Jerusalem

Last Sunday to Smith Square for a concert relocated from the South Bank, the QEH refurbishment presumably being under way, I think our first visit since the Chopin at reference 1.

Same route as last time, exiting at a very quiet Pimlico, with just a few small helicopters overhead. Nothing as grand as a chinook on this occasion. Refreshment at the Hilton Doubleday, surprised by the size and location of what must be the Burberry's head office and then off to run the small gauntlet of demonstrators against all things Israeli, in this case the Jerusalem Quartet, outside St. John's. Otherwise, security at St. John's up just a notch from its usual very laid back.

I suspect the Quartet of being made up of emigrés from the last days of the Soviet Union, but whether or no, they have cast in their lot with Israel, and they have to put up with demonstrations, which I have to say make me a bit uncomfortable, my not being very comfortable with Israel in general. I know that there is all the bad history and I dare say they have been provoked by more recent events, but I do feel they could do better in the search for peace in their part of the Middle East than they are. In this age of public apologies for bad things done long ago, perhaps they could make a start with some public recognition that they did some bad things of their own back in 1948. And if they do not do better, maybe it will get to the point when sanctions will be needed to get some action. In the meantime, I go to the Quartet, a quartet which is very good at its trade, home base notwithstanding. See reference 2.

Sat about ten rows back which did very nicely and from where, for some reason, I was rather struck by the way the top of the (Corinthian) capitals above us took on a very dragons' heads appearance. Followed by a nicely balanced concert with Haydn, Bartok and Dvořák, with the minuet from Haydn's sunrise by way of an encore.

Shouting by demonstrators faintly audible in the quiet bits, the front of house claim that audible demonstrations on Sundays were banned by by-law in Smith Square notwithstanding. Presumably the idea was the the long suffering residents of nearby streets (Harold Wilson used to be one) deserve a break from politics at least one day a week.

St. John's was about three quarter's full this Sunday afternoon, quite a lot of people of working age and a sprinkling of children. One wondered what they made of it. When I tried the Bartók (No.6) again, a few days later at home, an ancient Hungarian recording complete with Hungarian labels, it seemed very flat compared with the real thing. Maybe I will try again when the performance has worn off a bit; the start of the Takács Quartet version on YouTube is certainly encouraging. Maybe Bartók at home really needs the headphones I use when I am typing.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/chopin-as-in-shopping-1.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/a-politicised-event.html.