Author: Ian Louis Harris

Im Zimmermanschen Kaffeehaus, A Weekend With Trevor Pinnock & His Pals, Wigmore Hall, 14 & 15 January 2000

A pair of baroque concerts over that weekend – Friday evening and Saturday evening. We chose to go and see both. It was part of a series named “Bach & His Contemporaries”.

I logged that Janie and I both described the concerts as:

superb.

On the Friday evening we saw/heard:

  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Trio Sonata in G for violin, flute and continuo
  • Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer – Chaconne in D minor for solo harpsicord
  • Diderik Buxtehude – Sonata in B flat for violin and viola da gamba Op 1 no 4 BuxWV255
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata in B minor for flute and harpsicord, BWV 1030
  • Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber – Passacaglia for solo violin
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata in G minor for viola da gamba and harpsicord, BWV 1029
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Trio Sonata from the Musical Offering, BWB 1079

On the Saturday evening we heard:

  • Georg Philipp Telemann – Suite in A minor for recorder and strings
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto in C for two harpsicords, BWV 1061
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata in G for violin and harpsicord, BWV 1019
  • Sylvius Leopold Weiss – Tombeau sur le mort de M Comte de Logy
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Orchestral Suite no 2 in B minor

Trevor Pinnock, Rachel Podger and some of the others recorded the Bach trio sonatas that year. I have put together a playlist on YouTube Music which includes those lovely sonatas and some other pieces from the January 2000 weekend – click here to listen to that playlist. Don’t be put off by the strike through on the link – anyone can hear the playlist but you will get adverts if you are not yourself a YouTube Music subscriber.

If you prefer to just click the odd embed, here is one of the Bach sonatas we heard Trevor and Rachel play:

I wasn’t familiar with the work of JCF Fischer. Here’s Trevor Pinnock playing Fischer’s passacaglia, not the chaconne we heard. Still lovely:

Here are some other people playing (part of) the Telemann Overture/Suite that we heard:

The Weiss piece was a delicious listen. Here is Evangelina Mascardi giving it a go.

We heard William Carter play the Weiss at that January 2000 concert, long before Janie’s “mystery punter” evening at the same venue:

William Carter, Theorbist Extraordinaire’s Mystery Punter Outed, 24 September 2010

Finally, here is a YouTube of the closing number from that brace of delicious concerts, with music so you can play along with it if you wish:

Septimus Gussett This Is Your Life by Magnolia Thunderpussy (aka Mike Ward), Actor’s Workshop Halifax, 7 January 2000

This “opus” was not Mike Ward’s finest hour as a comedy impresario.

For several years prior to this one…and indeed for many years after…the Actor’s Workshop would traditionally stage “New Year Revels”. Indeed, I met Mike early to mid 1990s, when his son, Adam, briefly wrote for NewsRevue and twigged that his dad’s annual show might benefit from material produced by NewsRevue writers. I contributed to the show for several years and visited it for the first time in 1997:

New Year Revels 1997, Actor’s Workshop, Halifax, 2 January 1997

I have no idea why Mike decided to try something different in 2000. Perhaps it was because several of the NewsRevue “class of ’92” had all-but stopped writing sketches and songs by 1999. Possibly it was Mike’s irritation that so many of the sketches and songs that were written by young Actor’s Workshop folk for him to perform mocked his rhotacism. Septimus Gusset was, if I recall correctly, one of Mike’s “answers to that”. (Performing On The Waterfront some years later was another, no doubt, whereas Mike’s wonderful Casablanca The Musical, which literally brought the house down the following year, embraced that rhotacism).

Casablanca The Musical by Magnolia Thunderpussy (aka Mike Ward), Actor’s Workshop, 18 September 2001

In truth, Janie and I were not wild about the Septimus Gussett show and I don’t think it did anything like as well as “New Year Revels” in the matter of bringing the Actor’s Workshop community together for a celebratory show.

Still, Janie and I had a most enjoyable short trip up to Halifax. We stayed at the Crown, again and I am pretty sure that Lottie Ward treated us to one of her magnificent beef fillet feasts at Mike & Lottie’s place after the show.

Peggy for You by Alan Plater, Hampstead Theatre, 27 December 1999

Our last show of the old millennium.

We rated the play/production “good”.

