Fabio Zanon, Wigmore Hall, Lunchtime Concert, 22 November 2013

A real treat of a day off, this one. Our first treat was this lunchtime concert at the Wigmore Hall.

We were most impressed with Fabio Zanon.

Click here for the Wigmore Hall programme for this concert.

It was Britten centenary day, so the centrepiece was Britten’s Dowland-inspired Nocturnal, although we did get some Peter Phillips to get a genuine Tudor feel and also some Bach and others to cruise us through the centuries.

Here is a YouTube of Zanon playing some Scarlatti…

…and here is a YouTube of someone else playing a Peter Philips pavan on the lute…

..and here is a Julian Bream masterclass on that Britten Nocturnal:

After lunch at The Wig, we went on to see an exhibition about Zoroastrianism at SOAS, but that’s a different story – click here or below:

The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination, Brunei gallery, SOAS, 22 November 2013

The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination, Brunei gallery, SOAS, 22 November 2013

After our visit to the Wigmore Hall for the Fabio Zanon concert – click here or below…

Fabio Zanon, Wigmore Hall, Lunchtime Concert, 22 November 2013

…followed by a bite of lunch at the Wig, we hot-footed it across to Bloomsbury to see The Everlasting Flame exhibition.

Information about the exhibition, with some super sample images, is archived on-line – click here.

This exhibition rounded off a super cultural day off.

Zoroastrian Fire Temple, Yazd (2)

 

Beyond El Dorado: Power And Gold In Ancient Colombia, British Museum, 21 November 2013

I went to a private viewing of this exhibition, thanks to Tony Friend of College Hill (latterly Instinctif).

It was a very convivial corporate hospitality event in that grand foyer of the British Museum…

…so much so, that I felt very much in the minority when I took a good look around the exhibition. There was plenty of time to eat, drink, be merry and see the wonderful show.

Click here for a link to the British Museum resource on this exhibition. There are some super images of the main exhibits.

I was so taken with this exhibition I suggested it as the Z/Yen pre Christmas dinner cultural event for a few weeks later.

Below is a link to the promo vid:

Below is a British Museum vid on the goldmaking techniques of the ancient Colombians:

Godchild by Deborah Bruce, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 15 November 2013

This was a fun play with enough drama in it to keep us thoughtfully entertained.

Tracy-Ann Oberman (formerly of our NewsRevue parish – or at least the SportsRevue version is always superb value, as is Michael Attenborough, having a go in an even smaller house than the Almeida for once.

Click here for a link to the Hampstead resource on this play/production.

No formal reviews downstairs in those days, but this search term should find whatever there is out there on this production.