Definitely, Maybe (2008) written and directed by Adam Brooks is a movie I have seen a couple of times now and throughly enjoyed on each occasion. Unfortunately, also on each occasion I have watched the film in the middle of a depressive episode, and am therefore unable to write about it as much as it …
Category: music
The Sound of Music 2010
A wonderful evening out to see the stage version of The Sound of Music. This was a much better production than the last one we saw some years ago. In part this was due to the presence of Connie Fisher as Maria. Fisher was the winner of the 2006 BBC show How Do You Solve a …
Musical Notes
In terms of events attended over the past few months which I need to catch up with I find that music massively predominates. My own liking for particular composers, and above all Mahler, increases all the time: I am fortunate then that this year is the 150th Anniversary, and from September of this year to …
February 2010 Miscellany
Two more short Turgenev novels, included in one volume, both very good indeed. Rudin is the tale of an idealist young talker who inspires love in the young Natasha, but when it comes to a question of action (eloping with her in the face of her mother's disapproval) fails both Natasha and herself. The intensely moving, …
January 2010 Miscellany
A substantial change to the way in which my life is organised, and especially the time I have available, took place this month when, to my considerable surprise, I was elected Chairperson of the Birmingham LINk (an organisation which seeks to improve the provision of Health and Social Care in Birmingham). I now have to …
Cranford and Other Events
18th December 2007 There have now been two superb television series this year - Rome Part 2 (and I have written extensively of Rome) and now Cranford. It is hard to imagine two more superficially different series -Rome is blood and thunder, exploitation, over-the-top drama; Cranford quiet, understated. David (as in the painter) against Vermeer …
Funeral Music (OP)
11th March 2005 Widely reported in the British press has been a 'survey' of people's choice of song to be played at their funeral. As with many 'surveys' of this kind the actual basis is extremely thin - it is a result of a poll by digital TV channel Music Choice (of which I have …
Nanci 2007 (OP)
17th July 2007 We went to see Nanci Griffith on Sunday (15th). A wonderful night as usual - I am often close to tears when listening to and watching Nanci live. She played at the Alexandra Theatre rather than Symphony Hall - so we swapped the airiness and light and modernity and perfect sound quality …
Of Place and Memory (OP)
16th November 2007 On 4th October we attended the concert for the re-opening of Birmingham Town Hall. We were actually very lucky to get tickets for this heavily oversubscribed event - the wonders of Internet booking! The Town Hall is one of oldest purpose built Concert Halls in Europe, completed in 1834 (long before The Albert …
Dreamgirls (OP)
2nd March 2007 Dreamgirls is the best film I have seen at the cinema for a good while; this may not be that much of a recommendation since sadly we rarely go the cinema nowadays! But most trips over recent years have left me sadly disappointed so it was a wonderful change to walk out …
Moving Toyshop 