What was not to like? Maureen Lipman as Peggy Ramsey, with sound support from Tom Espiner, Selina Griffiths, Richard Platt and Crispin Redman, all ably directed by Robin Lefevre.

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this play/production.

Yes, the show was a bit of a luvvy-fest but what else might you expect in the circumstances?

Susannah Clapp in The Observer preferred Mnemonic:

Mnemonic & Peggy Susannah ClappMnemonic & Peggy Susannah Clapp 28 Nov 1999, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our friend, Michael Billington really liked it:

Peggy Billington GuardianPeggy Billington Guardian 24 Nov 1999, Wed The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor in The Independent was entertained but thought that Maureen Lipman as Peggy was a case of miscastology…so at least Maureen got an ology I suppose and for sure she spent a lot of time during the play on the phone.

Peggy Taylor IndependentPeggy Taylor Independent 24 Nov 1999, Wed The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Mnemonic by Simon McBurney, Théâtre De Complicité, Riverside Studios, 18 December 1999

Janie and I have tended to have a soft spot for anything Complicité, not least because our first proper date was Théâtre De Complicité’s Street Of Crocodiles:

Janie and I Go On Our First Proper Date, The Street Of Crocodiles, Cottesloe Theatre, 29 August 1992

But Mnemonic didn’t need our soft spot – it was excellent in its own right.

Superb

…I said in my log and meant it.

Strangely, writing 25 years later, this piece has recently been revived (or rather, reimagined) by Complicité in London at the National.

This original production was at the more utilitarian Riverside Studios, a venue we have always liked.

Excellent cast, including Simon McBurney himself, the wonderful Katrin Cartlidge (who died tragically young) and Richard Katz, who had previously worked wonders with my material in NewsRevue – for example the Woody Allen role in Mama Mia Farrow:

Mama Mia Farrow, NewsRevue Lyric, 18 August 1992

…but I digress.

Here is the Theatricalia entry for this play/production.

Anyway, Mnemonic really was superb and we were lucky to have seen the original production of it.

Nick Curtis wrote it up at length in The Standard:

Mnemonic Curtis StandardMnemonic Curtis Standard 03 Dec 1999, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The local rag loved it:

Mnemonic Tear HammersmithMnemonic Tear Hammersmith 24 Dec 1999, Fri Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush Gazette (Hammersmith, London, England) Newspapers.com

I think a lot of the usual suspects ignored it until it transferred to the National a couple of year’s later…and then was reimagined more than 20 years after that.

But we saw the original production…at The Riverside…have I mentioned that before?

We Partied Like It’s 1999…Because It Was December 1999

Sailing Barge Lady Daphne, Photo by Jtaylor100, CC BY-SA 4.0

“Surprise” Party For Elisabeth Mainelli, Lady Daphne, 2 December 1999

Janie has written directions to St Katherine’s Dock in excruciating detail in her diary for that event. I merely wrote “surprise! boat”.

I have a funny feeling that this surprise party was not the best kept secret in the City that year. I sensed that Elisabeth feigned surprise rather than was seriously surprised.

It would have taken quite a ruse to lure her to the boat in December on the evening of her birthday without some suspicion arising.

Still, I recall that it was a good party.

Caroline’s Engagement Party, The Ruts, 4 December 1999

We moved our Hedda Gabler theatre tickets from the Saturday to the Friday in order to attend this party.

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, A Version by Frank McGuiness, Theatre Royal Plymouth At The Richmond Theatre, 3 December 1999

I hope Caroline and Alan appreciate being given priority over Francesca Annis for our Saturday night entertainment.

*Spoiler Alert* The Caroline and Alan story had a happier ending than Hedda Gabler.

Joking apart, it was a great party as I remember it. Caroline’s mum went to town producing amazing grub for the party and there was a very happy buzz about the evening.

Z/Yen Seasonal Event – Park Inn, Wellington Terrace W2, Preceded By Drinks At Ian’s Newly Refurbished Flat, 17 December 1999

Sofa, so good – the living room in my flat

This was one of the more memorable Z/Yen seasonal events…but mostly for the wrong reasons.

Firstly, there was a mad rush to get my flat ready to accommodate the drinks party at mine ahead of the dinner at The Park Inn. Gavin’s snail-like progress was doing Janie’s and my head in – it would have been TOO embarrassing to have had to relocate the drinks because the flat wasn’t ready.

