Trespass, A Murder of Quality and Solar

"Trespass" is the latest novel by Rose Tremain. Not quite in the same class as her brilliant "The Road Home" or "Sacred Country", but better than "Music and Silence". It tells the story of sixty four year old Anthony Verey who is visiting his sister Veronica and her friend Kitty at their home in rural France, and how their world collides with an elderly French brother and sister. The book has a great feeling of the landscape and the stifling heat of the south of that country. The characters are well drawn and I liked how their childhood still had an impact on their later lives.. There is no rush, but at the same time always interesting. A good story, the usual great writing and some twists along the way. Well worth the read.

Once I had read John Le Carre's first novel "Call For The Dead", that introduced George Smiley, I had always planned to read his second book "A Murder of Quality". Again this is quite a short novel, but once again with a terrific plot as George travels to Carne School, an old and formidable institution, to unravel an unexplained death. Although in his early days as a novelist, this is typically a superb story from this author. A terrific plot, great setting and wonderful characters.  Le Carre writes with such style and panache that it really brought back memories of school. "Gloom and cold. The cold was crisp and sharp as flint. It cut the faces of the boys as they moved slowly from the deserted playing fields after the school match. It pierced their black topcoats and turned their stiff, pointed collars into icy rings round their necks." His third novel was my introduction to this author donkeys years ago. But I shall revisit "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" in a couple of months time. Can't wait.

A new Ian McEwan novel is always highly anticipated, and with great reviews, I was so looking forward to reading "Solar". So it was somewhat disappointing that this time he has written a fairly turgid story. It seemed far more challenging than normal. Lots of words I did not know, and some twists on some I did ("effortfully"?). Perhaps it should have been written in the first person, as the main character fills every sentence. But what an obnoxious character is the aging Nobel prizewinning physicist Michael Beard. His only redeeming feature is that he was once brilliant, now less so. Otherwise a womanising overweight drunk. It may have seemed clever for McEwan to conjure up a comic character as some have said, but to me he was just pathetic. Like "The Social Network" I just did not want to spend time in his company. The intellectual passages (and there are far too many) about the physics of climate change and photosynthesis was way beyond my understanding ("Quantum coherence is key to the efficiency, you see, with the system sampling all the energy pathways at once."). Is McEwan trying to show off?  His last five novels are so beautifully accessible, this was really strange. The two words describing the novel on the front cover are "Savagely Funny....". I didn't laugh once.

131 Songs - Numbers 92, 93, 94 and 95

Number 92 - You'll See by Madonna
This section is about singers, not songwriters. So it is pretty short. There is just one Madonna album that both Alison and I love, and that is Something To Remember. A collection of great ballads, sung superbly and with great backing tracks. OK, Madonna is partly credited with writing the song, But I guess it was producer David Foster who really takes the credit.

Number 93 - Walk Away by Matt Monroe

Of all the great crooners, my favourite has to be Matt Monroe. For me, his voice imparts far more subtlety and emotion than Sinatra or all the other great singers. Terence Edward Parsons was born in 1930 and achieved fame in the 1960's, just at the time that british rock bands were taking off. He was a great friend of his first producer, George Martin, and "Portrait of my Love" reached number 3 in 1960, before Martin had even heard of The Beatles. My second favourite Matt Monroe song "Softly as I Leave You" followed in 1962 and the title song "From Russia With Love" the following year.

In 1964 he came second in the Eurovision Song Contest. But it was the sixth placed Austrian entry "Warum Nur Warum" that caught his ear. Matt's manager Don Black wrote the English lyrics and it became a hit, and my choice, "Walk Away". It is less powerful than, say, Sinatra's "My Way", but is sung in that typically understated and soft delivery that I prefer.

In 1964 he sang the title song to "Born Free" and the following year "Days Like These" for the opening scene to "The Italian Job". Matt toured extensively: 24,000 fans watched him in Manila in 1966 and he made fourteen tours of Australia. I didnt appreciate him at the height of his success, but now I certainly do.

Number 94 - Let There Be Love by Nat King Cole with George Shearing

Not one of my favourite singers, but this track is just awesome. The piano intro by Battersea born George Shearing is worth it's place alone. I dont think that the song alone is anything special, but the combination of Nat's voice and the George Shearing Quintet does hit the spot. It is an old standard, written by Ian Grant and Lionel Rand and published in 1940. The Nat King Cole version was released in 1961 and was a hit in the UK. There is an album featuring Nat and George, but nothing there matches this wonderful piece.

Number 95 - Lost by Michael Buble

I have to confess that I do not own a Michael Buble recording. So this is another one off. From his third album of mainly standards "Call Me Irresponsible", this song is writen by Michael with Jann Arden and Alan Chang. To me , this is a modern classic. And much better than his other new material such as "Everything" and "I just havent met you yet".

