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"Dining with Dinosaurs", The Spectator, 28 May, 2011.
There is one paragraph with which I do not agree: and it has nothing to do with restaurants or food.
"For curiosity’s sake, take a wander through the Prince of Wales’s housing project Poundbury, just outside Dorchester. Admire the tumbleweed: it’s mainly second homes and care homes. Its jumble of traditional period styles — some might say pastiche — is neither ugly nor beautiful, but has the cardboard-cutout eeriness of a deserted film set. Philosophically it’s crippled by its own nostalgia, and the way it throws up questions about its own authenticity makes it like a conceptual art exhibit. Architectural folly on a grand scale? Discuss."
Monday, 6 June 2011
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Where have all the (Greek) forests gone?
One of the Greek Sundays, Realnews (www.real.gr) reports for World Environment Day that between 1987 and now (2011) Greece lost 13.5% of its total forest or woodland areas, a total of 4,500,000 stremma.
How many illegal houses replaced all the trees that were burnt, bulldozed or cut down?
1 stremma equals 1000 sq. m.
Binsey Poplars
How many illegal houses replaced all the trees that were burnt, bulldozed or cut down?
1 stremma equals 1000 sq. m.
Binsey Poplars
(Felled 1879)
My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled,
Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,
All felled, felled, are all felled;
Of a fresh and following folded rank
Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank.
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green!
Since country is so tender
To touch, her being so slender,
That, like this sleek and seeing ball
But a prick will make no eye at all,
Where we, even where we mean
To mend her we end her,
When we hew or delve:
After-comers cannot guess the beauty been.
Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve
Strokes of havoc unselve
The sweet especial scene,
Rural scene, a rural scene,
Sweet especial rural scene.
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,
All felled, felled, are all felled;
Of a fresh and following folded rank
Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank.
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green!
Since country is so tender
To touch, her being so slender,
That, like this sleek and seeing ball
But a prick will make no eye at all,
Where we, even where we mean
To mend her we end her,
When we hew or delve:
After-comers cannot guess the beauty been.
Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve
Strokes of havoc unselve
The sweet especial scene,
Rural scene, a rural scene,
Sweet especial rural scene.
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Summer Festival/Fair, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Corfu (including Gospel Blues)
Update (2012): The dates for the Summer Fair in 2012 are 15 and 16 June.
The Summer Festival , 2011, ended on a high night with the Classical Night on June 4th, performed by some exceptionally talented Corfiot (Greek) musicians.
Costas Zervopoulos (flute) and Marilena Eloul (piano) delighted the audience with their performances of Bach’s Sonata in G minor, BMW 1020, the Ballet Scene from Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice and pieces from Bernstein’s West Side Story, demonstrating that Holy Trinity Church is the perfect setting for chamber music. I hope chamber music recitals will become a regular feature of the Anglican church’s activities. There are many students and professors at the Ionian University Music Department, the Conservatory and Music High School who might come to see this as the Wigmore Hall of Corfu. I am sure that they would love the opportunity to perform in this intimate space with its wonderful acoustic.
Spiros Soueref lifted the roof with his magnificent delivery of arias from Tosca, Turandot and I Pagliacci. What a voice!
Bravo Costa, Spiro, Marilena! Standing ovations all round!
The talented performers in the first half, Francesca Metalinou (cello), Kostas Keontaris (violin) and Rania Rosopoulou (flute) were also warmly received and made the most favourable impression before they had to rush to perform at another concert at St George’s Church (the former British barracks church).
Holy Trinity Church had been beautifully decorated for the Summer Festival, and there was a feast for the eyes as well as the ears (not forgetting the stomach).
Outstanding paintings by Mary Gulland, and beautiful quilts by members of the Corfu Quilters group will remain on display until Wednesday. The painting that I liked best by Mary Gulland was of two beer drinkers, apparently Poles, but it reminded me very vividly of people I knew in the Czech Republic! I could almost taste the beer. Mary’s Corfiot scenes were also much admired by all the visitors to the exhibition.
I wasn’t able to attend the opening concert by Duo Armande, but everyone says the Duo was a great success, with a fascinating repertoire played with a combination of clarinet and violin and clarinet and viola.
Apologies for image quality
The sound engineering by Rob Sherratt ensured a well-mixed sound for the amplified instruments, two guitars, bass and blues harmonica.
The multi-talented Raul Scacchi played the guitar solos with great virtuosity; he is a consummate musician. A big thank you to Raul! Several of his own lyrical compositions and arrangements were given a welcome airing, interpreted with soul and subtle shades of feeling by Corina Hamilton (who also played electric bass with considerable skill).
21-year-old Corina was undoubtedly the great hit of the evening; she won many new admirers when she sang with passion, conviction and great maturity two of Blind Willie Johnson’s gospel blues (Soul of a Man, and Nobody’s Fault But Mine, as well as more contemporary songs.
With her stirring, beautiful (and gutsy) voice, she revealed a deep understanding of both the blues and gospel music, but also of bluegrass and Appalachian songs like “Rank Strangers” and “Down in the Valley to Pray”, a late addition to the programme, which proved a moving and uplifting way to end the evening.