At one point- I think it was the preceding Friday as Janie and I both took that day off for this purpose – Janie even ended up on her hands and knees helping Gavin to varnish the floorboards – subjected to the indignity not only of doing the work for which we were paying but being bossed around by Gavin in the style that had put off his many attempts at engaging assistants:

GAVIN: NO! Don’t do it like that! Do it like this!

JANIE: Does it really make a difference, Gavin? I can’t see the difference and we need to get this finished.

GAVIN: NO! NOT LIKE THAT!

To add to the problematic nature of this event, several member of staff went down with an especially nasty lurgy in the days running up to the event. I think in the end only about seven or eight people attended, one of whom was Linda Cook who turned up despite feeling under the weather and ended up crashing out on my (brand new) bed and then going home rather than staying for dinner.

Fortunately, we knew May at The Park Inn so well that the constantly reducing of numbers and the eventual relatively small table was all handled with her usual professional and service-oriented demeanour, so all who ate, ate well.

No quizzes and no Secret Santa yet. Linda got into her stride from the early 2000s onwards in those regards.

Michael wrote the song that year…

Toil and Play

God rest ye Z/Yen par-tic-i-pants,
There’s no point in dismay
Remember Christmas parties
All end in disarray
Don’t save yourself from whiskey’s pow’r
You might as well a’stray

O tidings of bromo and fizz
Bromo and fizz
O tidings of bromo and fizz

From year to year we reappear
And wonder all the same
How business so chaotic
With such an awful name
Can still inspire Nippon songs
And ever-woeful games

O tidings of toil and play
Toil and play
O tidings of toil and play

But when to Ze-e-Yen they came
Where their dear project lay
And found us all hung-over
But still prepared to pay
We found our invoice quick and fast
And saved ’em from May-Day

O tidings of toil and pay
Toil and pay
O tidings of toil and pay

Only Michael could choose the words “bromo and fizz” to replace comfort and joy. It seems that Bromo-Seltzer has a long and (in)glorious history in song lyrics. Who knew? (Well, Michael did, obviously). Perhaps you had to be there…or to have sent a sick note at the time…to get the gist of that song.

Wanton disregard for puns and comedic timing

Battle Royal by Nick Stafford, Lyttelton Theatre, 11 December 1999

Our verdict on this one:

Had its moments.

That is not a rave review.

This production was awash with star names; Zoe Wanamaker, Simon Russell Beale, Gemma Jones, Suzanne Burden, Brendan Coyle, Matthew Macfadyen…

…directed by Howard Davies.

Here is the Theatricalia link for this play/production.

The production and talent on show was all very high quality – I don’t think the play did it for us.

It didn’t seem to please all the critics either. Nick Curtis in the Standard gave it the dreaded blob:

Battle Curtis StandardBattle Curtis Standard 10 Dec 1999, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor, in the Independent, also panned it.

Battle Taylor IndependentBattle Taylor Independent 10 Dec 1999, Fri The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

On the other hand, Charles Spencer in the Telegraph rather liked it:

Battle Spencer TelegraphBattle Spencer Telegraph 10 Dec 1999, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

But our charitable friend, Michael Billington, awarded it a rare mediocre two stars:

Battle Billington GuardianBattle Billington Guardian 11 Dec 1999, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Wachet Auf: The King’s Consort At The Wigmore Hall, 9 December 1999

“Wachet Auf” means “Wake Up!”, which was possibly an early call for wokery back in the Baroque period…or possibly not. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend English speakers barking this German language expletive after a couple of G&Ts – it might be misunderstood.

We rated this gig “very good”. Some lesser known works by Bach’s lesser known contemporaries, sandwiched between a bit of Telemann and a bit of Bach:

  • Ouverture “Perpetuum Mobile”, Georg Philipp Telemann
  • Balletti Lamentabili a 4, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber
  • O Heilige Zeit, Johann Kuhnau
  • Sinfonia No 2 in C Minor, Johann Ludwig Krebs
  • Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns die Strimme Cantata BWV 140, Johann Sebastian Bach

Here is O Heilige Zeit performed by Solomon’s Knot:

Here is the Krebs Sinfonia, performed by Capella jenensis:

Here is a recording of Wachet Auf by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra under Ton Koopman…

…whom we saw 25 years later performing Telemann sonatas and Tafelmusik at The Wig:

Ton Koopman 80th Birthday Celebration, Soloists of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Wigmore Hall, 29 November 2024

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, A Version by Frank McGuiness, Theatre Royal Plymouth At The Richmond Theatre, 3 December 1999

Another Friday, another theatre visit. This time we had even booked for the Saturday, but switched to the Friday to accommodate Caroline Freeman’s engagement party on the Saturday.

