Simon Jones

Hallé/Wong review – new conductor commands an utterly gripping performance Conducting without a score, Kahchun Wong beguiled as he maintained ultraprecise coordination and built to a powerful, cosmic-scale finale

For the rest of us in the RAH it was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Mahler's 2nd performed this evening by the Hallé Orchestra and Choruses ranked with the all-time great Prom experiences.

I've never heard the Prommers roar quite like that at the end of a concert. The Hallé orchestra and choirs must be absolutely thrilled and deservedly so.

It certainly was!

It was awesome!

You have many parts Tom. I bet it was marvellous!

Royal Albert Hall prom concert.

Back for the BBC Mahler Festival.

Yes. It sounds like your love of the organ is indestructible! I'm only half way through and also don't want to give anything away about it so far. It has a plot involving organ music and a sinister undercurrent.

It also confirms my prejudice against organ music.

Thank you for the recommendation. I decided to start with his first novel. Now half-way through with absolutely no idea where it's going, but it's rather brilliant.

Yes, they put in an audio relay and closed the road!

YouTube video by BBC Music BBC Proms: Anna Meredith: Five Telegrams - Sender & Receiver

I'm just re-watching this. I love her work.

Somehow I'd never seen that. Anna Meredith is amazing! I'll never forget in 2018 standing watching the light projections onto the Albert Hall while her Five Telegrams was played inside.

Screenshot of link to The Spectator Give Eric Ravilious a rest.

Stop liking things I don't like. It upsets me.

We have to have 30 favourite film directors now?

Our book is out! The surprising history of masks worn by plague doctors, factory workers, trench soldier, hospital nurses, and the rest of us.

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...

@yalepress.bsky.social
@yalebooks.bsky.socuial

Waterstones' promotional flyer for Matt Houlbrook's book Songs of Seven Dials: An intimate history of 1920s and 1930s London. The flyer includes an image of the book and the discount code you can use to preorder it on the Waterstones website: SUMMER25

Come for the new history of 1920s and 1930s London, stay for the discount...

Waterstones are offering 25% off pre-orders Songs of Seven Dials this week: just enter SUMMER25 at checkout.

Book is out on 21 Oct – in time for autumnal nights & Christmas gifts.

www.waterstones.com/book/songs-o...

Miss Mowcher is full 20th century scouse, which I'll concede works pretty well.

The Ellison Tunnel, held up with wet 100 year old timbers

And some concrete

Very very excited middle aged nerd at the entrance to the Ellison Tunnel

The Ellison Tunnel again

Have been exploring Monte Pasubio today. The underground workings (many hundreds of metres of tunnels dug into solid rock) are absolutely incredible. There’s still a lot of burned and rusty stuff down there.

Painting of the trunks of pine trees and an old German steel helmet filled with pine cones. It is Pine Baron by Andrew Wyeth.

Wyeth vibes. As a child I was taken to an Andrew Wyeth exhibition and this was my favourite painting.

Portrait of a Lady: comparing works of Flemish master Robert Campin & his pupil Rogier van der Weyden Painted in 1435 (Campin left) and 1440 (Van der Weyden right), oil on panel, in three-quarter pose, with white, pinned linen veils against dark backgrounds, with subtle textures of skin, fabrics and jewellery portrayed with intense realism. National Gallery London | Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Portrait of a Lady: comparing works of Flemish master Robert Campin & his pupil Rogier van der Weyden Painted in 1435 (Campin left) and 1440 (Van der Weyden right), oil on panel, in three-quarter pose, with white, pinned linen veils against dark backgrounds, with subtle textures of skin, fabrics and jewellery portrayed with intense realism. National Gallery London | Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Portrait of a Lady: comparing works of Flemish master Robert Campin (L) & his pupil Rogier van der Weyden (R) painted in 1435 & 1440, oil on panel, women in white, pinned linen veils against dark backgrounds, with subtle textures of skin, fabrics & jewellery.
National Gallery | Gemäldegalerie Berlin

😁

It turns out the collective noun for swans is a sibelius.

This does sound how you could get to the page on the website that allows you to enter the full details and place your order.

BTW when I tried to reorder, my Norton antivirus blocked the URL as a suspected phishing site. I haven't checked today to see whether it's unblocked.

I had Puss in Boots which I bought with my own money from the bookshop at the end of our road.

When I worked out the email address for the broken 'contact' button (HMCTSWills@ironmountain.co.uk) to ask what the problem was, I received a reply fairly quickly telling me my mistake and that I should apply (and pay) again!

I've not experienced that particular issue. I discovered my problem was because I had misspelt the middle name of the person by one letter! Although every other detail was correct I lost my money.

👏🎉🐎

Ah, so it's the dodgy website that I posted the link to above. I won't bore you with my ongoing issues with it.