There had been a disturbance on the trains during the day, I think the day when commuters were stuck on hot trains for hours, and I thought I had better ask Cortana. She scored on this occasion by choosing a website which had an up to date update about the whole business, which turned out not to disturb my evening journey. But I did wonder why the hot commuters did not open the (stationary) train doors up to let in a bit of air; I think I would have. OK, so it causes a bit of bother downstream, but at least one does not pass out upstream.
A new lift down to the car park under Cavendish Square seemed to be having some kind of state opening, but I could not get close enough to spot a celeb. or to find out what was special about this particular lift.
The tile art covering Debenhams was in good form, shimmering in the early evening breeze.
But the Cock & Lion was very busy and I was reduced to the bar at the Wigmore itself.
The flower arrangements to the left and right of the stage were not quite as well matched as usual. Right flowers and right colours, but the shapes were different. The director had a new summer suit. The auditorium was pretty, but not quite fully full. An expensively dressed lady sitting in front of me was wearing rather smelly perfume, for all the world like a boiled fruit sweet as far as I was concerned. Clearly got no nose for such things. But the first lady was balanced by a second lady sitting behind me in a leopard skin flavoured top, black stockings and high heels.
The page turner (who also got to move the sign about mobile phones) was properly self effacing. The piano was smartly turned out. The violin was smart enough, but not diva style, no expensive looking & revealing dress. But she did have something flashing and glittery on the fourth finger of her right hand, with the multi coloured glitter suggesting diamond to me.
I found the piano a bit emphatic at the start of most of the sonatas, partly masking the entry of the violin. The programme notes point out that the early sonatas were written as keyboard pieces with violin accompaniment - an arrangement popular with amateurs of the time, so good pot boilers, also explaining the pianistic dominance. And some of the second series were directed at the same market, which may have something to do with why I like them, with a bit less of the virtuosity & brilliance for its own sake of some later composers. It also seems that some of these later sonatas were written very quickly, perhaps only hours or days before the performance for which they had been commissioned, to the point where at the first performance of the first sonata of this evening (K454), Mozart had to play from compositional memory, if not to improvise. The notes also suggest something of a patchwork quilt like composing process, with the composer having lots of bits and pieces to hand which could have been fitted together in various ways. Not a grand compositional sweep through an entirely new piece at all. But this is all detail, on this occasion as on others, the sonatas did not fail to please.
A nice interval Chablis at the Cock & Lion, my only complaint being that they would only sell me a 250ml glass or a bottle, with the first being rather too much and the second out of the question.
Caught the 1013 from Vauxhall, according to my records a mere 8 minutes from the Hall, although thinking about it now that sounds a bit optimistic, with the walk to Oxford Circus being at least 5 of them. I shall have to time the trip again.
PS: as a result of the first lady, I now know, after many years in error, that twin set is not a name for a smart, matching top and skirt. Rather a matching pair of tops, one inner and one outer. It seems that BH used to make them once upon a time. Also one Peter Hahn whom I thank for the illustration above. I must have been on some other planet.
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