In a short while I shall share a restaurant Sunday lunch with two old bass playing friends - both in their eighties!
So the conversation may just turn to music! One was my teacher in the late 1980s, and the other is one who I was priveleged to play next to on some very memorable occasions after he retired as first double bass in the Royal Opera House Orchestra [Covent Garden] in London, where he worked for over thirty years from 1955 having left the LPO for the confines of the Theatre pit!
Such nice events are all too rare!
Best wishes from George
Posted on: 02 November 2008 by u5227470736789439
It was a most lovely meal, with the other two having roast lamb and I having roast beef, followed by three servings of rhubarb crumble!
Music, and double basses kept cropping up. Veered away from and then cropping up again. The three of us were taken for WW2 veterans! This was faintly amusing for me born in 1961! One was in the Woolwich Arsenal and its associated band while the other was just too young to be involved. Polio then exempted him from National Service, so not a very heroic bunch all told.
But it was so nice to meet two old friends and collegues after too long. I have kept my head down with man people during the employment difficulties I have had over the last two years, but now having nice news to share, I am happy to be sociable again, as in the old days!
I also saw several CD sets of live recordings made at the Opera House during the tenure of Bert. BBC recordings issued by the ROH, CG, and mouth watering for Opera lovers.
And some lovely photos from the old days of such orcheatras as the Reginald Jacques Orchestra, the Boyd Neil, the LPO [including their tour of Russia in 1955] as well as many from the Opera House and them on tour all over Europe in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
A lovely day out, with old friends. ATB from George
Plus I had a nice little play on a nice old French bass! After a few minutes warming up I played the solo bass entry in the Funeral March from Mahler's First Symphony [roughly a take on Frere Jacque] which is not hard apart from being very high on the instrument! They both thought I should take playing up again, but that will not happen! Either it is played well, or not by me! As I am not confident I would do it well if the repetitive strain came back, then I don't want to push it! Better to listen to others do it much better!
Posted on: 02 November 2008 by GML
Glad you had a good time. I don't know how you managed three servings of rhubarb crumble though, you must have been esurient.
That has reminded me of one 'Berlin Fritz' (forcing down rhubarb crumble) connected with a thread many moons ago about forcing rhubarb by Mr P.
Nice to see you back here.
Best wishes
George.
Posted on: 02 November 2008 by u5227470736789439
Dear George,
I did give the other two a chance of having some crumble! I did eat half the potatoes that accompanied our first courses though, much to the amusement of the other two! I always did eat like a horse ...
Good beer too. Wye Valley Ale, and very nice in a gentle sort of way ...
I remember those happy old rhubarb forcing days too! I miss that sort of banter, as it was between two who clearly more or less enjoyed winding each other up! And they succeeded, which was the funniest part. Somehow it was both serious and also not quite. Somehow the wind-ups these days are not so light hearted, so my efforts at posting will only be here in the Muso's Room and the Lunatic Corner -- Sorry, I meant the Padded Cell! I know nothing of Hifi so will steer clear of the Lunatic Corner, and the let's Dis Audio section!
Safest alround I'd say. Especially as Music is not a feature of either of those sections as far as I can tell!
ATB from George
Posted on: 02 November 2008 by pe-zulu
quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:
But it was so nice to meet two old friends and collegues after too long. I have kept my head down with man people during the employment difficulties I have had over the last two years, but now having nice news to share, I am happy to be sociable again, as in the old days!
Dear George
Good to hear that you had a nice triple bass meeting. If human beings maybe never will get the dream of being able to travel backwards in time fulfilled, we can at least say, that we in a way do so, when we meet old mates or old friends, whom we have not seen for a long time. The concept of time aquires so to say a new dimension in this kind of situations.
On the other hand it concerns me to read, that you have kept your head down for some time. There is no reason, why you should do so, whether you are employed or unemployed.
Regards,
