A Lark Ascending

Bad Münder am Deister, GermanyMotorists drive on a winding country road past rapeseed fields in Lower Saxony: Photograph: Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2016/may/12/photo-highlights-of-the-day-protesters-and-pilgrims Tahiti Club - Saint-Tropez, France: Photograph: © 2016 Gray Malin, graymalin.com/Abrams & Chronicle Some enforcer must go round with a ruler. Not like Blackpool. http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2016/may/12/beautiful-beaches-around-the-world-in-pictures

Lovely record with one of my favourite paintings on the cover.

That was a favourite of mine back in the mid-60s. History geek even at 10. Remember the Krakatoa episode for some reason. ******************** Excellent Peaky Blinders again last night.

Ah, "Max Bygraves Sings Schnabel". Such touch! Such tone! Been there once many years ago. Was disappointed that it was not a Southern enclave of people speaking in Yorkshire accents. Always thought it was a bit like those hamlets in the Appalachians where they still talk like Shakespeare. Very pretty place.

As long as it contains 'distinctive content' you should be pretty safe! Enjoyed the Mulatu Astatke gig at Cheltenham a couple of weeks back - it had never clicked that he was the musician heavily featured on the Ethiopiques compilation until you played the tune that Radio 4 took to a few years back. What happened to the event in the gardens? Did threat of rain stop play? I caught it at the Tim Berne event a bit later on. Very nice - made me think of an extended opening to Keith Tippett's 'Septober Energy' (shorn of the other 90 minutes!).

Symph 1 off first, another outing for the first Sextet off the second and the clarinet trio off the fourth.

Well done, Alex. You're officially part of the establishment now!

The String Quintet - memories of my gloomy first bedsit when I started working! This recording drove me nuts when I first heard it but it sounded fine yesterday - maybe it was the somewhat aggressive Death and the Maiden that set my teeth on edge. First String Sextet off Brahms after hearing a ravishing live performance.

Lunch: BACH Flute Sonata in E flat BWV 103; BEETHOVEN Horn Sonata in F Op.17; SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht Op.4 for string sextet Evening: BEETHOVEN Clarinet Trio Op.11; WEBERN 5 Movements for String Quartet Op.5; BRAHMS String Sextet in B flat Op.18 (Sheffield Crucible Theatre Studio) Another excellent couple of concerts of (for me) the familiar, partly known and completely new. Didn't know the two Beethoven pieces at all - particularly enjoyed the clarinet trio. Bach was a nice short piece which I've played on record without it previously registering. Veklarte Nacht (here in a special arrangement for midday!) was the piece I've listened to most over the years. Beautiful piece - I'm sure I've read about this before but the programme note mentioned its 'Tristan and Isolde' sound world and that jumped out listening yesterday. The Webern piece I've heard several times but never properly listened to. Enjoyed it very much, especially the unusual textures. Excellent introduction by the first violin who communicated his enthusiasm for the piece and drew our attention to the extreme dynamic range (the couple next to me were 'unimpressed' - 'They could have had some Schubert.'). The big lightbulb of the day was the Brahms Sextet which I've enjoyed on record without really taking it in. Utterly spellbound by it this evening - the rich and (to my ears) very Viennese opening movement and endlessly inventive variations in the slow movement in particular. Had to throw it on the CD player as soon as I got home. Golden Rosette goes to the (Norwegian?) violin player who introduced Verklarte Nacht by running through Schoenberg's programme for the piece in tongue-in-cheek demented primary school teacher telling a racy story fashion; had the audience rolling in the aisles (bet that's the first time Schoenberg and 'rolling in the aisles' have ever shared the same sentence). And to the organisers for free programmes. Once again struck by how much the visual element increases engagement in this music - in particular being able to see the entry points of instruments. The separation on even my reasonably good stereo can't make that anywhere near as clear. Will have my eyes peeled for more like this in coming months.

Very good! (the picture, not the drought!). ****************************** Dorset, UK: No more summer here: a man walks up Gold Hill in Shaftesbury in the heavy rain Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock "Bugger! Walked all that way and they'd run out of Hovis." http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2016/may/11/photo-highlights-of-the-day-cannes-film-festival-and-a-yogi-lemur

I keep reading about long-term drought there. Good to know there's enough water for consumption and scenic beauty. Certainly a pretty sight. Law and order must be pretty good in California. If those letters were in Britain you'd wake up every morning to find them in a different order.

After a spectacular weekend of blue skies and heat, the like of which we see only occasionally here (apart from 1976!), 24 hours of almost continual rain. My water buts runneth over. Expected to run out of Atlantic about 11 a.m.

She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (BBC4) Excellent three parter on some powerful medieval/Tudor women trying to get a hold in a world completely dominated by men.

