A Lark Ascending

I knew I should have used speech marks (or an 'irony/sarcasm' emoticon)! Actually, I can see the appeal of vinyl, especially to people who grew up with it and have good enough systems to play it on (I bailed out as soon as possible - all I recall is flutter/wow/clicks/scratches/jumps/off-centre pressings/inner groove distortion etc; listening to classical music in particular was transformed for me by the CD). But there are other things going on in the current craze - I keep seeing references to people who buy 'vinyls' but don't play them. There you're moving from listeners who like the format to 'lifestyle' choice. I do, however get annoyed by 'vinyl only' releases. Not many but that really does smack of cult creation. I bought two albums on vinyl because it was the only way to get them - one turned out to be on red vinyl!!!!!! (I'm sure this happened before in Rome in the late 4thC). The other had a free download which was fine but when the physical copy arrived the post office sent it to a village in the wilds of North Nottinghamshire (Wicker Man country). I've only ever played the download.

Disc 2 of latter - marvellous set. Benefits from using different keyboards, varying the listening.

For most of the 80s classical music was well ahead of the field on CD - I bought classical on CD, a lot of jazz/folk/rock on LP until around 1990 (outside the big hitters it took time for the latter genres to start automatically releasing on CD). CD certainly had a sign of status about it then. Seems vinyl now has that sign of status - the format for the discriminating gentleman (or woman).

They're selling vinyl (or should that now be 'vinyls'?) in Worksop Sainsbury's - about 20 titles - Adele, Rumours etc. Right at the front of the shop as you walk in for a week. Now at the back next to the shelf of strange ingredients for recipes demonstrated on Hampstead-type cookery programmes. I was amused by the cheap record players they are targeting at kids (plus must have accessories) - wonder if any of them will find themselves doing the penny sellotaped to the cartridge trick to stop it jumping out of the groove. There are still records I hear with the distortion caused by failing to adjust the arm properly and gouging ten seconds. The Crosley generation: the record player that has the kids in a spin (Just re-read that and guess what he did!!!!!)

This month's 'Gramophone' magazine has the vinyl revival as it's main article (and cover). Tries to be even handed but you can tell it's heart is in the stuff. Mentions that only 1.5% of music sold in 2014 was vinyl but brushes this aside with the statement that vinyl is one of the few areas in the recording industry that is expanding. All seems like 'Faith' to me. If you've got it, it's self-evident; if you haven't it seems a bit daft.

Since starting to go to the cinema again last October, I've yet to be in a cinema with 40 people (I do go in early afternoon). Often several of the few there expire before the end. Hope to see this mid-week.

Disc 1 of Satie; Disc 1 of Byrd

'Westering Home' is (probably) the start of Surman's more folky solo side. He evolved that approach over the years with ECM but it's nice to hear the start point. Won't appeal to those who feel he'd have been better sticking to the edgier stuff (like The Trio). Might have been the first Surman I heard - a friend had a copy around the time it came out (1972) on Island's budget label where they used to put things that weren't being pitched at the rock mainstream. The CD copy I have was released on FMR.

Most of current crop of Brit things finish next week so I'll get round to 'Follow the Money' then. The 'Icelandic' one is called 'Trapped' - it's in Icelandic so I doubt if Eccleston is on board...though given his default acting role is miserable Northerner he'd be a shoe-in for most Scandi-dramas (don't think Iceland is in Scandinavia but it has links).

The big jamboree at Stratford? I watched that too. Thought it a bit mawkish at first - reminded me of a cross between The Royal Command Performance and Britain's Got Talent (though according to this Guardian review the production started as a BBC schools' broadcast so that might explain that). But as it went on I warmed to it. I liked the way they really did pay attention to the cultural diversity of both Britain and the way Shakespeare has been absorbed to other cultures in the world. Did like the 'To Be Or Not To Be?' skit, taking the mickey out of luvvydom (could have done without HRH Big Ears walk on part!). Nice to hear Ellington there (via a youth jazz orchestra) - both a piece from 'Such Sweet Thunder' and a clever little ballet based round the murder scene in Othello to 'Black and Tan Fantasy' - they really got the events in the dance to fit with the music. Also liked the Roger Quilter song sung by Ian Bostridge. High point for me was the speech from an unfinished play about Sir Thomas Moore (also mentioned in the Guardian clip above), berating a London crowd after a riot against 'strangers' and pointing out that in changing circumstances they too could be strangers abroad. Never heard that before...highly apposite to Britain and beyond in 2016. Can't imagine the show will have gone down well with The Daily Mail (or the Daily Express with its 'crusade').

