Is it me or are the public at large generally thick when it comes to using mobile phones.
Normally if you can't hear the person on the other end then you would turn up your volume a bit but a passenger in the car this afternoon was on a call and he couldn't hear what his mate was saying and demanded that his mate "Turn HIS volume up so that his mouth is louder". (His words, not mine)
When you turn the volume up on a phone you are increasing the level in the ear piece. Not the mouthpiece. He then went on to say to his mate that he couldnt hear him for all the music in the background. Wouldnt it have made sense if that person had left the room and moved somewhere quieter before attempting to make the phone call.
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Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4
Wednesday, August 15
16 August 1977-2007: Thirty years later - and - Long live the king!
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Tuesday, August 14
The Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, St Emilion and Bordeaux
Travel Video and TV News report:
Music and Markets Offers Sumptuous Bordeaux Fall Getaway
Fall into the ultimate French getaway – luxuriating in Bordeaux’s renowned wine country and imbibing inimitable wine, food, music and guests on this, their most splendid tour, a sumptuous autumn escape to Bordeaux. This week-long getaway includes a rejuvenating grape-treatment spa, delectable haute cuisine, world-class wines (of course!), and best of all, mingling with internationally recognized musicians throughout the day before hearing them perform in an intimate soirée setting.
Throughout the week, guests will indulge in a lavish menu of cultural and gastronomic pleasures. The first night is spent delightfully decompressing amid the vineyards of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte at the Sources de Caudalie Hotel and spa.
The next day, guests can relax and refresh during a morning of pampering at the renowned Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, before departing for St. Emilion, a medieval village set above the Dordogne River valley and surrounded by chateaux and vineyards. Postcard perfection awaits as guests can stroll the cobblestone streets, enjoy an aromatic pause at a patisserie, tuck into a boutique or two, and select a bottle of wine at a town vintner. Then in the evening, epicurean delights await during dinner at a former Cardinal’s palace, now a gracious hotel and restaurant inside the ramparts of the historic village, a Unesco World Heritage site.
For the next four days, as part of the Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, guests will continue to discover the lush beauty and culinary riches of the region, following the route du vin through the oft-toasted vineyards of Bordeaux at harvest time, and can either test their culinary prowess during a hands-on cooking class with Chef Georges, sniff, swish and swirl at a wine-tasting class with a Master of Wine, or just absorb the distinct pleasures of the treasure-filled villages of the region. Other activities include an insider’s visit to a winery that will allow guests to learn about the intricacies of quality wine making, and purchase, if they’d like, wines direct from the viticulteur.
It is the evening entertainment; however, that sets this Bordeaux getaway apart from all others. In the midst of stellar vineyards is the home of the Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, owned and organized by Ian Christians. Here guests will enjoy his bubbly house party with world-class musicians and fellow music lovers, sharing many a bon soir mingling with other guests, savoring hors d’oeuvres and aperitifs before stepping into the salon, La Musique, where artists introduce the works they’ve prepared for the evening. The grand venue, originally designed in the 1700s as a celebration hall for the vendage, boasts wonderful oak beams, stone-arched windows, and a splendid Steinway, owned previously by renowned pianist Alfred Brendel.The artistry continues, as Chef Georges Gotrand presents his culinary masterpieces at a candlelit dinner table. Georges introduces each evening’s palate-pleasing menu, and the resident Master of Wine provides expert commentary about the wines and the rationale for the pairings. After the main course, guests return to the salon for a shorter, less formal concert before completing the evening with an abundant array of cheeses, as well as dessert and coffee.
This captivating combination of fine food and wine, marvelous music, and plenty of pampering – all in a lush French countryside setting – begins October 5 and is priced at $4450 per person. Each Music and Markets tour is limited to no more than 10 people, allowing each participant to receive personal service and attention that’s often unavailable on other tour packages.
For more information about the Music and Markets in Bordeaux tour, or any other
Music and Markets offering, contact us here.
Related articles:
Bordeaux
Canadian Resort near St Emilion
Bordeaux
Tourism and Porperty in France
Wine tasting weekends in Bordaux
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Another Feast of Divine Music
Last night, once again in the Abbey church of Paunat, the Dordogne was most privileged to have perform for us the amazing and delightful ensemble of Les Violoncelles Francais -- a group of the best cellists in France, performing together under the masterful direction of Roland Pidoux.. offering an array of surprises and old favourites, playing a charming game of musical chairs between each piece so as to be in the right place for each different arrangement -- another perfect ummer's evening in the countryside of France!
