A new venue?

Reference 1 would suggest that we had thought about going to Cadogan Hall before and I am fairly sure we used their facilities when we heard the Pergolesi next door, but the silence of the record otherwise would suggest that we had not actually been to a concert there, which would explain our being pleasantly surprised by the hall proper when we finally go there earlier this week, the draw being Leonskaja doing a Mozart piano concerto (K.271) - with Holst's planets after the interval, a work known to me for its figuring in an episode of 'Lewis', I think series 4, episode 2.

We decided to make a proper outing of it and so arranged to stay in a converted apartment block in Sloane Avenue. An apartment block which, given the window evidence mentioned at reference 2, is probably slightly older than our own house in Epsom. The flats it once comprised having now been withdrawn from the housing market and given over to holiday makers, having moved up in the process from maybe 200 residential flats to maybe 500 holiday flatlets. But done smartly enough and we like the aparthotel formula where you allowed, encouraged even, to do a modest amount of eating and drinking in one's room, in one's own space. Perhaps little bread, cheese and fruit, the sort of food which restaurants are loathe to serve, whereas in this case there was a Sainsbury's Local just down the road.

The room was a little smaller than I expected, but it was neat and smart enough. The BT Fon service which I get as part of my broadband deal was alive and well. Our only complaint was that the room got very hot at night and one needed to open the window wide to get it down a bit - which meant than one would wake up cold in the winter. There was also an odd hot patch on the floor, well above blood temperature, and we were quite unable to work out where the heat was coming from. Overall, given the good location, five minutes from South Kensington tube station, good value.

There was another block of flats across the road from our window which looked as if it was being run down so that it could be given the same treatment. And just down the road was what looked like one of those brown brick council blocks from the 40's or 50's, but perhaps council no more. We were surprised at the wide variety of housing in the area, a lot of it looking very expensive. Not to mention Sloane House in Old Church Street which must have been worth quite a few millions. It even had a tree in its own front garden.

Having inspected the housing, we made it to Cadogan Hall, which turned out to be a very handsome place - and unlike the Queen Elizabeth Hall, it still had a proper ante-chamber outside the chamber. I thought vaguely churchy and I was spot on as it turned out to have been built as a church for the Christian Scientists just before the first world war.

Leonskaja did a good job on the Mozart and we liked her restrained stage manners. Also those of the leader of the orchestra. Violinists very mixed in age, cellists more all of an age, which made me wonder about what it would feel like to be an old sweat in an orchestra. Plodding along with a not particularly comfortable peripatetic life, just waiting to be pushed off your stand by someone younger, perhaps fresh out of music school.

Holst was good fun, with a very large orchestra, with a sound which reminded me of Mahler's 3rd symphony. Lots of wind, brass and percussion to add savour to the strings. Plus two harps and maybe a celeste. That is to say Holst scored the planets with one, but I cannot now find any mention of one in the programme. Maybe it was called a piano there, understandable in that it looks like a small upright piano, although its action is more that of a hanging xylophone. Or perhaps tubular bells in a box.

Audience rather different in tone from the halls we usually frequent. A good mix of ages, but with a strong flavour of batty lady from Chelsea. Retired hippies, art teachers and such like.

Passed a doctor's plate on a semi-basement on the way back to the hotel, somewhere in or around Cadogan Street. A doctor who appeared to be operating as a sole practitioner, not something you see these days in Epsom, their all having been corralled into group practices.

PS checking in google and gmaps, the story seems to be that in 2005 or so, Sloane House was worth about £1.5 million, which does not seem nearly enough. I think the house is behind a black hoarding in streetview, being done up. Say 51.4883966,-0.1747769.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/return-visit.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/breakfast-in-bed.html.

Reference 3: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Leonskaja for previous concerts with Leonskaja. A little while ago now.