Dr Cath Annabel

Current reading, plus Gwen Adshead’s The Devil You Know on Kindle

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

Music night. Sibelius, En Saga (op. 9). A single movement tone poem, premiered in 1893 but then substantially revised in 1902. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Stefan Solyom.

There's a particularly lovely version of M's favourite Ellington track, In a Sentimental Mood, which I guess I am just now.

Music night. Chico Hamilton Quintet, The Original Ellington Suite. Recorded 1958, released 2000. Eric Dolphy sax/flute/clarinet, Nate Gershman cello, John Pisano guitar, Hal Gaylor bass, Chico Hamilton drums. Gorgeous, & v apt for Valentines Day, for M who loved Ellington.

Final CD of the evening, Richard Strauss's Metamorphosen, which I heard live last Sunday. It's one of the von Karajan recordings of the piece, which I've seen particularly recommended. It is a stunning piece - perhaps needs more volume and more total immersion than I can manage now, but so fine.

Back to music, after a break to watch Train Dreams (what a wonderfully quiet, meditative film). Sibelius' Finlandia (bordering on over-familiar, but not there yet), & Symphony no. 4. Estonia earlier & now Finland - all prep for my Baltic adventure in May.

Music afternoon - Radio 3, Sound of Cinema and Jess Gillam's This Classical Life. Lovely to hear Cristobal de Morales' Parce mihi domine with the Hilliard Ensemble feat. Jan Garbarek.

Atticus is treated with perhaps less reverence than in TKAMB, maybe drawing on Go Set a Watchman, & Calpurnia has more to say (& says it trenchantly), but otherwise it is v faithful to the book.

Music afternoon. Erkki-Sven Tuur's Symphony no. 9, Mythos (2017), with the Estonian Festival Orchestra. Plus Incantation of Tempest, & Sow the Wind...

Superb stage version of To Kill a Mocking Bird @sheffieldtheatres.bsky.social - written in the 60s about the 30s but horrifyingly relevant all over again. Richard Coyle brilliant as Atticus, & v impressive staging.

Current reading, plus Abir Mukherjee’s The Shadows of Men on Kindle

Following that with more Tony Kofi, this time with Sharp Little Bones (Simon Paterson on bass, Paul Deats on keyboards & Andrew Wood on drums), from 2023.

Music afternoon. This time last week was at a harp & flute gig, today I'm listening to harp & sax - Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi's album Altera Vita, from 2024. Gorgeous. Looking fwd to seeing these 2 + HipHarp Collective at Scarboro Jazz Festival in September.

Last night finally got to see Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Not ideal for a solo, late evening cinema outing but I loved it, despite gore and scariness, tho it would have been nice to have someone's hand to grab from time to time. Now listening to the soundtrack which is glorious.

Wonderful evening of viol music from Fretwork - 16th/17th c repertoire plus Debussy, Part, Radiohead & Kate Bush! @musicintheround.bsky.social

Today's gig, @hallamsinfonia.bsky.social Strings performing Mozart Divertimento in F major, Elgar Serenade for String Orchestra & Strauss Metamorphosen. I hadn't heard the Strauss before - will have to listen again, there was so much more in it than I could grasp, & a piece of such power & depth

Music night. Staying in Sheff, to revisit Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which is now 20 years old, & still sounds bloody fantastic. My neighbour is away so I've cranked up the volume. Even the most familiar tracks still feel fresh & exciting.

Music night. Beats Working for a Living - lost gems & rarities 73-84. Sheffield musical history: Artery, Comsats, Vice Versa, Pulp, In the Nursery & many more. The accompanying CD to Martin Lilleker's eponymous book. Also linked to Jamie Taylor's brilliant book, Studio Electrophonique.

This is wonderful. I love cello & I love Britten so it wasn't a high risk choice, but I'm not v familiar with these pieces and am v much enjoying them.

Music night. Britten - Suites for Solo Cello, performed by Jean-Guihen Queyras. 3 suites, dated 1964, 1967 and 1971.

Would have been more enjoyable had I been partaking of something more mind-expanding than decaff tea. As it is, it took me a long time to realise that the CD was skipping, which means that the track might truly never have ended. Anyway, RIP Bob Weir, & a salutary lesson re listening to The Dead.

Music night. Following up Death & Transfiguration with The Grateful Dead's Live/Dead, in honour of the late Bob Weir. Recorded at various concerts in 1969 and released the same year, their first official live release.

Music night. Richard Strauss' Tod und Verklarung, which I heard as an impressionable teenager & loved - turns out I still love it. Tomorrow I'm going to a performance of Metamorphosen, so an early piece (1890) to prepare me for one of his last works (1945).

Completely gorgeous concert this pm. Juliette Bausor & Catrin Finch, Fantasies for flute & harp, by Bach, Fauré, Debussy, Alwyn & others. M loved harp, & would have loved this (we saw Finch perform with Seckou Keita some years back). Thx @musicintheround.bsky.social & Juliette & Catrin!

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