Related Articles:
Musique de Sol festival, Paunat
Paunat
Nanates Music Festival
French Day of Music
Celtic Music Festival in Brittany
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Wednesday, August 8
Summer in the Dordogne
In summer the Dordogne comes alive with music and cultural activities - so much so that it is impossible to attend even a fraction of what is available.
Last Saturday the street theatre came to Lalinde with a quality performance in the village square that would have drawn crowds in Broadway. A simple story told through music and song, characters on ten-foot high stilts and on mono-cycles, fairy lights and fire eaters, jugglers and contortionists. A veritable feast for the eye and the soul!
More food for the soul on Sunday night when three young local men performed to far too few in the Lalinde church -- a magnificent accoustical venue in which to present the combination of organ and two trumpets. Bach at his spine chilling best and Purcell to die for!
Last night I attended the second of three music recitals in the achingly beautiful Abbey church in Paunat.
This church in Paunat is one of a handful of churches in the area that was consecrated in the first millennium - namely in 991 -- but its construction dates back even further --- to 804. Again, the natural stone and uneven surfaces of the very high walls, provided a perfect accoustical chamber for any music, and the gleaming black Bechstein looked quite at home in the soft golden glow of the cherch last night. Roger Muraro was the pianist who regaled us with his lively and animated interpretation of Mozart, Liszt and Chopin. Muraro is best know for his mastery of Messianen's work, and as this composer was so strongly influenced by the delicacy and refined harmonic work of Chopin, it is probably not surprising that Muraro was able to present a fresh and different approach to Chopin's Funereal Sonata opus 25 and the ever-delightful Andante spianato et Grande Polonaire. The last time I had heard this piece was in the open air of Chopin Park in Warsaw and at the time I thought one should never play this piece in any other setting. Hearing it again last night in the ancient abbey church of Paunat, made me change my mind on that one!
Reading up on Muraro was interesting -- almost everything written about him all over the world is positive and complimentary -- especially where it concerns his knowledge and expertise in Messianen's work, but for his interpretation of Chopin, Liszt and his vaast repertoire of other work as well -- that is -- everything and everywhere -- except in the British press.
We also suffered from Roger Muraro, a pianist known in Britain only for having his past Ravel recordings purloined for use under Joyce Hatto’s name in that sad hoax. One might brush off Muraro’s metallic lamé jacket as a
French eccentricity. Far harder to excuse the thumping dullness of his Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand., writes Geoff Brown on Muraro's preformance at the Proms at the Albert Hall last week. Listening to the Brits in the audience last night -- all distinctly dressed in their English-in-the-french-countryside uniform of pale pastel
linens for the women and the obiquitous jumper-over-the-shoulders for the men -- I could not help but wonder whether they had all done their homework before the recital and read the same Geoff Brown crit in The Times of last week. Almost the exact words were heard - sounding oh so knowledgeable and erudite, but with nowhere a reference, acknowledgement or a quotation mark in evidence. I shuddered and for a moment thought I had landed back in the counties amongst the Landrover, cashmere and Harrow/Charter House coterie. But how could that have been? Never in Surrey or any of the shires did we enjoy this kind of cultural feast and this quality and variety of entertainment and enjoyment as the French are so good at offering! I was so tempted to mutter out loud the lovely Robert Auden observation about the Brits ---
Let us honour if we can
The vertical man,
Though we value none
But the horizontal one.
Tonight I join a group of friends for a completely different experience - A Blues and Gospel evening in the main market square of the beautiful medieval bastide town of Monpazier -- and Monday night it is back to Paunat for a magical evening of six of the best cellists in France, performing together under the masterful direction of Roland Pidoux. Could anything be more beautiful than an ensemble of 6 cellos? -- Let's hear what the Brits have to criticise there!....
Oh -- and forget not to come join us this weekend in Lalinde for the Annual Wine Fair as well as the musical street party on Saturday night! -- and remember to bring your own cutlery and crockery!
See you there!
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Relocation Orientation in France
Last Saturday the street theatre came to Lalinde with a quality performance in the village square that would have drawn crowds in Broadway. A simple story told through music and song, characters on ten-foot high stilts and on mono-cycles, fairy lights and fire eaters, jugglers and contortionists. A veritable feast for the eye and the soul!
