End of term

Just over a week ago to the closing concert of the Wigmore season, one of their very economical Sunday morning concerts. The Chiaroscuro Quartet giving us Beethoven's 18.4 and Schubert's Op.810, both family favourites with us.

New chairs - context

New chairs - detail

A cool and overcast day, but an uneventful run to Oxford Circus and on to our All Bar One, where we took tea and smarties. We also noticed their new chairs outside, which looked as if they would do well for garden chairs; sturdy and comfortable. It also looks as if one is still allowed to smoke when taking one's beverages outside.

Capital Golf

A sporty looking car advertising the indoor golf which one can play in the back of what used to be BHS. I was intrigued by the finish, not being sure whether it was just polished metal - say aluminium - or a paint job. Perhaps the store manager gets to take it home to impress his friends and neighbours. Or perhaps it has been assigned to the area manager, on a control visit to Oxford Street.

Wigmore Hall full, with some reasonably unobtrusive streaming equipment hung off the brackets at the side of the hall. Which included remote control of the two cameras so that the operator could pan around the place in times of inaction.

Programme

We were treated to a nice introduction from the director, who as well as asking us to put our hands in our pockets, explained that these Sunday morning concerts were, at least in part, a vehicle to provide outings and experience for young chamber musicians, which I had not known. Perhaps the public like names they know, so the judgement is that charging more than the £15 or so they do charge would not bring in any more money. That said, as far as we are concerned, they could charge £25 and it would not affect the likelihood of our turning up, which depends mostly on our calendar and the programme, which last is more important for us than big name or little name.

Apart from the cello, the quartet performed standing using computers for the score, with two foot pedals visible. By way of contrast, the first violin was made by Andrea Amati and dated from the end of the sixteenth century. And according the Wikipedia, among the first violins ever made. See reference 1.

It may have been that I had had my ears pumped out the Thursday before, but whatever the reason, the music was tremendously effective - and affective - and we were both rather drained by end. Never mind the state of the musicians.

Out to take a small sherry in the passageway, then off to the Benugo café in the upper reaches of John Lewis to take a perfectly respectable ham & cheese baguette. Reasonably quiet and peaceful, with at least one partner present. We wondered whether there was a partners only canteen - having, over the years, heard various stories of people who were not too keen on having to take their meals cheek by jowl with their customers - stories from hospitals in particular.

We then investigated ladies accessories in no less than three stores: John Lewis, the House of Fraser and Debenhams. The first time I have done such a thing for a very long time.

Air conditioner with wine bucket

I was impressed by a £400 contraption from Dyson which looked as if it was something to do with curling one's hair. While BH assured me that there were plenty of people out there making such things, at such prices. While I was amused by the air conditioner with wine bucket (to catch the drips) in the bowels of John Lewis. Presumably not a bit of conceptual art.

Compass

And impressed again by the compass built into the floor, somewhere not far from the air conditioner. An invaluable aid to getting out of a large store from the intended exit. Not seen such a thing before.

Checked the café in the basement of Debenhams, which we had liked in time gone by, to find that Patisserie Valerie had been replaced by some very similar looking operation. Not nearly as attractive as the café which first attracted us some five years ago now. See reference 4.

Closed the day with a green Routemaster bus in Temple Road, Epsom, apparently plying the Tolworth route as No.414 for London Country. Complete with open exit at the back. I had not thought such buses were still allowed on the road: after all someone might attempt to get on or get off a moving bus, which is surely against the rules. Perhaps there will still ashtrays upstairs? All of which remains a puzzle, with Wikipedia claiming that the once proud London Country bus service was broken up and flogged off by the Tories back in 1988. To be investigated.

Reference 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Amati.

Reference 2: https://www.jumpstartjr.org/instruments.html. The owner of the violin, although this particular one does not seem to get a place on their website.

Reference 3: http://chiaroscuroquartet.com/. Two more performances of D.810 to come in mid August, in France and Germany, so we are not going to make it, if for no other reason than the expiry of BH's passport.

Reference 4: http://psmv2.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-master.html. Probably the first of several visits to the downstairs café at Debenhams. Before the cake people moved in.

Reference 5: http://psmv2.blogspot.com/2013/11/chiaroscuro.html. Probably the first time that I heard this quartet, at St. Luke's, more than five years ago now. Not so keen now on the building at the top of this post, having seen it from the other side, from which angle it looks rather big and squat.