Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Station run

Since I have no artistic contribution to make to https://www.facebook.com/En.Blanc.Et.Noir.Lagrasse, we're doing minimal B&B, and a couple of station/airport runs for musicians.  Today I took young Paul Salinier and his parents to the station.  Paul played in the opening concert, and impressed us.  Just 17, he is preparing for the concours for the Paris Conservatoire next February, and if the assessors' reaction is similar to the audience's, he'll walk it.  Thoroughly likeable young fellow, too.  Like so many of the performers we've seen here, his is a name to watch.

I got back, via the shopping, just in time to hear Janneke Brits and James Kreiling playing Rachmaninov and Scriabin respectively.  Virtuoso performances both, but though we liked the early Scriabin pieces, my mind wandered in the later ones.  (A bit like my thoughts on Kandinsky, really, mutatis mutandis.)  Martyn, meanwhile, voted with his feet.  Some more accessible stuff in today's early evening concert.

Odd experience, driving home solo from Carcassonne: it has to be nine years since I last did it, back in the days when Martyn was coming here briefly when he could get respite from looking after Ma-in-law.  I felt strangely insecure.  Maybe I've become used to his moderating influence, and in its absence tackle the bends with a bit too much gusto.  The road is up in Monze, and despite temporary traffic lights, I had to reverse a couple of hundred yards to make way for a  mobile crane with several concrete reinforcing matrices dangling precariously from its jib.  Elf & Syfety are scarce commodities in these parts.


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