Long Reach or Down to Earth?

On Thursday 4th July 2013 I attended the Long Reach or Down to Earth? talk by Dr. Graham Cross at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. This was the third in a series of talks to celebrate 50 years of The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library. This event was about the importance of 8th Air Force Fighters during World War Two.

The Memorial Library is a unique “living memorial” to nearly 7,000 young Americans in the 2nd Air Division of the US 8th Air Force who lost their lives during the Second World War. Located in the landmark Forum building in the centre of Norwich, the Library have a lending collection of over 4,000 books covering all aspects of American life and culture, and a specialist collection devoted to the history of the 2nd Air Division.

These talks have been a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library. This was another interesting talk as Dr. Graham Cross told us about the use and tactics of 8th Air Force Fighters during World War Two. VIII Fighter Command was the fighter arm of the Eighth Air Force during World War Two. Its primary mission was to escort the heavy bombers of VIII Bomber Command to their targets in Occupied Europe, providing protection against Luftwaffe interceptors.

High Society at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Monday 1st July 2013 I attended the evening performance of Cole Porter's High Society at Norwich Theatre Royal. High Society has been adapted from the hit 1956 film, which starred screen legends Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. I went to Norwich Theatre Royal prepared for a glorious night of vintage Hollywood.

Wealthy socialite Tracy Lord is in the midst of planning a lavish summer wedding when her ex-husband Dexter Haven turns up to disrupt the proceedings in an attempt to try and win her back. A further twist arrives in the form of charming reporter Mike Connor who falls instantly for Tracy, and she for him. As the day of the wedding draws closer we’re left guessing which groom the bride will choose.

There were amazing performances from Michael Praed as Dexter Haven and Sophie Bould as Tracy Lord on a night that brought us a number of beautiful ballads including True Love, You're Sensational and Well, Did You Evah! This was a glorious night at Norwich Theatre Royal as we were treated to a night of sparkling glamour.

Pavilion Brass Quintet in Chapelfield Gardens

On Sunday 30th June 2013 I attended the Pavilion Brass Quintet Bandstand concert in Norwich Chapelfield Gardens. This was in the Bandstand Concert Series organised by Norwich City Council and Brian Dermott in various Norwich parks on every Sunday from June to August.

One interested spectator was Go Go Gorilla World Animals who was designed by Becca Sturgess and is sponsored by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. The Pavilion Brass Quintet played a wonderful programme of music that was enjoyed by both the audience and World Animals.

The sound of The Beatles Eleanor Rigby and Tom Jones Delilah echoed around Chapelfield Gardens on a wonderful Summer Sunday afternoon. This Bandstand Concert Series have proved to be very successful and is giving a lot of pleasure to lots of people during the Summer.

Dexterity Trio at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On Saturday 29th June 2013 I attended the Dexterity Trio Summer Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich which was the last in this season's Mancroft Music Summer Recital Series. The Dexterity Trio are Anna Hopkins - flute, Maja Passchier - cello and David Morgan - piano.

Anna Hopkins studied for four years at the Royal College of Music. She is a private and peripatetic flute teacher and is also an examiner for London's Trinity College. Maja Passchier studied cello at the Utrecht Conservatoire. She now lives in Norwich and teaches cello in schools and privately. David Morgan was a lecturer of music at Norwich City College and he was Organist at St. Edmunds, Acle.

The programme consisted of Trio No.28 in D major - Haydn, Trio Op.36 - Steel and Trio on English Folk Songs - Rowley. They were due to play Sonate en Concert - Damase but played pieces by Elgar, Faure and Mendelssohn instead. The Dexterity Trio told us they would play Sonate en Concert at a later date.

This was a wonderful recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church which proved to be a fantastic finish to this Summer's Recital Series. This has been another successful series for Mancroft Music as yet again they have provided the people of Norwich with lots of splendid music.

The Perfect American at The London Coliseum

On the evening of Thursday 27th June 2013 I attended the English National Opera's performance of Philip Glass's The Perfect American at the London Coliseum. I enjoy my visits to this amazing venue with it's relaxed atmosphere and the English National Opera's productions always seem unique and interesting.

Based on Peter Stephan Jungk’s novel and written by Philip Glass, one of the world’s most important composers, The Perfect American imagines the final months of Walt Disney’s life, including mythical imaginings of Abraham Lincoln and Andy Warhol. This latest opera from Glass, his 24th, was commissioned by ENO and Teatro Real Madrid to mark his 75th birthday.

