Post 433. TALKING ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL.

WHICH LOOKED LIKE THIS.

NOT THE OTHER ONE which was larger but occasionally looked like a cheerful evening in a home for retired entertainers: Where was that again? Glastonbury? Well they both had a lot of visitors so they must be doing something right.

On the Isle of Wight the early favourites included Madness, much loved over here (though Suggs, constantly interrupted in an off-stage interview, was not sure that the Red Arrows were being particularly friendly):the group did most of their popular numbers and everybody loved 'em. They were followed by the likes of Lewis Capaldi, The Charlatans, Kasabian, Mark Owen, Peter Tong, The Kooks and,to conclude the last night, Muse, one of the best bands on any festival stage anywhere, singer Matt Bellamy showing, for the benefit of those of us who who are blissfully unaware of such things, that he is a versatile and gifted musician too. We watched quite a lot of it on television. Ellis went, was sensibly selective in what he watched, came the couple of miles home each night rather than camp at Seaclose, and did not set eyes on his father, Mark, who was also there and who later had Covid. Ellis was lucky as was our daughter Roz's friend Wendy: she, with her daughter Lyla, was also at the festival. They came in to see us on their way back to Brighton. It was so good to see them again and exchange news.

As for Glastonbury. We also watched quite a bit of that on television. 

Neither Diana Ross nor Paul McCartney has as strong a voice as they once had, but they still have great stage presence and a faithful following. Which is surely what drives them on. They don't need the money, do they? 

And it didn't rain on anybody. Lovely.
I JUST STILL WISH

I HAD LEARNED TO PLAY THE PIANO.
Too late now.
But I do see some of the best pianists in the world on YouTube.

They nearly all speak English, too. What luck.

Just watched Peter Donohoe chatting, slightly uncomfortably I thought, to a select group at St.Mary's Perivale. Somebody really should have offered him a glass of water early on.
After his 1982 success in the Tchaikovsky competition I saw him play Rachmaninoff's 3rd  at Portsmouth Guildhall. Remember being vaguely disappointed at first (believe I thought it was going to be the 2nd), but finished up a lifelong admirer both of the 3rd and that performer.
He is still a fine musician and a nice down-to-earth man.
The same obviously goes for young Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki. His YouTube appearance with orchestra conductor Peter Oundjian discussing the cadenzas of Beethoven's piano concerti is fascinating even to a viewer who knows not a single note of music (not even tonic sol-fa).

Whatever your musical taste, enjoy it whenever and wherever you can.
Cheers.