Monday, March 12, 2012
More Dorking and more Kreutzer
Having missed the second concert by the Elias Quartet at Dorking (see February 5th for the first), got to the third and and last on Saturday. We had Mozart No. 18 (K464), Janáček No. 1 and Mendelssohn No. 2 (Op.13). So we finally get to hear the Kreutzer sonata noticed here from time to time (search for Kreutzer or see, for example June 20th 2010).
All three pieces did what I expected. The passion of Mozart was set in a calm and controlled setting. That of Mendelssohn was more lyrical and that of Janáček more anguished. Interestingly, my order of preference went forwards in time with earliest best while the BH order of preference, with her taste for the modern, went backwards in time with latest best. The leader introduced the Janáček by way of the Beethovnic and Tolstoyan antecedents, but giving the impression that the short story was a perfectly regular tale of adultery and murder, while I thought it a rather unpleasant piece of work. For a moment I was moved to stand up and tell her so, but luckily for all concerned the moment passed. She did better with the Mendelssohn, explaining that while this youthful work was a sort of tribute to the master and full of references to his work, this work was very much the composer's own. There might be references but there were no quotes. And true enough, the thing did remind one of the master, while being something else. A good thing, only catching us out by its drawing to a quiet close.
After the event, I tried to track down my copy of the short story, just in case BH wanted to take a peek, either because of or in spite of my panning. But my disapproval must have filtered through into the search algorithm because I was quite unable to find it last night. Had it been banished to the seldom used bookcase in FIL's room? Had I dumped it? But this morning I find it on the top shelf of the bookcase that is used. Which is all right and proper, because although I loaded 'War & Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' onto the Kindle, I had not bothered with all the other stuff and which should not, therefore, have been consigned to the Oxfam bucket at Kiln Lane.Which includes, as it happens, a number of those handy blue Oxford Classics of yesteryear, exparental stock.
During the event, we were not impressed by the staging. Not only have the flower arrangements been lost to economy, now the drapes to the staging have gone too. So we had a big extension to the stage, four by four panels sitting on substantial tube works, presumably for some other event. Then in front of that a much smaller and lower dais for the quartet to sit on, more four by four panels but sitting on slightly less substantial tube works. My point being that the tube works were on full view, rather than been decently draped. Slightly tacky looking. I don't think I would have been very impressed if I were the quartet.
Then this morning, moved to take another look at the Dorking Concertgoers on the Charity Commission web site, where I find that they have posted another set of accounts, this last one showing a profit rather than a loss. But the long term outlook remains a bit unsettled. Will they be able to sustain the formula of metropolitan music and suburban prices? I then got to thinking about how handy it was that I could look at the accounts of any charity in the land in this way. Before I give, check the people out. This sort of openness is good and probably encourages people to give. Being registered is also good as giving to a proper charity carries a feel good factor, provided, that is, one is not talking about the likes of Eton College, not my idea of a proper charity at all. Being registered also carries, I think, certain tax advantages. You can recover basic tax on donations through gift aid or something. Maybe there are VAT angles? I do remember not being too impressed to learn that Oxfam organise their shops in such a way as to minimise their tax bill. This is the behaviour of a for-profit outfit, for the Microsofts and Shells of this world; not for charities. All reflecting the steady erosion of the old fashioned idea of charity with older folks giving their money or their time in soft & decent ways, without the hustle & bustle of regular business. But perhaps it is for the best that charities should move with the times.
All three pieces did what I expected. The passion of Mozart was set in a calm and controlled setting. That of Mendelssohn was more lyrical and that of Janáček more anguished. Interestingly, my order of preference went forwards in time with earliest best while the BH order of preference, with her taste for the modern, went backwards in time with latest best. The leader introduced the Janáček by way of the Beethovnic and Tolstoyan antecedents, but giving the impression that the short story was a perfectly regular tale of adultery and murder, while I thought it a rather unpleasant piece of work. For a moment I was moved to stand up and tell her so, but luckily for all concerned the moment passed. She did better with the Mendelssohn, explaining that while this youthful work was a sort of tribute to the master and full of references to his work, this work was very much the composer's own. There might be references but there were no quotes. And true enough, the thing did remind one of the master, while being something else. A good thing, only catching us out by its drawing to a quiet close.
After the event, I tried to track down my copy of the short story, just in case BH wanted to take a peek, either because of or in spite of my panning. But my disapproval must have filtered through into the search algorithm because I was quite unable to find it last night. Had it been banished to the seldom used bookcase in FIL's room? Had I dumped it? But this morning I find it on the top shelf of the bookcase that is used. Which is all right and proper, because although I loaded 'War & Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' onto the Kindle, I had not bothered with all the other stuff and which should not, therefore, have been consigned to the Oxfam bucket at Kiln Lane.Which includes, as it happens, a number of those handy blue Oxford Classics of yesteryear, exparental stock.
During the event, we were not impressed by the staging. Not only have the flower arrangements been lost to economy, now the drapes to the staging have gone too. So we had a big extension to the stage, four by four panels sitting on substantial tube works, presumably for some other event. Then in front of that a much smaller and lower dais for the quartet to sit on, more four by four panels but sitting on slightly less substantial tube works. My point being that the tube works were on full view, rather than been decently draped. Slightly tacky looking. I don't think I would have been very impressed if I were the quartet.
Then this morning, moved to take another look at the Dorking Concertgoers on the Charity Commission web site, where I find that they have posted another set of accounts, this last one showing a profit rather than a loss. But the long term outlook remains a bit unsettled. Will they be able to sustain the formula of metropolitan music and suburban prices? I then got to thinking about how handy it was that I could look at the accounts of any charity in the land in this way. Before I give, check the people out. This sort of openness is good and probably encourages people to give. Being registered is also good as giving to a proper charity carries a feel good factor, provided, that is, one is not talking about the likes of Eton College, not my idea of a proper charity at all. Being registered also carries, I think, certain tax advantages. You can recover basic tax on donations through gift aid or something. Maybe there are VAT angles? I do remember not being too impressed to learn that Oxfam organise their shops in such a way as to minimise their tax bill. This is the behaviour of a for-profit outfit, for the Microsofts and Shells of this world; not for charities. All reflecting the steady erosion of the old fashioned idea of charity with older folks giving their money or their time in soft & decent ways, without the hustle & bustle of regular business. But perhaps it is for the best that charities should move with the times.
# posted by Jim @ 2:43 AM 