The sounds of Minimalism and the world of Walt Disney made for a surreal night at the London Coliseum as we discovered Disney’s delusions of immortality and got a glimpse into his private life. There were fantastic performances from Christopher Purves as Walt Disney and Janis Kelly in the role of Disney’s studio nurse and confidante.

This was a very enjoyable night at the London Coliseum as Philip Glass's The Perfect American made for a fascinating and entertaining Opera which included a brilliant score. The Opera ends with Dantine, an animator who worked on the classic Disney films, meeting the undertaker at the funeral home. He is told that Walt Disney has not been frozen but rather his body has been cremated. In the distance the chorus echoes Disney’s dreams of a magical world of everlasting happiness.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre

On Thursday 27th June 2013 I caught the Norwich to London National Express Coach at Norwich Bus Station. My first event of the day was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time picked up a record equalling seven Laurence Olivier Awards included Best Actor for Luke Treadaway’s portrayal of Christopher.

Adapted from Mark Haddon’s 2003 best-selling book, playwright Simon Stephens transfers all the mystery of the novel to the stage. The play follows a 15 year-old maths genius who tries to unravel the mystery of his neighbour’s murdered dog, that was found speared by a garden fork. Against his father’s orders, and in spite of his own personal limitations, Christopher sets out on a quest to discover the real truth behind the murder. Unfortunately the teen unearths more than he bargained for and eventually the secrets of his own life unravel before his very eyes. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is both a murder mystery and a tale of personal discovery for somebody on the edges of society.

The stage was full of squares and numbers which to me represented the complex and logical nature of Christopher's brain. He is a mathematical genius who always tells the truth whatever the circumstances. From his investigations concerning the murdered dog he learns a lot about how adults tell lies and some shocking truths about his family. He finds out his Mother is still alive and makes a epic journey from Swindon to London with his pet rat, Toby.

I really enjoyed the fast and furious nature of the action on stage which included flash backs and how we as the audience were able to get to understand Christopher's behaviour. Everyday things appeared to be difficult for him but A Level Maths with it's logical solutions were suited to his way of thinking. This was a wonderful and very enjoyable afternoon at the Apollo Theatre which showed how the theatre can portray different ideas and visualise them. The stage design seemed very 21st Century and made for the perfect setting for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Christopher's adventure.

Cawston Band at Eaton Park

On Sunday 23rd June 2013 I attended the Cawston Band concert at Eaton Park, Norwich. This concert was part of Norwich City Council's Bandstand Concert Series organised by Brian Dermott, which are taking place every Sunday from June to August in various Norwich parks.

Cawston Band prides itself on its reputation for versatility and quality. The band competes nationally on a regular basis, whilst also maintaining a very high level of concert performance. Cawston and District Silver Prize Band, to give them their original title, were formed in 1886 in the village of Cawston 11 miles north of Norwich.

During the afternoon the rain stopped and we were able to fully enjoy a wonderful show from the Cawston Band. One of the highlights was a Les Miserables medley which was greatly enjoyed by the audience. At the end of the concert they had us dancing like Cossacks.

Eve Daniell and Tom Primrose at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On Saturday 22nd June 2013 I attended the Eve Daniell and Tom Primrose Summer Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich. I just made the start of the Recital after watching The Lions beat Australia with a two minute dash from Timberhill.

The programme consisted of Mio Caro Bene from Rodelinda - Handel, An die Musik - Schubert, Standchen - Schubert, La Diva de L'Empire - Satie, Schlagende Herzen - Richard Strauss, Befreit - Richard Strauss and On this island - Britten.

British/Canadian soprano Eve Daniell is attending the Royal Academy of Music in London. She attended the University of Victoria and holds performing diplomas in voice and piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has performed as Witch and Mother in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

Tom Primrose is studying piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music. Before this he was Assistant Organist and Director of the Girls' Choir at Norwich Cathedral. He is director of the Symphony Choir at the UEA, working regularly with the Symphony Orchestra. He is also Artistic Co-Director of the Southrepps Classical Music Festival.

This was a wonderful Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church with both Eve Daniell and Tom Primrose giving splendid performances. Thanks to both of them for standing in at short notice for this Mancroft Music Summer Recital. It was fantastic to hear Benjamin Britten's On this island in his Centenary Year.

Poetry Unbound at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

On Thursday 20th June 2013 I attended Poetry Unbound at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. Poetry Unbound is a free event aiming to open up poetry to a new audience, and provide local poets with a platform to showcase their work. A selection of the poems are displayed in the library and added to an ongoing digital archive, where they can be shared and read by everyone.

