...such as the Magic Flute with dear David last night, on a hot, hot, summer evening at the Proms in the Albert Hall- this was a guest production from Glyndebourne and I enjoyed it hugely, although David, as usual, was a little more critical. We both agreed that the Zauberflote is not only comedy and the serious and deep bits in this production, those that needed to be dignified and grand were lost in unnecessary buffoonery. Great singing though! Here above is the Queen of the Night (brilliant singer but could have been a smidgeon more energetically blood thirsty in my humble opinion.)
Here is David's review: https://theartsdesk.com/opera/prom-51-die-zauberfl%C3%B6te-glyndebourne-review-smooth-classic-without-depth
..but I was about to talk about Carnival, so let's move on... On the Sunday I met up with a dear old friend from my modelling days: Vanessa Downing. She was a hugely successful cat-walk model, the favourite of St Laurent, Dior et al, whereas I was always a bit too big for those couture houses, and did more editorial etc. We had not seen each other for over 20 years- how lovely when you step straight into an old friendship as if 20 years were of no consequence! Here we are at the Globe, Talbot Road, my perpetual carnival hangout, which always has a topical stage- this year the houses of Parliament, from which came the sounds of Ska, Rock Steady and other retro stuff, for which this place is known and loved by a posse of afficionados who return year after year. Gaz's Rockin' Blues, as it is known, is run by Gary, the son of the blues legend John Mayall.
Of course there was also a plethora of fab costumes among the traditional carnival route, which passes straight under my window.
The view from my flat at about 8pm Monday:
and more soon ...about Mali too... !
