Wednesday 9 May 2012

Summer delights

Girl with orange balloon - by Michael Clement and published in the Guardian on January 22nd
Three new entries to report from the last week or so - all look to be totally delightful and all at the Buxton Methodist Church which is always a good venue.

Making a welcome return to the Fringe are Susie Self and Michael Christie. Susie was voted best vocal performer at last year's Fringe and she'll be accompanied by Michael on the cello in what looks like a multi-media event. With photographs; words by Hardy, Shaw and Joyce; music by Elgar and Ireland (and others) they will telling of John Drinkwater's travels in Georgian England. Performances on the first three days of the Fringe - 6-8 July.

On July 9th there is a one-off Summer Seranade by local musicians and singers. Alison Bletcher will be conducting the Ladybrook Singers and Ailsa Hoyle (violin) and Miriam Brown (cello) will be making music. Many of these splendid people were part of one of Fringe 2009's highlights. This is sure to be an evening of musical warmth.

On July 22nd there will be a lunchtime recital with tenor Timothy Kennedy accompanied by pianist Catherine Hall-Smith. Entitled Songs of Romance the centrepiece of the recital is Schumann's song cycle Liederkreis, op. 39. The Methodist Church is going to be hosting some happy musical hours this July.

Elsewhere Buxton people seem bidding to take over the various pages of the Saturday Guardian. Last week included the photograph by Michael Clement displayed above. This week has two letters. John McGrother succeeds in letting people know of the mixed emotions involved in watching Rotherham United.
Hollow laughter is one response to the dilemmas created by the London-based trough-snouting tendency (Dome, Wembley, Olympics), for whom the easy way is always to pour local concrete than to invest in what the country needs. However, as a Rotherham season-ticket holder, currently observing the beautiful game across eight lanes of an athletics stadium, I should advise West Ham supporters that they would regret losing the smell of the wintergreen and the roar of the crowd.
John McGrother

This week's other football story is discussed by a number of writers including Ian Jefferson who pleads for freedom to have illiberal prejudices.
Your coverage of the Graygate saga, as a disciple of Jill Tweedie and Mary Stott, appals me. Professional football is riddled with prejudices and always has been. But the nature of the game, for fans, is about tribal allegiance and passion; sadly, perhaps, such traits and attitudes can encourage the "dark forces" of humanity. Do we wish to have matches played out in a theatre to polite applause?
This country should permit the freedom to have illiberal prejudices. There is a world of difference between private remarks, however offensive, caught off-air and attempts to disseminate such opinions. And "banter" is a rather more sophisticated method of communication than first meets the ear. Views expressed in "private clubs" often represent long-established conventions of what is expected to be said, when many present, in different environments, would hold different views and, crucially, not act in ways that might be expected.

Ian Jefferson

by Keith Savage - Published 29/01/2011

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