They say (never have worked out who 'they' are) that Shakespeare anticipated everything: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/apr/22/martin-rowson-on-barack-obama-and-boris-johnson-cartoon Nice article on how Shakespeare would have vote in the EU Referendum here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/21/how-love-eu-count-william-shakespeare-remain-brexit Probably scaremongering.

Henry V - bloody brilliant. Lay on the settee waving my union jack (or should that be flag?) throughout. The second series (Henry VI Pt 1, 2 & 3 and Richard III) is due in the next few weeks.

Off Spotify - lots of vocal and consort music but hard to find a record with just the dance music (as heard in the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I BBC series 45 years or so back...the David Munrow recording for the former seems in limbo). Think this must be one of those discs aimed for sale in English Heritage sites. A mix of vocal, instrumental and a bit of the dance stuff. I don't follow celebrity performers except those with a habit of wandering off the beaten path. Barbara Hannigan is consistently interesting in her choices (and her voice sounds pretty good to my untutored ears). Can't judge the piece on one listen but the last movement sounded very beautiful.

Well, there's certainly a heavy dose of that - the right have long appropriated 'Englishness' for themselves. But it's possible to feel very close and rooted in your locality whilst being fully aware of the mythologies on which its identities are built and still feel connected with a wider world (and aware of the breadth of influence that has enriched that locality over the centuries). Shakespeare seems to have been taken on world wide (see the musical examples alone) whilst remaining very clearly English. But I know what you mean - this will be played very heavily as propaganda for an idea of a specific 'English' genius in much the same way as the Germanic world has often played the 18th-early 20thC classical tradition or America music like jazz.

Happy Shakespeare day. Can't move for the fellow here today - even Obama is going to The Globe (though I doubt if he'll trump (poor choice of adjective) yesterday's drama). Little piece here on Shakespeare and music: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/20/shakespeare-400-vladimir-jurowski-gala-lpo

Disc 2 - 8, 11, 28 Disc 2 of the tweeting Byrd. ********************** The following morning:

Looks interesting - this was the version of Fairport I heard do a session for John Peel earlier in that year, first alerting me to them, just before 'Angel Delight'. I don't think I've heard anything live from them beyond a few tracks scattered on things like the BBC box (think some of those might be what heard that afternoon).

RIP Pete Zorn Probably not a name known outside the world of British folk/folk-rock. A regular side-person in RTs band.

Farne Islands, UK - Puffins just off the Northumberland coast at the start of the breeding season. Rangers are hoping for a more successful summer after flooding wreaked havoc last year Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA Much as I like animals (from a distance!) I've never kept pets; but if you could download puffins off Amazon I'd be tempted to have a couple in the garden. The Bubble Nebula - An emission nebula 11,000 light years away. This image was taken by the Hubble telescope to celebrate its 26th year in space Photograph: Hubble Heritage Team/ESA/NASA Now that's a landscape!

You can pick up most BBC/ITV radio and TV on BBC/ITV websites for a period after broadcast (usually 30 days for TV, 7 for radio) but I don't think you can get these beyond Britain. They want to be able to sell the content they've invested in worldwide understandably (in the BBC's case it is paid for by a license all TV owners have to buy so making it free to the world would cause problems...well, is causing problems as I believe there are illegal ways of getting access and I don't think the issue of people watching on computers rather than by TV sets has been resolved within Britain. The current government would love to sweep away the license fee completely (which every TV owner pays even if they never watch BBC) and open it up to the 'discipline' of the commercial free market). ***************************** Last night an absolutely edge of seat penultimate episode of 'Line of Duty' - had that 'do I have to wait a week?' feeling at the end. I've also got back in to watching 'Question Time' - it was always on too late when I was working. Now I'm wide awake for it. Find myself turning into my dad, screaming at the Tories and Britexiteers. Great fun!

Disc 1 of latter...16, 17, 18.

Didn't know that. Will have to look out for jumpers.