floor - was being removed. However, there were several other works of 'art' that could be heavily criticised and ridiculed. Can a whole collection of used pieces of soap on a floor to ceiling kebab truly say anything worthwhile? On the other hand a room containing something called Thirty Pieces of Silver was interesting, and intriguing and admirable. This work consisted of a collection of dinner services, flattened by a steam roller and suspended from a high ceiling by strands of fine silver thread or wire. Not sure what it said about the betrayal of Christ, but there you go. There were some memorable Picasso's, Magritte's and a Stanley Spencer to be seen too.

Pompeo Batoni Exhibition

Currently at the National Gallery. The artist who became the 'artist of choice' for the Grand Tour of Europe in the Eighteenth Century. I knew nothing about this painter prior to seeing this wonderful collection of pictures. There is a terrific variety of subjects - the spectacular religious pieces, narratives and allegories on a huge scale, dramatic and visionary depictions, and of course excellent portraits - and so sensitive representations, bringing out the characters of those portrayed. Although these pictures fill entire walls in some cases the devotion to detail in each means they can, should, must be viewed not only at a distance to take in the grandeur of the subject, but close to in order to reveal the tiny references. Sumptuous is the word to describe this exhibition.

Susannah - an opera by Carlisle Floyd

Now I think there is a problem with modern 'operas'. Since the invention of the musical (bit of singing, bit of acting) 'operas' seem to have gone in one of three ways - they either go so 'serious' that the music is almost impenetrable (Stockhausen?) or they ape the classics (Gershwin) or they are musicals aspiring to be something more, by using operatic singers. Susannah falls into the last category. Unfortunately the other problem with operas in the English language (unless you're watching the ENO) is that they theatre doesn't provide surtitles. Enunciation becomes essential. I'm sure that Donna Bateman (starring as the eponymous heroine) is an excellent singer but what with her operatic style and a very loud orchestra I had terrible problems working out what exactly she was going on about half the time. I've just thought of another disadvantage of modern operas versus musicals - they don't seem to go in for great memorable singalong melodies. I think you might guess by now I didn't enjoy this offering, although I think it was mainly the fact that I couldn't hear the words that spoiled it for me, the music was pleasant enough and the singers were of a good standard, but if I must go and see a tale of repressed emotions in the Southern States of America give me Oklahoma! every time. So in brief this opera is your standard American tale - community of buttoned up people with one person (Susannah) feeling liberated and cheerful - thereby attracting the approbation of the God fearing churchgoers. A hellfire preacher turns up on an evangelising mission, Susannah is observed (and condemned) for outraging public decency (swimming?) and is cast out by the Church. A boy is forced to denounce her, she is required to publicly repent, (which she refuses to do) and the Preacher (seeking her immortal soul) rapes her. Susannah's drunken brother then shoots preacher. An average happy day in Tennessee then. Rating? 5/10

Anna Bolena @ The Hackney Empire

This little performed Donizetti opera sung by the English Touring Opera in a very dramatic production. Although the scenery was minimal the costumes were sumptuous and the orchestra appropriately competent and understated. I hate it when the orchestra is intrusive to prevent clarity of the singers' voices. The singers on this occasion were all excellent, especially the title role and Percy. I'm having a week of the life of Anne Boleyn - (see the entry for The Other Boleyn Girl on my film blog). Donizetti certainly takes a very different take on the life of the ill-fated Tudor Queen. In his opera Henry is already stuck inot a steamy affair with Jane Seymour and is plotting to entrap his 'innocent' wife Anne in infidelity, with former beau Percy. Meanwhile lovelorn page Smeaton (confusingly sung by a woman) provides the 'evidence' which convicts Anna Bolena, her brother, Percy and Smeaton. The English T0uring Opera are a very good ensemble and guarantee excellent productions. Alas this particular opera doesn't provide any themes or set pieces to set you humming as you leave the theatre. Donizetti goes for constant frenetic energy and you can end up feeling bludgeoned by the constant emotion. Rating: 8/10

A Visit to St Pancras

I hadn't visited St Pancras Station since the arrival of Eurostar, and what a transformation! It is well worth a visit, if only to stare at the vast engine shed roof. I was fortunate enough to visit in the early evening so the darkness of the sky somehow made the whole enormous area somehow more intimate. On the other hand it must be magnificent when the sun is shining through the great glass expanse, and glistening upon the sleek lines of the Eurostar trains slumbering beneath. And oh! The Statues - how marvellous they both are. Sir John, lifesize and appropriately staring at the ceiling of the building he did so much to save. The couple in an embrace of greeting or departure under the vast station clock. I love it - go and see it for yourself, this wonderful gateway to the capital.

From Russia

A wonderful exhibition currently at the Royal Academy. There was a very difficult lead up to the opening to this exhibition, and for a while the Russian authorities seemed likely to withdraw permission for the wealth of artworks to be brought to London. This is a truly remarkable collection in broadly four sections.

The first section portraysRussian art and French influences in Russia between 1870 and 1900. In the first part of the C19th Russian art was dominated by biblical and mythological representaions - and this seemed inappropriate to the reality of Russian life. So towards the end of the century we see a depiction of Tolstoy as a barefoot peasant. The picture entitled 17th October 1905 seems to predict the kinds of heroic art of the Stalinist era however.