The Knot of the Heart

For the first of  two tickets courtesy of my Almeida Friends Gift Membership, kindly supplied at Christmas by Michael and Sara, I chose this brand new play by David Eldridge. He wrote it especially for Lisa Dillon after having a conversation with her, and when she mentioned a role "not defined by it's relationship to a man". And this script is certainly not. It is about addiction, and this time centred on a middle class family from ...... Islington.

 Lucy (Lisa Dillon) has been thrown out of a promising career at the BBC when caught taking heroin. Only later we understand why she has become addicted. She is staying with her widowed mother (Margot Leicester) and visited by her cold sister (Abigail Cruttenden). Her drug habit does not get better, and the story follows her downward spiral and attempts at recovery. The writing is sharp and incisive. In fact the whole experience is intelligent and riveting. The production has received excellent reviews (pick of theatre choice in this weeks Sunday Times) and is destined for awards, for the writer and the leading actress.

The four other members of the cast are equally terrific. The solitary man, Kieran Bew, plays all the male parts, I can remember at least five. The direction by Michael Attenborough, the artistic director of the Almeida, is top drawer, and the set is one of the best I have seen. The modern steel framed glass walls that move around on the revolving stage to reveal multiple sets are just brilliant.

Aylesbury RFC make the play offs

On Saturday Aylesbury played Wootton Bassett for second place in the Southern Counties North League at home. For the winners, a certain play off spot would be a huge incentive. A good crowd watched the game at the Weston Turville ground. A bright and mild day but a rock hard pitch would see a number of interruptions for, thankfully, minor injuries.

After a hard fought game, with the visitors having most of the possession and territorial advantage, it was the cutting thrust, defence and kicking at goal that Aylesbury came out on top 31-10. On the 7th May I have heard they play a team from Bath, Oldfield Old Boys, second in Southern Counties South, for a place in the South West (East) League.

PS In the play off final, Aylesbury came up against a very strong team from the West Country, and were beaten very easily. Although they were also missing some key players after a tour abroad arranged before they knew this match was due to take place.

The Joy of Statistics

BBC Four is becoming an excellent channel for documentaries. After Michael Cockerell's terrific three part series "Secrets of Whitehall", comes this highly educational presentation from Professor Hans Rosling. It made me feel as if I had missed my vocation and that a career in statistics would have been right up my street. But I guess a job in the civil service is where I would have ended up and that is not a nice thought.

However, the Swedish professor's programme was the next best thing. He was so passionate and articulate about his subject. His example of deaths on British roads having been unbelievably consistent year on year, with the same proportion of men and women, the former two and a half times as likely to die. His explanation of correlation was very interesting and he made it really simple to understand. We need more programmes like this to keep my brain learning new stuff.

Les Miserables

When Alison received a Ticketmaster voucher from our neighbours after looking after their cats for over two weeks, we chose to go again to see "Les Miserables". The first time was in May 1991, so almost twenty years ago. A change of venue, but still the same magic. It is a pity that you cannot see the orchestra from the stalls, but we both had a great view despite the shallow rake of the seating. The cast was excellent, Alison particularly liked Norm Lewis as Javert. A very enjoyable evening.

Two Cathedrals

Someone wrote "the finest five minutes at the end of the finest hour of the finest season of the finest Television show ever made". Not quite, but I can understand why someone would think so. I said to Alison after watching the last three episodes of season two of "The West Wing", that it is something to do with having invested your time and concentration over 44 episodes, that when something brilliant happens, it is more emotional than anything a film, a play or a book can produce. And this is what happened on Saturday evening.

The last five minutes is quite something. From CJ shouting "I can only take fourteen or fifteen questions at once" to a soaking wet President ignoring the rain when you have lost one of your oldest and closest friends, all set to "Brothers in Arms". Not the most appropriate song as it was written about the Falklands War, but a massively emotional piece of music for this superb conclusion.

PS My favourite series ending is still "Ashes to Ashes" as my posting of 30th March 2008.

Bronte at the Oxford Playhouse

I am always on the lookout for a new play. This one was written by Polly Teale in 2005. She is now the joint artistic director of the production company Shared Experience. The other one is Nancy Meckler who directs "Bronte". She has a long history of directing in the theatre including spells at the RSC.

The concept of "Bronte" is very interesting. How to tell the story of the three sisters (and one brother) who lived together in isolation on the Yorkshire Moors who against all expectation produced some of the greatest literature in history. They inspired each other with a collective energy, through their appreciation of books and their anger at the conditions of the world outside.

The relatively short scenes are punctuated by visitations of characters from their growing imaginations. Mrs Rochester haunts Charlotte as does Cathy with Emily. The first half seemed a little pondorous, but the second became a wonderful piece of theatre. Charlotte becomes a celebrity after the publication of "Jane Eyre". The more reclusive Emily realises that her more dangerous "Wuthering Heights" might not be to everyone's taste in the nineteenth century.

