A little old-fashioned (but that's allright)..

A good old-fashioned rec at Old Heath

One of the Gates

My wonderful wife likes some old-fashioned pleasures (no guffaws please) such as reading Colchester's fine weekly newspaper 'The Essex County Standard' every week. She says it's so she can tell which patients have died or been sent to prison. But she does spot interesting events going on in our town. We are lucky to have several active societies with interests such as Nature (Colchester Natural History Society), archaeology (Friends of Colchester Archaeological trust) and local history. The Friends of Colchester Museums and Art Galleries (a bit of a mouthful!) are holding a talk By well-known local historian Andrew Phillips, about the new Recreation Park gates (no, I didn't know either). It's at Lion Walk church, April 11th, 7.30 pm. If you want more info. you can email davidpatrickwalton@gmail.com - but if you've read the Essex County Standard from cover to cover you'll already know that.

The gates were designed by Tim Ward with ideas supplied by local primary schools. Accompanying descriptive plaques (written by Andrew Phillips) give some of the fascinating history.

Song - Good Old-fashioned Lover Boy - Queen. Saw them in '78, when I was a young old-fashioned lover boy! Brian May in his pomp - how many Rock Guitar legends went on to be Astrophysicists?

You say you want a revolution..

Wallpaper as revolutionary instrument - with thanks to William Morris and David Mabb

I've now had time to enjoy the exhibition #worldsupsidedown at Firstsite, and there's plenty to enjoy - and think upon. It's easy to forget that the decorative 'Arts and Crafts' designs of William Morris sprang at least in part from his socialist ideals (believing that medieval craftsmen were somehow more 'free' than 19th Century factory workers). Something we should all consider today - just who is making those very cheap Primark (note: other cheap clothing brands are available) clothes? - and is it economically and environmentally sustainable?

With thanks to Firstsite

...and that links nicely to an astounding film on show, 'Man with a Movie Camera', a Russian film from 1929 by Dziga Vertov, edited by his wife Elizaveta Svilova. It shows scenes of life in several Russian towns and cities, and is driven by the most modern-looking of techniques - slow-motion, freeze-frames, jump-cuts, extreme close-ups, tracking shots - all the visual tricks that make our modern cinema so exciting. If you've got even a few minutes it's worth catching - you might end up watching for longer than you intended - I did!
Song - A Rush and a Push and the land is ours - A Smiths song kept alive by lyricist Morrissey (music was of course by Johnny Marr - the band had split up by the time the album 'Strangeways Here We Come' was released in 1987).

Exit, pursued by a bear....

Maybe a more frightening bear....

Mercury, winged messenger to the gods, brings world-class theatre to you!

It's ironic, but arguably the most famous line from Shakespeare's 'Winter's Tale' is never spoken - 'Exit, pursued by a bear' is a stage direction. But who exits? and why a bear? - you'll have to go along to the Mercury this week to find out. World-famous experts in the modern interpretation of Shakespeare, Cheek by Jowl, are performing the play prior to a run at the Barbican in London. So instead of an expensive trip to London, one of the world's best theatre companies comes to you. And you can get tickets for just £12.

Book tickets here - they're sure to sell fast as word spreads. See you there!

Song - The Shepherdess' song - don't seem to be many sheep though. But then I am a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles.

Energy from Fusion...in Coggeshall

Colchester Chamber Choir in a previous fusion project - with nature at the Beth Chatto Gardens

When a Classical orchestra, choir, or festival advertise a 'fusion' between Classical music and some other genre I'm nervous - another attempt to 'sex up' some classical repertoire with someone playing, oh, something like Jazz Guitar. But what do we have here? - the next Colchester Chamber Choir gig on March 19th features their usual impeccable and superbly researched choral repertoire, this time based on the 'Song of Songs', with guitar improvisations from Jazz king Chris Allard. The advertising even uses the word 'Fusion' -scary stuff.
This caused me to muse on my prejudices. I am fond of claiming eclectic tastes - and here's two eclectic things for the price of one! And I don't believe in the boundaries between musical genres. And certainly I don't believe in the old classical snob view that Classical music is 'proper' music (implying all other forms are lesser in some way).  And then I realised that one of the most enjoyable concerts for me last year was a duet of Jazz Trumpeter and Classical harpist! (at Birmingham Town Hall - a great place to hear music if you're ever in that area).

So why not make your way to Coggeshall (booking tickets here first of course) on Sunday 19th March? It will be interesting. It might be fun. It may be amazing. Starts 7 pm - See you there!

Song - Here's a taste of Chris Allard, albeit in a slightly different context, in a duet with Jacqui Dankworth - 'One Friend'.  Chris will have many singing friends on Sunday, including Tenor Christopher Huggon, who is training with The Sixteen.

Multiple Choice

Bang up to date at Firstsite - with thanks to Zhang Enli

Not one but three (and a half) new Shows at Firstsite - So no excuse for not finding something interesting! The canvases and painting along the curved wall by Zhang Enli are to my mind plodding, but you might think differently - go see!

....and the 'WunderKammer' of items from Colchester and Ipswich Museums is not helped by unimaginative curation  - but you might enjoy the artefacts.

For me the most interesting exhibition was #WorldsUpsideDown, about how the changing use of media has influenced revolutions around the world.... only on until 2nd April. It's not just riots and dictators - there's even Morris wallpaper!

with thanks to Zhang Enli and Firstsite

Song - The Great Curve - Talking Heads.

ooh-la-la...in Harwich

A nice sunset walk in Harwich before the film

Good to see work underway on the development in town that will see Colchester gaining a new Curzon cinema, but in the meantime we still have good choices for cinema-goers, aside from the good old Odeon. There's an interesting weekly program in Wivenhoe, but best of all is the splendid 1911 Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich.

More than one shilling I'm afraid

A Nice pint in the Alma pub beforehand, then a stroll to the Cinema. I recommend getting there in good time to enjoy one of their delicious ice-creams. I enjoyed La-La Land - a great film. I don't understand the people who normally would consider themselves open-minded and interested in the arts saying 'I don't like musicals', or 'there's not much of a story', or 'they can't sing and dance that well' . One - it's a great Film, as well as a musical - enjoy the sweeping camera, the colour, the acting. Two - not all films have to have a aching, arching, usually depressing story, and Three - well, pay attention! - that's the point! - it's partly about the dream of Hollywood in all our lives. Anyway, I loved it, you are at liberty to not love it, but please give it a chance.
Song - sorry, has to be A Lovely Night - La La Land. One shot - cinematic brilliance.