More food for the soul on Sunday night when three young local men performed to far too few in the Lalinde church -- a magnificent accoustical venue in which to present the combination of organ and two trumpets. Bach at his spine chilling best and Purcell to die for!
Last night I attended the second of three music recitals in the achingly beautiful Abbey church in Paunat.
This church in Paunat is one of a handful of churches in the area that was consecrated in the first millennium - namely in 991 -- but its construction dates back even further --- to 804. Again, the natural stone and uneven surfaces of the very high walls, provided a perfect accoustical chamber for any music, and the gleaming black Bechstein looked quite at home in the soft golden glow of the cherch last night. Roger Muraro was the pianist who regaled us with his lively and animated interpretation of Mozart, Liszt and Chopin. Muraro is best know for his mastery of Messianen's work, and as this composer was so strongly influenced by the delicacy and refined harmonic work of Chopin, it is probably not surprising that Muraro was able to present a fresh and different approach to Chopin's Funereal Sonata opus 25 and the ever-delightful Andante spianato et Grande Polonaire. The last time I had heard this piece was in the open air of Chopin Park in Warsaw and at the time I thought one should never play this piece in any other setting. Hearing it again last night in the ancient abbey church of Paunat, made me change my mind on that one!Reading up on Muraro was interesting -- almost everything written about him all over the world is positive and complimentary -- especially where it concerns his knowledge and expertise in Messianen's work, but for his interpretation of Chopin, Liszt and his vaast repertoire of other work as well -- that is -- everything and everywhere -- except in the British press.
We also suffered from Roger Muraro, a pianist known in Britain only for having his past Ravel recordings purloined for use under Joyce Hatto’s name in that sad hoax. One might brush off Muraro’s metallic lamé jacket as a
French eccentricity. Far harder to excuse the thumping dullness of his Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand., writes Geoff Brown on Muraro's preformance at the Proms at the Albert Hall last week. Listening to the Brits in the audience last night -- all distinctly dressed in their English-in-the-french-countryside uniform of pale pastel
linens for the women and the obiquitous jumper-over-the-shoulders for the men -- I could not help but wonder whether they had all done their homework before the recital and read the same Geoff Brown crit in The Times of last week. Almost the exact words were heard - sounding oh so knowledgeable and erudite, but with nowhere a reference, acknowledgement or a quotation mark in evidence. I shuddered and for a moment thought I had landed back in the counties amongst the Landrover, cashmere and Harrow/Charter House coterie. But how could that have been? Never in Surrey or any of the shires did we enjoy this kind of cultural feast and this quality and variety of entertainment and enjoyment as the French are so good at offering! I was so tempted to mutter out loud the lovely Robert Auden observation about the Brits ---The vertical man,
Though we value none
But the horizontal one.
Tonight I join a group of friends for a completely different experience - A Blues and Gospel evening in the main market square of the beautiful medieval bastide town of Monpazier -- and Monday night it is back to Paunat for a magical evening of six of the best cellists in France, performing together under the masterful direction of Roland Pidoux. Could anything be more beautiful than an ensemble of 6 cellos? -- Let's hear what the Brits have to criticise there!....
Oh -- and forget not to come join us this weekend in Lalinde for the Annual Wine Fair as well as the musical street party on Saturday night! -- and remember to bring your own cutlery and crockery!
See you there!
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Monday, June 11
Bordeaux : A Feast for the body and soul
Bordeaux : Centre of Wine, Food, the Arts and Shopping -- A Culture Vulture's paradise!
As Alain Juppe, the Mayor of Bordeaux says:
The excellent public transport makes getting around so easy -- the tram system introduced a few years ago has revolutionised Bordeaux and probably made it one of the visitor-friendliest cities in the world. The trams are convenient and quick and excellent value. There are many underground parking garages all over the city and finding ones way into the city is made easy with many clear signs indicating where the different areas and the different parking garages are.
The Quartiers of Bordeaux:
The Triangle
The triangle is formed by the Allees de Tourney, Cours Georges Clemenceau and Cours de l'Intendence. This is the city's heart where every kind of shop, every type of restaurant, and every class of hotel can be found to suit every person's taste.