Janie and I rated this Hedda Gabler as “good”.

Janie and I had seen a mediocre (or, in Janie’s words, “OMG it was dreadful”) Hedda in Holland Park a few year’s earlier…

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Holland Park, 17 July 1993

Even after this 1999 Hedda, I still didn’t feel that Janie had seen a good enough version, so we did it all again at The Almeida a few year’s later.

Anyway, this one was a West End preview with Francesca Annis as Hedda and other West End names such as Peter Bowles and Nyree Dawn Porter in tow. Frank McGuiness directed it.

This one started in Plymouth a week or so before we saw it in Richmond. Here is Leon Winston’s review from the Herald Express:

Hedda Winston HeraldHedda Winston Herald 23 Nov 1999, Tue Herald Express (Torquay, Devon, England) Newspapers.com

This production didn’t seem to make much sense to Charles Spencer in The Telegraph:

Hedda Spencer TelegraphHedda Spencer Telegraph 02 Dec 1999, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Becky Gaunt in The Feltham Chronicle liked it but felt short-changed by Frank McGuiness’s scaled-back version.

Hedda Gaunt FelthamHedda Gaunt Feltham 02 Dec 1999, Thu The Feltham Chronicle (Hounslow, London, England) Newspapers.com

Anna Weiss by Mike Cullen, Whitehall Theatre, 26 November 1999

A rare visit to theatre in town on a Friday evening for us – I think the plan was for Janie’s sister Hilary and her husband Chris to visit that Saturday/Sunday but in the end that visit got postponed.

My log is silent on this play/production, so it obviously didn’t have a profound impact on us. Excellent cast though: Shirley Henderson, Catherine McCormack & Larry Lamb, directed by Michael Attenborough.

Here is the Theatricalia entry for this play/production.

Nick Curtis in The Standard admired the attempt to tackle the very difficult issue of extreme child abuse, but felt that this play/production didn’t work:

Weiss Curtis StandardWeiss Curtis Standard 23 Nov 1999, Tue Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph expressed similar sentiments to those of Nick Curtis:

Weiss Spencer TelegraphWeiss Spencer Telegraph 27 Nov 1999, Sat The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Other regulars don’t seem to have reviewed this piece – perhaps they were stunned into similar silence to my own.

Some Dubs At Queen’s With Abe Koukou & His Pals, 24 November 1999

Same place, 20 years later

I have previously written about my inadvertent act of gamesmanship – specifically guestmanship – with Abe Koukou at The Queen’s Club earlier in 1999.

Lawn Tennis At Queen’s, In Which I Inadvertently Deployed Gamesmanship Masterfully, Yet Still Lost, 24 June 1999

This note in my diary reminds me of one of the occasions when Abe nevertheless invited me back to play doubles with him and his pals. Not on that wintery-looking grass court, of course, but indoors on the carpet.

I don’t recall what happened tennis-wise – I suspect that I partnered the best of the four and that we had a decent game on the back of that.

I remember what happened afterwards more clearly. Abe was keen to see the progress (or lack thereof) in my Clanricarde Gardens flat, which had been a conversation piece over drinks. I think we also agreed all to dine at The Park Inn, my favourite Chinese restaurant, on Wellington Terrace just a few strides from the flat. So all four of us bundled over to my part of Kensington as it were, to see the flat.

It was very much still work in progress. I remember one of the guys questioning whether it would all be done before Christmas if, as I had described, Gavin was unable to retain a member of staff even for half a day so was effectively working alone on the job.

I also remember one of the guys (perhaps the same one) suggesting that the smell of solvents inside the flat was so great that it was making his eyes stream after five minutes and was surely so strong that anyone working in there for several hours would be “high as a kite” for much of the day.

Valid points, I sense.

Eventually it was all done and lovely…much to the relief of all of the then residents.

I don’t much recall the meal either. But at The Park Inn it will have been good.