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2 November 2010

Carmina Burana at the Royal Albert Hall

Swan Lake Royal Alert Hall Review

We arrived at the Albert Hall so early that the doors were closed and there were queues outside. We diligently joined the queue and watched in amazement as it grew and grew and grew!! We would never have got there so early if we hadn't been in town all day! Crazy people. Incidentally the Eadweard Muybridge exhibition at the Tate Britain is fantastic. That is where we were in the afternoon.

So after a 45 minute wait (because we were ridiculously early), the concert started on the wrong note! I hadn't realised that there would be 'filler music' and thought I was in the wrong concert, or some weird arrangement of Carmina Burana not written by Carl Orff. The 'filler music' was OK, especially Berlioz's Rakocszy March, but it fatigued the audience for the finale second half. I didn't much enjoy the Saint Saens Organ Symphony. Bit too experimental, but it was nice to hear the Albert Hall's enormous Organ bellowing.

The second half commenced with the amazingly powerful O Fortuna movement which was blissfully spine tingling. The concert continued as one would expect: beautiful, majestic and powerful... and also funny! Good job there was no translation to take away from the majesty. Apparently the lyrics are a jumble of old drinking songs. The tenor, who only performs in just one act, made a quip about being a little bored and then faux passed out when he finished. The poor soprano boys choir where on their best behaviour throughout all of the first half and the second with just a couple of movements to sing. The were visible throughout and amusingly fidgety! The audience almost cheered when they got up to perform!!

It was a treat to hear Carmina Burana live again, the last time I went when I was 12 it was performed at the Barbican. Both times it was a memorable and moving performance. They could have chosen better and more fitting music for the first half. Much of the audience were clearly not music buffs and only there for the beginning and finishing acts of O Fortuna , shifting and fidgeting a lot through the rest of the performance. The first half must surely have been even harder for them than it was for me. What about some good old classics to start with...

1 October 2010

San Pietro in Vaticano, Rome

After queuing for about 30 mins we reached inside San Pietro in Vaticano, the Basilica in the Vatican. This was a fantastic church. One thing to keep in mind is the Vatican Museums, which contain, among many other treasures, the Raphael paintings and the Sistine Chapel: their entrance is about 1km away and it shuts earlier. We therefore missed out on this and now I have to revisit Rome. Shame!

Here are some photos of the amazing art work in San Pietro in Vaticano:







Rome's Colosseum and Forum

Rome Colosseum Seeing the Colosseum for the first time takes your breath away.

You really have to see this for real.

My photos do it no justice I'm afraid!

Rome Colosseum My family listening in the guided tour which saved us a lot of queuing time.

I found I have a shorter attention span when I really can't understand accents. Ho hum... something to work on.

Rome Colosseum

Rome Colosseum

Rome Colosseum Under the arena



Rome Forum and Palatino Views over the Forum


Rome Forum and Palatino

Rome's Chiesas and Basilicas

Santa Maria sopra Minerva Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle



Santa Maria in Trastevere Santa Maria in Trastevere

Santa Maria in Trastevere
Santa Maria in Trastevere The glitzy ceiling in Santa Maria in Trastevere.


Santa Maria in Ara Coeli I loved this church. This is Santa Maria in Ara Coeli just off the Campidoglio.
The chandeliers are crazy!

Santa Maria in Ara Coeli The floor tiles were fabulous in here too. Weird to think they may not be so defined in 10 years time and smooth as a peach in a couple of hundred.

Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
Santa Maria in Ara Coeli


Sant Angnese in Agone Sant Angnese in Agone just off Piazza Navona.

Sant Angnese in Agone Another wonderful dome and some fabulous reliefs.

Sant Angnese in Agone
Sant Angnese in Agone
Sant Angnese in Agone


Chiesa Santa Maria Loreto Chiesa Santa Maria Loreto

Chiesa Santa Maria Loreto

Chiesa del Gesu
Chiesa del Gesu

Chiesa del Gesu

28 September 2010

Views overlooking the city, Rome, Italy

View from Spanish Steps View from Spanish Steps

View from Castel Sant'Angelo View over Rome from Castel Sant'Angelo

View of Vatican From Castel Sant'Angelo
View of Vatican From Castel Sant'Angelo

View from hill top in Trastevere
View from hill top in Trastevere

View of the Forum and ancient ruinsView of the Forum and ancient ruins

Landmarks, Rome, Italy

Some famous and not so famous Roman landmarks. Enjoy!


Villa Borghese - a beautiful spot for a picnic


View of Vittorio Emanuele II monument from the Forum

Vittorio Emanuele II Monument


Traiana Column, you can see the casts of this in the amazing Victorian cast courts in the V&A



Piazza Navona, we had wonderful ice-cream here.
I've never tasted such rich, smooth chocolate ice-cream.


Santa Maria in Trastevere: a rather expensive but pretty spot to sit and have a beer, about £7 for a pint.


Fonte Acqua Paola in Trastevere



San Pietro in Vaticano

The Trevi fountain, it was crazy busy here and we didn't visit till 11pm!


Spanish Steps, shortly after going up and down the steps there was a power cut across the whole piazza. The restaurant we went to was in the dark too, but only for 10mins or so! Mental.

Campidoglio

Tempio di Portuno

Sun setting on a building

Piazza della Minerva, with a view to the Pantheon behind