To Clapham

Got off the train at Clapham Junction and left by south side for the first time for a while, perhaps as long as a couple of years, although I have done north side at least once this year (see 7th June). Interested to find that Wandsworth Council felt rich enough to pave the immediate surrounds of the station with smart granite blocks from more than one country, that is to say of more than one colour. All very pretty. But but by the time one gets to Clapham Common one is in Lambeth who clearly do not feel so rich and their pavements are still rather tatty council slabs, this despite the general ambience being very cosmopolitan, not to say metropolitan. But there was an imposing water fountain made mainly of polished pink granite, not working but topped by some handsome bronze figures, perhaps including the patroness of thirsty travellers.

On and into Clapham Picturehouse to see a film of a performance of Billy Budd, a new to me way of consuming opera, not that I have done much of any other sort, and none for some years now.

Lunchtime audience much the same as one would get for a film at the Epsom Playhouse, albeit with a slightly more metropolitan tone. Maybe fifteen of us altogether.

Small auditorium with comfortable seats. Screen a sensible size and the sound not too loud. So off to a good start. But then we got some warming up stuff about Glyndebourne which was not so good. And then, after the much needed interval (100 minutes in one place is rather a lot for me these days, even in a comfortable seat, and the full 200 minutes would be out of the question), we got five or ten minutes of talking beard, a real downer. I know you have to frame the film in some way but surely somebody could come up with something better than this? I read my Guardian to show my disdain.

Opera rather good, only marred by a lot of zooming in and out, round and about. They didn't just park the cameras in the centre stalls and let the show do its stuff, they had to have close ups of sweat dripping off noses, just like they do on telly. All very distracting. And I suspect that the performance filmed was not a proper public performance, despite the impression given by the packaging and despite bits of clapping, rather a telly special with telly makeup and so on and so forth. But I was still impressed enough that I will try to go to a live performance should such a thing turn up in London. Not sure about trolling out to Glyndebourne and mixing it with the glitzy opera gang you get there.

It struck me that the opera, with its very spare & tragic plot, was very much a passion play - and one which made the recently half seen passion from Gibson seem very silly - as well as offensive. See 10th August.

There is also the question of Britten being a conshy, a scarcely respectable line to take in the second war but one which perhaps drives the choice of subject matter of this opera - the cruelty of the articles of war. But then there is the odd constrast between the solicitude for Budd and the disregard of the many casualties which will result from any clash between the 'Indomitable' and the French, a clash much desired by captain and crew alike. And mangled French corpses are invisible; the French are other, of no more consequence than cows or pigs.

Out to find the sun was still shining and lots of people sunning themselves on the common. Back up the junction, taking in an eel & pie shop on the way which was a bit nearer the mark than the various more gentrified offerings near the common. Mash, pie and gravy for £3.50, tea 90p extra. Good gear and felt very full afterwards, although not so full that I was was detered from taking home a couple of slabs of bread pudding, described as home made and which turned out to be quite good for a shop product - if no where near the fresh BH made product. Inspection of Google this morning reveals a whole resurgent pie culture in London, transcending its east end origins and I suspect that the place I visited was repro rather than original, despite the authentic sounding accents of the serving girl. Certainly the furniture was clean and modern. Must take a more careful look next time I am in the area.

Back home to find that someone is now watering the new trees outside the station, which will probably survive, albeit in a rather stunted condition. See 11th June and 1st August.