The only disappointment for me was the acting. It may have been that Shared Experience is now the resident comapny at the Oxford Playhouse, and therefore this production is in it's early stages. And on a Monday, the theatre was not full. The production company also wants to give opportunities to up and coming actors. It was just that the one experienced actor, Stephen Finegold who plays the children's clerical father, does shine in comparison. However, a memorable and well produced play. The next production from Shared Experience is the premiere of a new play about the life of Mary Shelley and how she came to write "Frankenstein". I shall definitely book for that.

One other thing. The programme was brilliant. An interview with the writer, a long article about the Brontes ( the father had changed their surname from Brunty to Bronte in homage to Nelson who was created the Duke of Bronte after his victory in Sicily, explaining how the children gave their characters such evocative names), and a synopsis of the Bronte novels. And that was just the first half. Essential and worthwhile reading before the play started.

The Adjustment Bureau, Fair Game and The Lincoln Lawyer

Three good Hollywood thrillers. Sometimes you have to wait ages for one, and then they all come at once. And with "Limitless" and "Source Code" to come over the next two weeks, I'm making the most of it before the summer blockbusters arrive.

The premise in "The Adjustment Bureau" is quite frankly pretty silly. But it makes for a pleasantly diverting couple of hours watching Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (who are both very good) try to make their relationship work against the wishes of the adjusters. Well scripted by George Nolfi (taking on the same successful format from his screenplays for "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "The Sentinel") and reworking the original story by Philip K Dick. This is also Nolfi's first attempt at directing and it certainly promises much for the future. There is also a lovely cameo from Terence Stamp. How old is he now?

I'm not a big fan of real life stories, but "Fair Game" worked really well as a political thriller. But then I had little idea of what happened to Valerie Plane and her husband Joe Wilson when the formers cover as a CIA agent was blown. So I guess that was why there was enough to make me quite angry about how the Bush administration lied about WMD even more then Blair did. Naomi Watts held the film together with her fine performance as Valerie, but the same cannot be said for the miscast Sean Penn as Wilson. Jez and John Butterworth have written a terrific screenplay, although director Doug Liman did not really do it justice. Well worth seeing.

Until I saw the movie, I could not quite understand why a standard legal thriller such as "The Lincoln Lawyer" had attracted such good reviews. It turns out that we have a terrific plot, an exciting story well scripted by John Romano from the novel by Michael Connelly, good direction from Brad Furman and most surprisingly, great acting from Mathew McConaughey as the sharp lawyer Mickey Haller. And I never thought I would ever say that. He is well supported from a cast that includes William H Macy and Ryan Phillipe. Plenty of twists as the plot unfolds, and limited violence does the movie credit. The courtroom scenes are not too long and mainly confined to the last third of the film. On the strength of this, I would not be surprised to see a couple more Mickey Haller movies, hopefully with Mathew McConaughey!

131 Songs - Numbers 89, 90 and 91

Number 89 - Missing by Everything But The Girl

There are certain albums that Alison and I both like that we play when we want to relax at home. And the same artists get played again and again. That is why the next three songs are on my list. Everything But The Girl are one of our favourites and we have a choice of seven of their CD's. There are some great tracks on "Idlewild" ("Apron Strings" nearly made my first choice) but I think that 1994's "Amplified Heart" is the best of their albums. "We Walk The Same Line" and "25th December" are great back to back tracks near the end, but I have gone for "Missing". And it is a collaboration, words by Tracey Thorn and music by Ben Watt. They married in 2009 after 28 years as a couple and now have three children. Maybe that is why there has been no new material since 1999. Although their two albums after "Amplified Heart" went electronic and are not in our collection.

Number 90 - Wild Child by Enya

I have to admit, I would never play Enya on my own. But with a gin and tonic and a bowl of crisps on a Friday evening at 6pm on the dot, Alison must have chosen one of Enya's CD's too many times to count. And she does write some lovely, sombre songs. The most obvious choice would have been "Orinoco Flow" from her classic "Watermark" album, but my choice is this equally haunting track from her 2000 album "a day without rain".

Number 91 - Why Can't We Live Together by Sade

This is not a 6pm Friday album. More like late evening fare. But this is one of my all time favourite songs. It really should be in the covers section to follow as it is a composition by Timmy Thomas. The introduction instrumental on this track is quite something. The drummer on the recording is Paul Cooke and he used to be part of the "Sade" band. But having left the group in 1984, he is no longer credited on the earlier LP or our new CD as having been in the band. It carefully says "Sade are", which means now (on it's 1984 release), not then (at the recording). He is just on the "thanks" list with other session musicians. It must have been an acrimonious parting.