The second section concentrates on the two major Russian collectors of the late C19th/early C20th, Shchukin and Morozov. Here you have a swathe of great French art, including Gauguin, Monet, Manet and Picasso combined with great Russian contemporary artists, many heavily influenced by these artists.

The third section looks at the World of Art demonstrating the influence of the Russian greats in other areas of culture - especially the dance. Here you have Diaghilev, most famous as founder of the Ballet Russes, but also organiser of eleven exhibitions between 1897 and 1906, introducing French art to Russia. He used these influences in his theatrical designs.

The fourth section looks at the innovations of the first two decades of the C20th. Neo-Primitivism through Cubo-Futurism, transforming into Abstraction, and Constructivism, but always with a distinctively Russian feel. Some remarkable art came out of the darkest period of the First World War and the Russian Revolution.

A truly remarkable exhibition - Rating: 9/10

Andy Abraham Wins

So the winner of the competition to represent the UK in this year's Eurovision Song Contest

turns out to be a runner up in one of the numerous X-Factor competitions that have been aired over the past few years. How many winners can we name, let alone runners up? Anyway, no disrespect to Mr Abraham, but however good the performance, or the song, the chances of the UK troubling the scorers in the final are minimal. Western European countries notoriously do very badly in the voting, because there is a cartel (implicit or explicit) between the countries of the Balkans, the Baltic States and the former Soviet countries. Hey ho - it makes bizarre television viewing.

Eurovision

I have the misfortune of watching the 'elimination' round for the British entry to this year's

Eurovision Song Contest. Now we already know that things can only end badly - in fact if the UK didn't contribute so much to Eurovision, thus giving us an automatic entry into the contest we'd never reach the finals - or even a preliminary round. We have a hint of how things work from the last two years' winners - we are in Serbia this year as they won in 2007, the Finns won the previous year and Estonia the year before. How apt then that the singer of one of the UK's entries comes from Romania, can't sing in tune, looks weird and is thus likely to do very well. Except we all know the Balkan countries always vote for each other, as do the Baltic countries, Cyprus votes for Greece & vice versa, nobody votes for western European countries. Ah well, thank heavens for Terry Wogan.

Marilyn & Ella

I saw this two handed musical drama written by Bonnie Greer and starring Nicola Hughes and Wendy Morgan at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. This was my first experience of this venue - and it is a lovely building, and seems to get a very good cross-section of the local population in its audience. The production tells the tale of two famous women. Marilyn Munro was at the height of her fame as a sex symbol - but wanted to be a 'serious actress' and an intellectual (hence her involvement with Arthur Miller). Ella Fitzgerald faced all the problems of racism in entertainment in the 1950s and just wanted to be the best entertainer in America. Much of the time the two actresses in this drama speak parallel monologues examining their concerns and emotions, but in the final section the two meet and argue through their differences. The actress playing Ella had a superb voice and belted out some of her most famous recordings - although this was no parody or pastiche of her style. A very successful production, sensitively and almost movingly performed. Rating 8/10

Counterpoint on Radio 4

I went to a recording (well two rounds to be exact) of the Radio 4 music quiz Counterpoint at the recently renovated Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House. A new series begins to be broadcast from 24th March. This quiz was associated for many years with the late Ned Sherrin, and will now be chaired by Paul Gambaccini, who has a very different style. I thought Ned would be irreplacable by Paul has taken the quiz in a different, perhaps lighter direction. I don't mean the quality of the questions have been diluted or the music is less serious, but his handling of the contestants is gentler, and gives them the space to think and makes the quiz somehow more tense, and enjoyable. Mr Gambaccini is also a writer of great sensitivity, and many years ago his book Love Letters, struck a great chord with me. I hope the audiences for Counterpoint will grow and grow.

Swan Lake

A performance by the Moscow City Ballet at the Hackney Empire. Now I like my Swan Lake very traditional, and Russian ballet companies can be relied upon to do traditional with a very big 'T'. This was extremely enjoyable, the swans and cygnets were elegant and delicate, the leading ballerina was magnificent, the male dancers were suitably dashing and made almost superhuman leaps, and carried their female dancers almost effortlessly. The female corps de ballet were extremely well choreographed - especially as the stage of the Hackney Empire isn't vast. Some of the male dancers seemed to lack finesse. The one disappointment was the lack of an orchestra. The music was pre-recorded and sometimes there were problems with the volume, and thisw affected the emotion and atmosphere of the piece. I expect it is a question of cost. Rating (because of the lack of live musicians) 7/10

Fairtrade & Tate & Lyle

Tate & Lyle announced today that all their retail sugar would be 'fairtrade' from the very near future & they hoped to convert all their wholsale sugar in the not too distant future. There is some debate about how significant the Fairtrade movement is, does all the premium price get transferred to the farmers in developing countries for example? However, I'd prefer to buy fairtrade bananas than having to buy those produced in Latin America on plantations subsidised by the American government or Colombian drug barons to launder money. The sugar produced by Tate & Lyle in Belize must be better than either the sugar from the European beet mountain, or sugar from the United States subsidised by the Federal Government. One question: why do I find it so hard to buy fairtrade bananas in my local Tesco's? Get buying more fairtrade supplies please Tesco's!