Corfucius was clearly (and rightly) impressed by Corina Hamilton. He even made a few comments on his blog (carefully selected) which I take to be mild approval of some of the efforts of the elder bluesman in the group:
"Peace in the Valley - brave of Jim to come up against the King and if El had been there he'd've nodded approval, as would the Bobster have curled a gravely lip of grudging approval at 'Got to serve somebody' whose lyrics became suddenly clearer and poignanter last night…"
Corfucius was clearly (and rightly) impressed by Corina Hamilton. He even made a few comments on his blog (carefully selected) which I take to be mild approval of some of the efforts of the elder bluesman in the group:
"Peace in the Valley - brave of Jim to come up against the King and if El had been there he'd've nodded approval, as would the Bobster have curled a gravely lip of grudging approval at 'Got to serve somebody' whose lyrics became suddenly clearer and poignanter last night…"
I'm sorry we didn't get to hear Corfucius sing and play on this occasion.
The Revd. John Gulland and Mary Gulland, and the Church Committee and volunteers are to be warmly and sincerely congratulated for organising this memorable Summer Festival, which has brought many more people into contact with a historical institution which has played such an important part in the religious and cultural life of Corfu, but which needs support if it is to continue to serve the community. The Festival has certainly succeeded in making the church feel more accessible to people who tend to come to Corfu for a short holiday, in order to relax or escape.
Apart from the art exhibition there were also painting and quilting demonstrations, a bazaar offering various products, organic food, plants, home produce, crafts and refreshments.
PS
For the record, here are a few more selected and slightly edited extracts from the (revised) Corfucius review of the Gospel Blues night, and of Corina Hamilton's voice in particular:
04 June 2011
More than meets the Strum - Jim Potts is a performer who always catches me off guard by playing better than I remember. Not that he isn't good - and I have his albums constantly on the system to remind me - but 'live' [to use a fashionable word] he gets a better sound, wails a wailier harp, sings a throatier blues than I remembered.
He gets a true Sun studios whipcrack from his Epiphone and has one of the very few Brit accents that can pull off a twang without getting all pseudy like those Mancunian DJs or ghastly C&W jamborees in deepest Wolverhampton where 'dudes' walk round all hat 'n' no cattle and call each other pard'ner and sing in strangled tones that they think are très Hank...
There was an absolutely hypnotic song given a cajun layering whose name i forget because I was somewhat distracted ... a lot, actually.
Corina Hamilton understands the lyrics and even her timbre has timbre. What a find! I tell you, if that lady chooses, she has a career ...
Spine-tingling interlude when La Hamiltonella sang a capella that show-stopper from 'Oh Brother', Down to the River to Pray.
Raul writes beautiful melodies and none gives them the treatment like the divine Callihroe but I tell you, Corina turned me fickle from the first throaty bar of 'Lysistrata'...
No applause please we're British - I am NOT one of those boors that claps and sings along on these occasions, but I will say that, sitting in the church as the HamPottSca crew wondered "Will the Circle be Unbroken", I felt a distinct desire to clap happy and grunt along.
Peace in the Valley - a wonderful rendition with throb and vibrato that would've had The King himself nodding approval and fingering a momentarily unsteadied crown.
Gotta Serve somebody - brilliant choice for a church concert and Jim gave it the underlying cynical gravely tone that Dylan clearly intended. I really need to re-add that album to my store; so many good ones left behind in Seattle.
Jim had talked of the need to rehearse because this time folks were forking out real dosh. They got their drachmas' worth, in spades. Wait, I can't say that; yes, I can, it was that sort of night.
When I walked back to the car, it had an €80 parking ticket. Tipota, vaut le prix. Now there's a compliment.
Mission Hamilton - keep tabs on that remarkable voice and catch her every gig
Corina sings
Blues and Other Music in Dorchester, June
I'm not there, but for those who are...
And some news from Tom Hopkins, of Bluesnights:
And some news from Tom Hopkins, of Bluesnights:
Dear Friend of Bluesnights
Sat. 18th. June sees the last Bluesnight before we take our summer break. More importantly, it marks the first visit to Dorchester for 24 Pesos, a band that has had a mercurial rise to fame nationally and internationally in just a few years. They burst on to the blues scene in 2008 with their raw and rootsy live shows and debut album “The Boogie Worm”. Their latest album “Busted, Broken and Blue” showcases the evolution of the 24Pesos sound – 11 boot stompin’ originals drawing from diverse influences such as Ray Charles, The Meters, Freddie King, and Howlin Wolf. Paul Jones chose them to headline his recent hour-long 25th anniversary Radio 2 show. A great way to finish this Bluesnights season! Tickets are already selling well, so to avoid disappointment why not get yours now!
8.00 P.M. (DOORS/BAR OPEN 7.30 P.M.)
£11/£5.50* IN ADVANCE: £12/£6* DOOR
Senior Citizens' ticket: £9 advance/£10 door.
*Under 18 or with N.U.S. Card
ENQUIRIES/BOOKINGS: 01305 266926
We look forward to seeing you at this or another Bluesnight soon.
Folk Seattle Channel
Some great blues and folk singers on the Folk Seattle YouTube channel.
Check it out. Mostly from the late 1960s.
You could start with John Lee Hooker
It serves me right to suffer.
Check it out. Mostly from the late 1960s.
You could start with John Lee Hooker
It serves me right to suffer.
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