Julia Webb moved to Norwich in 1991. She has had work published in various journals and anthologies and in 2011 she won The Poetry Society’s Stanza competition with her prose poem Lent. She has performed at the Ely River Rhymes Festival and Wymondham Words Literary Festival.

Meirion Jordan grew up in South Wales. His first collection of poetry, Moonrise was shortlisted for a Forward Prize for best first collection in 2008 and his pamphlet-length collection of poetry, Strangers Hall was shortlisted for an East Anglia Book of the Year award in 2009. His most recent collection, Regeneration is a double volume of poems exploring the literary worlds of the medieval Welsh tales of the Mabinogion and Welsh Arthurian stories.

This was a fantastic and fun night of poetry at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library which included an open mic. I really enjoyed Meirion Jordan's poems from Regeneration. Poetry Unbound is a great way to get more people involved in Poetry.

From Here Lincoln Came

On Wednesday 19th June 2013 I attended the From Here Lincoln Came: Abraham Lincoln in East Anglia, 1809-2009 talk by Dr Sam Edwards at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. This was the second of three talks celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.

The Memorial Library makes available for loan current material covering all aspects of American history, culture, and life. It also includes some specialised material about the Second World War in the air, and material about the special relationship between the people of the United Kingdom, specifically the people of East Anglia, and the people of the United States.

This talk by Dr Sam Edwards from Manchester Metropolitan University was about Abraham Lincoln's links with East Anglia and celebrating his English ancestry. The great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather of Abraham Lincoln was Richard Lincoln, a resident of Swanton Morley. His son Edward lived in Hingham and due to a family squabble was disinherited. Edward's son Samuel Lincoln was an apprentice weaver before leaving for the New World in 1637.

Dr Sam Edwards told us of attempts to link Abraham Lincoln to his English roots as part of transatlantic politics. There is bust of Abraham Lincoln in St. Andrew's Parish Church of Hingham in Norfolk. This was a very interesting talk at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library which highlighted the Great Emancipator's East Anglian ancestry.

Richard Carr Organ Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On Saturday 15th June 2013 I attended the Richard Carr Big Screen Summer Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich which featured some wonderful organ music, perfect for summer. It was a bonus to have a big screen installed into the church for this performance and made for an exciting event.

The programme consisted of Piece d'orgue BWV 572, version originale d'apres le manuscrit de J.G. Walther - Bach, Organ Sonata in G major K328 - Scarlatti, Organ Sonata in D major K288 - Scarlatti, Sinfonia from Cantata 156 - Bach, Three Pieces from Richard III - Walton, Sicilienne - von Paradis and Suite Gothique - Boellmann.

Richard Carr began his musical career as a county music scholar at the High Wycombe Music Centre, where he studied piano and cello. He studied music at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and graduated in 2003. Richard is currently Director of Music at St. Michael's Church, Bishop's Stortford, where he directs the choirs of adults and children and oversees the church's music programme.

This was another fantastic afternoon at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich in this year's Mancroft Music Summer Recital Series. Richard Carr gave us a memorable performance which included a wonderful Suite Gothique. I always enjoy my visits to St. Peter Mancroft Church to listen to the church's splendid organ.

Marco Lo Muscio Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral

On Thursday 13th June 2013 I attended the Marco Lo Muscio Lunchtime Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral which featured a varied programme of organ music. Marco Lo Muscio is a organist, pianist and composer from Rome, Italy who has given more than 700 concerts as part of organ and piano festivals at various high profile venues such as Shostakovich Great Hall and Glinka Capella in St. Petersburg, The International Music Arts Centre (Svetlanov Hall), Westminster Cathedral and the Church of the Queen of Denmark in Copenhagen.

The programme consisted of Contrapunctus I BWV 1080 (Art of the Fugue) - Bach, Jane Seymour (The Six Wives of Henry VIII) arr Lo Muscio - Rick Wakeman, Red Pedal Solo - Marco Lo Muscio, Second Chance arr Lo Muscio - Steve Hackett, Judas Iscariot arr Lo Muscio - Rick Wakeman and Concert Variations on Greensleeves dedicated to Christopher Herrick - Marco Lo Muscio.

This was a fantastic lunchtime at Norwich Cathedral as Marco Lo Muscio treated us to an interesting and lively programme of organ music. From Red Pedal Solo to Greensleeves, this was an Organ Recital to remember. These Lunchtime Organ Recitals have proved to be a great success at Norwich Cathedral this year and is a date to put in your diary each month.

