Sunday, October 30, 2011

Autumn Colour in London and some Music

Well I was off to London today to see a classical music concert.

If I go from Harlow it costs me £16 whereas if I drive the 6.6 miles to Epping tube station its £8 !! Go figure

Although you can't tell from this the tube station is well tended with flowers. Nice to see!


A rare sight an empty central line tube train.


Walking up the escalator at Marble Arch.


We were early though and headed to Hyde Park

Marble Arch






















Apsley House (or No 1 London) home to the first Duke of Wellington.


Wellington Monument





Another Wellington Monument



7/7 memorial





Boris Bikes



What was amazing were the numbers of Grey Squirrels in Hyde Park.

And so on to the Wigmore Hall to see the Pavel Haas Quartet named after the czech composer Pavel Haas and winner of the Gramophone Magazine CD of the year award 2011.

The programme was:

Pavel Haas String Quartet No 1 Op 3
Beethoven String Quartet in Bb Op 130 with Grosse Fuge Op 133

We were both sceptical of the Haas but we needn't have been because it was very fine and superbly played. It sounded like there was more than four people on the stage at one point!!

The Beethoven was well played and a good piece (the presto especially) but somehow I didn't wholly warm to it. I think much of this was due to a few very noisy people. I felt a bit sorry for the quartet because at one point as the playing went quiet you heard two people talking!!

They were very good and curiously playing on my birthday next year so I will go to that!!

2 comments:

Tricia Ryder said...

Was good to be a tourist for a while and to see the colour in Hyde Park.

and yes, pity about the noisy audience today but music was good (if a trifle long in one instance eh..)

oldcrow61 said...

Wonderful autumn pictures. I really like the woman archer. You can pop her in a bag and send along. Love that gate as well and the unicorn and lion. Such wonderful stuff. Interesting horse head statue and also the colourful family. Happy to hear that the concert was good.

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