From this weekend the magnificent collection of Picasso ceramics is on permanent display at the New Walk Museum in Leicester. It is worth a trip. http://www.leicester.gov.uk/picasso/
Combined with the holdings of German expressionist art (the largest outside Germany) there is much to see here in an unpretentious city museum. It just needs more visitors, more money spending on the building and decent explanatory printed materials. Do come and see it.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Sonnet 18
This is John Hencher
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
John Cupper gave me permission to post this video of John. I am deeply grateful to have seen it and to share it with viewers of the blog.
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
John Cupper gave me permission to post this video of John. I am deeply grateful to have seen it and to share it with viewers of the blog.
How much for a papal knighthood?
The news that Fr Michael Seed of the Friars of the Atonement has been accused of selling papal knighthoods will come as no surprise to some. For his order, the Friars of the Atonement in NYC, to say they have "no idea" what he has been getting up to in London does rather make me wonder what the word order as in religious order might mean. For the purists among us, I know that, technically, he is a member not of a religious Order but of a religious congregation as there were not Orders allowed after the Jesuits in the 16th century.
I hope not to have to quote the Daily Mail too often but this report is worth scanning not least for the wonderful photographs.
See and behold.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370323/Tony-Blairs-priest-fixed-papal-knighthoods-cash.html
I hope not to have to quote the Daily Mail too often but this report is worth scanning not least for the wonderful photographs.
See and behold.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370323/Tony-Blairs-priest-fixed-papal-knighthoods-cash.html
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Lent, lengthen, spring
Lent is coming to a close soon. Here is Ps 50/51 to remind us that it is about something positive - changing our hearts - rather than giving up things...
Leicester Bach Society St Matthew Passion 8 April 2011 St James the Greater Church
On the eve of Passion Sunday, we were treated to an excellent peformance of J S Bach's Lutheran masterpiece The Passion according to St Matthew. Held by many to be the supreme achiement of Bach it certainly challlenges all who attempt it. We know it disappeared from being performed after it was put together in the 1740s and it was rediscovered by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdhy in 1840. Bach, unlike Handel, did not write operas. This is high baroque. The arias are of the form ABA and how appropriate these days, unlike when I was a lad, they are done ABA where the second A is sometimes decorated. 17th century Lutheran piety is so close to Post Trent Roman Catholic piety of the same time, or a bit earlier. The Good Night Jesus just before the final wonderful chorale is, for me, utterly touching, fitting in the context of the music and the spirituality from which the whole emanates.
It was first performed as a Good Friday evening/vesper service with the the congregation singing the chorales. Performance practice now varies from the "no applause- this is a sacred work" to, as on Saturday in Leicester, a perfornance in a church with applause. LBS was augmented by girl singers from Southwell Minster School. Two of the soloists dropped out late because of illness, their replacements standing in a very short notice. The double choirs were confident. The musicians in the two oechestras excellent ably supported by organ and harpsichord contino players. The conductor, Richard Laing, held it together with great authority. For me, the stars were the two choruses. My only slight criticism were the choice of the original German rather than an English translation which seemed to drain confidence a bit from some of the choir. This often meant their noses, I presume for security reasons, were stuck in their scores rather than watching the conductor. It's a small point and did not spoil the evening.
Speeds: I hold the view that Bach was essentially a dance musician and underpinning even the Matthew Passion there are subterreanean dance rhythms alive. The problem is once the choir size get about 2 or 3 to a part the speeds seem to slow down and the the underlying dance pulse goes. Getting back to what were original choir/voice size needs some very confident singers. Last night, it was a biggish choir, or rather two moderate choirs and it struck a decent balance. Out of the choir have also got to come the bit parts like the maids and Pilate.
The venue, St James the Greater, early 20 century CE modelled on the basilica at Torcello, is splendid, accoustically good and welcoming - especially for those with mobility difficulties. It was a moving and powerful evening for those for whom it is the start of Passiontide and for those others for whom it is not, an experience to be savoured. The welcome programme notes from the Chair of LBS and the evening's conductor were models of setting a complex piece in a context that makes sense for 2011. It is good to have a decent programme booklet and for only a £1 is a treat. If only Mr Laing had turned to the audience/congregation at the start of each chorale and let us join in this mighty work in the way, I assume, JS Bach originally intended.