Rue St Catherine
Stretching from the aristocratic Place de la Comedie to the student district at Place de la Victoire, it is the longest pedestrian-only street in Europe. It is lined with many of France's best known retail outlets -- and it is crossed by the other very interesting pedestrian streets such as Rue de la Porte Dijeaux, as well as the bigger arterials such as Rue Alsace Lorraine and Cours Victor Hugo. A giant open air shopper's paradise!
Quartier Saint-Pierre
The Saint-Pierre district is a maze of cobble stoned streets and alleys amongst the beautiful stone buildings of Bordeaux -- many of which are craftsmen’s and artist's studios and galleries. The district also features avant-garde showrooms - and some of the most spectacular examples of the massive restoration project which the entire Bordeaux is undergoing. Saint-Pierre's many little squares tucked away amongst the buildings offer outdoor restaurants and cafes and wherever you decide to sit and enjoy a meal or a glass of wine, you will also have a lovely - and often entertaining view of your surroundings.
Quartier St Michel
This has always been a district where beautiful antiques and unusual second-hand items can be found. There is a flea market as well as a second-hand and bric-a-brac gallery, and a colourful variety of Mediterranean and especially Moroccan grocery shops and bazaars -- with a feast of colour and smell and sound. People who enjoy hunting for good deals will just love this area, which is also much appreciated by students - and tourists in the know.
Les Chartrons
This is a virtually self-sufficient district with a village atmosphere and plenty of quality boutiques. The district includes Rue Notre Dame, a street full of antique dealers, second-hand shops and art galleries, as well as Rue du Faubourg des Arts which has recently become the area for serious artists and designers. Les Chartrons is reputedly the developing 'in' place to be in Bordeaux and there are still some interestingly-priced properties to be had for the prospective buyer, but you will have to be quick, as the prices are going up as we speak.
When you wander through the market, you may see a table with a hot plate and a large pot of soup simmering........ Bring a vegetable, take a seat in the shade under one of the lovely trees, peel your vegetable and then give it to the man with the bright floral apron. While he is cutting up your vegetable into the soup pot, you can enter a small cubicle and listen to someone tell you a fascinating little two minutes story............. And comes lunch time, return to the table under the trees and the man in the apron will give you a delicious cup of the 'composed' soup! ----What a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning!
On the river there may be a cruise liner from some exotic shores that is in port for the night, or there may be a opera costume festival where you can try on well know opera figures' costumes, or an interesting exhibition in the Aquitaine Museum, or street musicians performing for passers-by - for the pure pleasure of it, or perhaps a slightly more formal dinner and music recital in Cafe Louis adjacent to the Opera House... always something going on and always something for everyone's taste....
Related Links:
Bordeaux: Renaissance of a City
Morocco comes to Bordeaux
Wine Tasting in Bordeaux
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Relocation Orientation in France
As Alain Juppe, the Mayor of Bordeaux says:
The world capital of wine, famous for its excellent lifestyle, Bordeaux also features some of Europe's most charming and impressive examples of 18th century architecture.
Located in the heart of a region offering countless attractions, Bordeaux combines celebration, great wines, and first class cuisine.
The Quartiers of Bordeaux:
The Triangle
The triangle is formed by the Allees de Tourney, Cours Georges Clemenceau and Cours de l'Intendence. This is the city's heart where every kind of shop, every type of restaurant, and every class of hotel can be found to suit every person's taste.
Rue St Catherine
Stretching from the aristocratic Place de la Comedie to the student district at Place de la Victoire, it is the longest pedestrian-only street in Europe. It is lined with many of France's best known retail outlets -- and it is crossed by the other very interesting pedestrian streets such as Rue de la Porte Dijeaux, as well as the bigger arterials such as Rue Alsace Lorraine and Cours Victor Hugo. A giant open air shopper's paradise!
Quartier Saint-Pierre
The Saint-Pierre district is a maze of cobble stoned streets and alleys amongst the beautiful stone buildings of Bordeaux -- many of which are craftsmen’s and artist's studios and galleries. The district also features avant-garde showrooms - and some of the most spectacular examples of the massive restoration project which the entire Bordeaux is undergoing. Saint-Pierre's many little squares tucked away amongst the buildings offer outdoor restaurants and cafes and wherever you decide to sit and enjoy a meal or a glass of wine, you will also have a lovely - and often entertaining view of your surroundings.