Finding Fallen Eagles talk by Ian McLachlan

On Wednesday 12th June 2013 I attended the Finding Fallen Eagles talk by Ian McLachlan at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. This was the first of three talks celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.

The Memorial Library makes available for loan current material covering all aspects of American history, culture, and life. It also includes some specialised material about the Second World War in the air, and material about the special relationship between the people of the United Kingdom, specifically the people of East Anglia, and the people of the United States.

The Finding Fallen Eagles talk was about the aviation archaeology of US aircraft lost in Norfolk during World War Two. Ian McLachlan is a renowned aviation historian and author who gave us an account of the excavation of the sites as well as details behind the causes of the crashes. He took us through the process of documenting a site, from the initial research to placing the artifacts in museums. He told us about the trials of gaining permission from land owners and the Ministry of Defence as well as dealing with difficult excavation environments.

From these aircraft excavations Ian McLachlan has been able to give us a detailed account of these incidents as well as the people involved therefore we were able to learn about those involved and aspects about their lives. We also heard about his experiences when one of his excavations was featured on Time Team on Channel 4. In February 1944 two American 'Flying Fortresses' crashed into each other only a few miles from their home base, on their way back from a bombing raid over Germany. One of the aircraft tumbled into a marsh at Reedham, Norfolk killing all ten of the crew and gradually became buried in the peat.

This was a very interesting talk by Ian McLachlan at the Norfolk and Norwich Library which was fully booked as the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library celebrated 50 years in the fine city of Norwich. This Autumn Ian McLachlan will be presenting an exciting eight week course called The Friendly Invasion: The US Army Air Force in East Anglia at the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.

Hellesdon and Sprowston Brass at Chapelfield Gardens

On Sunday 9th June 2013 I attended the Hellesdon and Sprowston Brass Bandstand concert in Chapelfield Gardens, Norwich. This is a series of concerts organised by Norwich City Council and Brian Dermott in various Norwich parks during the summer.

Hellesdon and Sprowston Brass are one of Norfolk's top brass bands and this was an eagerly awaited event in this year's Bandstand Concert Series. The band helped warm the crowd in Chapelfield Gardens with a wonderful programme of music.

We were treated to a number of Abba songs as well as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. I see a little silhouetto of a man. Scaramouch, scaramouch, will you do the fandango. This was a fun afternoon in Chapelfield Gardens which was greatly enjoyed by both the band and audience.

Celebrating Benjamin Britten at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On Saturday 8th June 2013 I attended the Celebrating Benjamin Britten Summer Recital at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich which was part of Familiar Fields, celebrating Benjamin Britten's life and music in Norfolk and Suffolk. The Choristers, Girls' Choir and Choral Scholars of St. Peter Mancroft along with Julian Haggett - organ/piano and Jody Butler - director performed a programme of Benjamin Britten songs.

The most celebrated British composer of the 20th century, Benjamin Britten was a giant of the world stage whose roots were firmly in East Anglia, his music inspired by its landscapes and sea. He was born in Lowestoft on 22nd November 1913, schooled at Greshams, Holt, gave numerous performances in Norwich and lived most of his life in Aldeburgh. Under the Familiar Fields banner, musical and artistic organisations across Norfolk and Suffolk have come together to promote events celebrating the centenary.

The programme consisted of Friday Afternoons, The Salley gardens, Little Sir William, Prelude and Fugue on a theme of Vittoria (Organ solo), The Ash Grove, O Waly, Waly and Three two-part songs. This was a wonderful celebration of Benjamin Britten which began with Friday Afternoons, which is a set of 12 songs composed by Benjamin Britten between 1933 and 1935. The simple songs, with witty piano accompaniments, are dedicated to Britten’s schoolmaster brother, Robert, and the boys of Clive House preparatory school, Prestatyn, a school in which choir practice and singing lessons regularly took place on a Friday afternoon.

The next two songs performed were were The Salley gardens which is a Irish tune with words by W.B. Yeats and Little Sir William, a Somerset folksong. Julian Haggett performed the organ solo before The Ash Grove, a welsh tune and O Waly, Waly a folksong from Somerset were sung. The recital finished with Three two-part songs which included The Ship of Rio which ends with a scampering of monkeys across the sand. This was a splendid event at St. Peter Mancroft Church which I greatly enjoyed.