From You Tube:
It was first performed as a Good Friday evening/vesper service with the the congregation singing the chorales. Performance practice now varies from the "no applause- this is a sacred work" to, as on Saturday in Leicester, a perfornance in a church with applause. LBS was augmented by girl singers from Southwell Minster School. Two of the soloists dropped out late because of illness, their replacements standing in a very short notice. The double choirs were confident. The musicians in the two oechestras excellent ably supported by organ and harpsichord contino players. The conductor, Richard Laing, held it together with great authority. For me, the stars were the two choruses. My only slight criticism were the choice of the original German rather than an English translation which seemed to drain confidence a bit from some of the choir. This often meant their noses, I presume for security reasons, were stuck in their scores rather than watching the conductor. It's a small point and did not spoil the evening.
Speeds: I hold the view that Bach was essentially a dance musician and underpinning even the Matthew Passion there are subterreanean dance rhythms alive. The problem is once the choir size get about 2 or 3 to a part the speeds seem to slow down and the the underlying dance pulse goes. Getting back to what were original choir/voice size needs some very confident singers. Last night, it was a biggish choir, or rather two moderate choirs and it struck a decent balance. Out of the choir have also got to come the bit parts like the maids and Pilate.
The venue, St James the Greater, early 20 century CE modelled on the basilica at Torcello, is splendid, accoustically good and welcoming - especially for those with mobility difficulties. It was a moving and powerful evening for those for whom it is the start of Passiontide and for those others for whom it is not, an experience to be savoured. The welcome programme notes from the Chair of LBS and the evening's conductor were models of setting a complex piece in a context that makes sense for 2011. It is good to have a decent programme booklet and for only a £1 is a treat. If only Mr Laing had turned to the audience/congregation at the start of each chorale and let us join in this mighty work in the way, I assume, JS Bach originally intended.
From You Tube:
The is not Leicester Bach Choir but it gives a flavour of the work even on a tinny lap top.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Counting gays
LE2 is part of the city of Leicester which prides itself in being ONE Leicester. If we see this as an aim rather something already gained then who can complain? By and large the different groupings represented in the city do get along. Casual observation leads me to think this is because the various groups, by and large, get along by not having too much to do with each other. Class is usually ignored. (For those readers not au fait with the socio-economics of the demographics, LE2 is mixed but not too poor, with some parts being decidedly bourgeoise, or as the estate agents' speak: desirable.) I sometimes think the only place the different groups do meet on an equal footing is in NHS out-patient waiting rooms and that can get a bit fraught at times. It is helpful to have a rough translation guide to such phrases as, "I don't recognise this place any more". Usually uttered by older, white males referring to the city of Leicester. Not infrequently they have moved to the suburbs or the county or even to Rutland.
The City Council seem to have some difficulty in recognising one group living in the city - broadly under the LGBT label - and we are often left wondering why this should be so. Many other aspects of diversity in the city are celebrated. Examples include: Diwali, various Sikh and Muslim feasts and, for Christians, the increasingly popular, Good Friday enactment in the city centre. Trying to trace just how LGBT presences in City Council come and go is challenging. The City Council may be trying to keep some faith groups that have decidedly homonegative views on board. Who knows, unless we talk about it openly? Perhaps the up coming Mayoral hustings at the LGBT centre in Wellington Street may provide some answers. Better still, if you get the chance to ask any candidates at the upcoming elections in May, you might get some interesting answers. At least, it will get the topic aired more.
For the more theoretically keen amongst us there may be those who challenge the notion of 'community ' being applied to LGBT people in the way, for example, it could be to Somalis or Irish groups. We can discuss this more.
Anyway, a recent article by a demographer in the Washington Post may help start, or at least inform, the discussion:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gay-people-count-so-why-not-count-them-correctly/2011/04/07/AFDg9K4C_story.html
The City Council seem to have some difficulty in recognising one group living in the city - broadly under the LGBT label - and we are often left wondering why this should be so. Many other aspects of diversity in the city are celebrated. Examples include: Diwali, various Sikh and Muslim feasts and, for Christians, the increasingly popular, Good Friday enactment in the city centre. Trying to trace just how LGBT presences in City Council come and go is challenging. The City Council may be trying to keep some faith groups that have decidedly homonegative views on board. Who knows, unless we talk about it openly? Perhaps the up coming Mayoral hustings at the LGBT centre in Wellington Street may provide some answers. Better still, if you get the chance to ask any candidates at the upcoming elections in May, you might get some interesting answers. At least, it will get the topic aired more.
For the more theoretically keen amongst us there may be those who challenge the notion of 'community ' being applied to LGBT people in the way, for example, it could be to Somalis or Irish groups. We can discuss this more.
Anyway, a recent article by a demographer in the Washington Post may help start, or at least inform, the discussion:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gay-people-count-so-why-not-count-them-correctly/2011/04/07/AFDg9K4C_story.html
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