You have water in California? Nice.

Last one is 83 + 82 I'm sorely tempted by the new box collecting up Decca's period instrument recordings of the lot (with the gaps filled with new recordings). Disc 1 second half from Mendelssohn - Octet In E Flat, Op.20 - Arr. For Orchestra By The Composer - 3. Scherzo; Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op.21 - Overture (Allegro Di Molto); The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave) - Allegro Moderato; Meeresstille Und Glückliche Fahrt, Op.27 Disc 5 of Beethoven - 1, 2 & 3

Just my perception at the time, not an objective judgment; I was tiring of rock so was probably not particularly receptive. I was a postgraduate teacher trainee in a hall full of undergraduates so was probably feeling a bit superior! As far as I recall, the concert was enjoyed (no riots, at least). He was everywhere in Devon!

Pouring with rain all day today but yesterday was spectacular weather wise: The hills 20 minutes from central Sheffield (traffic permitting). That lovely time of year where the leaves have just sprouted and are as green as possible. Famous Derbyshire 'pick your own' restaurant.

Rained and rained and rained today. So instead of garden sorting had my own little festival: Symph 1 off first, 131 of the Luddy.

My default position.

Whilst wandering in the hills above Sheffield yesterday on a rare, perfect summer day. Just the violin sonata off the first. This morning: Beethoven Octet and Septet.

I bought Bitches Brew at the end of that year. Hated it. Decided Miles Davis wasn't for me. Changed my mind a few weeks later when I heard 'Blue in Green' on JRR. But it took nearly 20 years and listening to a lot of other music before I had the context to make sense of BB.

Sheffield annual week long chamber music festival. I believe it started when the Lindsay String Quartet were connected to the city. Currently built round the Sheffield based Ensemble 360, a group of 5 string, 5 wind and one piano player, augmented for things like string sextets. Just over a dozen concerts over the week, mainly in the late-18th/19thC 'Classical' era with a few related or influenced pieces from further afield in time. Performed in the Crucible Theatre Studio with its distinctive 'in the round' layout: Lunch: BARTÓK String Quartet No.1 Op.7; MOZART Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat K.452 Evening: HAYDN Divertimento No.2 in G Op.100; BEETHOVEN Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat Op.16; BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C sharp minor Op.131 I've seen many a jazz and folk concert in the Crucible Studio but this was my first classical event there. A nice mixture of music I know quite well (well, have heard a lot!), music I'm still working on and the unfamiliar. The Bartok quartet was the most familiar - exhilarating to hear live, the sheer attack of some of the music (especially in the last movement) really benefits from the visual dimension. Will look out for the later quartets in the future (I heard the 5th some years back) where he started using all those unorthodox effects that are just touched on here; I'd love to see how they are achieved. Did not know the Haydn - lovely little piece adapted from an earlier opera for flute, cello, violin. The two wind quintets are pieces I've know since the 80s but haven't played in a long time; enjoyed them so much here that they'll be up on the cd player before long. The dominating piece was the Op 131 - getting to enjoy the Beethoven quartets has been an ongoing project of the last few months and this performance took me a step further into understanding why they are held in such high regard (not yet ready to blither on about sublimity and how I'm far too fine a fellow to listen to anything else!). The 'in the round' layout had a striking visual impact in the Presto where Beethoven has short phrases rapidly passed round the players in sequence; a bit like watching your laundry go round in the washing machine. A Golden Bev Rosette to Ensemble 360 for saying a few words about each piece (different players each time); not to mention the wonderful looks on their faces - the bassoon player betrayed virtually every emotion as the moods changed. I love the opening of the brochure..."There is no dress code, no big stage to keep performers at a distance, nothing you need to know about the music in advance." Wrenching the music out of the jealous hands of the connoisseur. I have two more on Wednesday and a final visit on Saturday evening. Very much looking forward to them.

Indeed. I feel similar about the Beeb as over Europe. Constantly irritated by their conservative (small c) leanings, overall convinced they are forces for good. I think they have misjudged the mood. They think they can slip this through while everyone is distracted by Europe.

Started watching 'Follow the Money' (mentioned above by others) last night (stored on my digibox). Very enjoyable episode 1. It's such an institution that it's easy to overlook but this programme in its umpteenth series remains as hilarious as ever. Won a BAFTA last night. BAFTA results were interesting: "The BBC won a total of 14 awards, half of them for shows on BBC1. Channel 4 won six with another for E4, and two for ITV. Sky and Amazon took home one award each." http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/08/wolf-hall-director-says-bbc-is-under-threat

Brandenburg, Germany - Sunrise near Reitwein im Oderbruch Photograph: Patrick Pleul/EPA http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2016/may/06/photo-highlights-of-the-day-a-small-giant-panda-and-the-viking-sea