Quartier St Michel
This has always been a district where beautiful antiques and unusual second-hand items can be found. There is a flea market as well as a second-hand and bric-a-brac gallery, and a colourful variety of Mediterranean and especially Moroccan grocery shops and bazaars -- with a feast of colour and smell and sound. People who enjoy hunting for good deals will just love this area, which is also much appreciated by students - and tourists in the know.
Les Chartrons
This is a virtually self-sufficient district with a village atmosphere and plenty of quality boutiques. The district includes Rue Notre Dame, a street full of antique dealers, second-hand shops and art galleries, as well as Rue du Faubourg des Arts which has recently become the area for serious artists and designers. Les Chartrons is reputedly the developing 'in' place to be in Bordeaux and there are still some interestingly-priced properties to be had for the prospective buyer, but you will have to be quick, as the prices are going up as we speak.
When you wander through the market, you may see a table with a hot plate and a large pot of soup simmering........ Bring a vegetable, take a seat in the shade under one of the lovely trees, peel your vegetable and then give it to the man with the bright floral apron. While he is cutting up your vegetable into the soup pot, you can enter a small cubicle and listen to someone tell you a fascinating little two minutes story............. And comes lunch time, return to the table under the trees and the man in the apron will give you a delicious cup of the 'composed' soup! ----What a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning!
On the river there may be a cruise liner from some exotic shores that is in port for the night, or there may be a opera costume festival where you can try on well know opera figures' costumes, or an interesting exhibition in the Aquitaine Museum, or street musicians performing for passers-by - for the pure pleasure of it, or perhaps a slightly more formal dinner and music recital in Cafe Louis adjacent to the Opera House... always something going on and always something for everyone's taste....
Related Links:
Bordeaux: Renaissance of a City
Morocco comes to Bordeaux
Wine Tasting in Bordeaux
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
Monday, April 30
Expats in : Fes, Morocco : The Good Life
I have just had the most glorious week in Fes, Morocco, visiting my friends' Sandy and Suzanna's Riad Zany, an ancient riad which they are renovating with incredible patience, careful adherence to the original and traditional techniques and meticulous attention to detail.
Riad Zany's courtyard, before and after renovation
On the first night of my stay a huge surprise awaited me : A special evening of traditional music was arranged in my honour to celebrate my birthday! All afternoon the riad was brought into
readiness, with chairs for 70 guests arranged around the courtyard, plastic sheets stretched over the open roof in case of rain, caterers coming in with delicious food and bunches of mint
for the tea, while a few of the musicians practised for the performance, filling the space with their hauntingly beautiful music. I picked a few lemons off the tree under which we were sitting and offered freshly squeezed lemon juice with ice cubes to soothe the hard-working voices and Ben Ali, the base player, presented me with a signed copy of his latest anthology of love poetry, and translating the Darija -- Moroccan Arabic -- of a couple of the exquisite poems for me. 
At about 8pm a couple of helpers went down to the nearest medina gate to guide the guests through the maze of narrow alleys to the riad and slowly the court yard filled with the excited buzz of the guests. The performance was opened by the angelic singing of Anas and then followed by five different kinds of traditional Moroccan music performed by 12 musicians, amongst them the grand masters in their individual genres.
The evening was a brilliant success and the guests seemed reluctant to finally leave -- but everyone in agreement that this was an evening of exceptional quality and that they would love for similar events to be repeated again and again.
My birthday treats continued day after day with watching the sun set over the medina whilst sipping champagne on the roof terrace of Riad Laaroussa, the stunningly beautifully restored riad of Frédéric Sola (but more about this lovely man's creative and bold spirit later...), a demonstration of my 'sabrage' techniques to the nervous horror of the spectators, unforgettable meals at Thami's, a little one table!-cafe near the Bab Boujeloud (the blue gate to the medina)where you may share the meal with anyone else who happens to come along and join you at the table -- such as Radek, the handsome young intrepid traveller from Poland, Kate and Wayne from New Zealand -- who had just travelled 8 hours through the desert, Louis - originally from Norwich but now proud owner and restorer of one of the most unique homes in the medina, Barbara - who aims to make Fes the venue for the most exotic weddings on offer, David - the master of master restorers......and the list goes on...., walking through the medina revelling in the sounds, colours, smells...... I cannot wait to get back!
Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
