Well, it was hotter than Hades during July, so some of my plans were scuppered. Nothing is that much fun when it feels as though you’re being cooked in your own juices. When I looked back, though, I realised I didn’t spend the entire month complaining about the heat.
Concerts šµ
Many of my local churches host lunchtime and evening concerts. It’s the perfect place to hide when the temperature soars.
Lute Songs
I ventured over to St Anne’s Church in Lewes for Come Heavy Sleep, a collection of lute songs by John Downland, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, Honore d’Ambruys, and Michael Lambert. The trio featured tenor Hugo Hymas, soprano Charlotte la Thrope, and lutenist Kristiina Watt. The performance was enchanting. I was completely mesmerised by Watt’s playing, especially when she produced a theorbo. I really hope she wasn’t getting the bus home.
This concert was part of the annual Baroquefest.
Incidentally, if you also love the lute, Ruby Tandoh’s recent episode on the Signal Hill podcast is brilliant.
Flute and Piano
At St Nicholas’, the oldest church in Brighton, I heard Cathy Tsang on flute and Harris Tsz-Chun Leung on piano. They performed pieces by Ian Clarke, Clara Schumann, Paul Taffanel, and Saint-Saens. The Schumann Romances were originally written for violin, but they’d adapted them for the flute. The relationship between the flute and piano was incredible. It would be easy for the piano to overpower the flute, but Tsang and Tsz-Chun Leung achieved a perfect balance.
Obsidian Baroque
The final musical treat of the month was quintet Obsidian Baroque at St Luke’s Church. They comprise Hannah Blumsohn on oboe, Hannah Parry on recorder/violin, Erlend Vestby on cello, Tom Dewey on harpsichord, and James Bramley on theorbo/lute/Baroque guitar. They all played replicas of traditional instruments tuned to 415Hz. The programme included pieces by Isabella Leonarda, Johann Sebastian Bach, Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Pietro Locatelli, Johann David Heinichen, Antonio Vivaldi, Gottfried Finger, Daniel Purcell, Santiago de Murcia, Gaspar Sanz, and Anna Bon. Yes, there was impressive representation of women composers.
I went with a friend who’s a big music nerd, so it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The musicians are so accomplished and engaging, introducing all the pieces and instruments. They also did well in competing with Nick Cave’s sound system from a nearby park.
Books š
I spent quite a lot of July perched next to a fan. Fortunately, I found some excellent books to distract me. Here are three highlights:
Users by Beeban Kidron
Users is Baroness Kidron’s blazing manifesto on regulating Big Tech and taking back control. She argues that we’ve become dependent on harmful platforms that are delivering no discernable benefit. Yet governments are scared of saying no to billionaires, even when children are suffering. In her discussion of AI, this quote stood out:
The answer is obvious even to a child. A 13-year-old from Greece once said to me, ‘What is efficient about making human beings redundant?’ (PageĀ 290)
Quite.
The Given World by Melissa Harrison
The Given World follows the inhabitants of a rural village over the course of six months. The time seems to be the near future, where climate change has disrupted the seasons and ways of life. This is easily one of the best novels I’ve read. I think I’m still processing its devastating beauty. I was frequently reminded of Middlemarch and Scenes of Clerical Life, with the exquisite descriptions and keen insights.
I went to see Melissa Harrison interviewed at the gorgeous Chapter 34 bookshop in Shoreham. I was going to say that she gave a reading, but actually she recited an extract of the book from memory. I can’t recommend this novel enough. Her Substack is also brilliant.
Supporting authors and local bookshops is one of the best ways to restore some sanity.
Even the Good Girls Will Cry by Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur was partly responsible for me learning to play bass a few months ago. She presented one episode of the three-part series Greatest Basslines, talking about her own adventures with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins and also showcasing other women bassists. I’m still marvelling at Gail Ann Dorsey playing bass on Under Pressure and also singing the Freddie Mercury part. Anyway, Even the Good Girls Will Cry is Auf der Maur’s memoir of the 90s. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she wasn’t off her head most of the time. Not only was she sober, she also made a lot of notes and took a lot of photos. Oh, and she’s a fine writer, too. If you ever imagine it would be fun to play in a world-famous rock band, read this book.
Work š©š»āš»
Although it was good to focus on a big online course in July, it did mean spending a lot of time trapped in a hot room listening to myself. Perhaps I was wicked in a previous life? When recording, I needed to close the window and switch off the fan - otherwise, it’s all seagulls and humming. However, I loved researching, scripting, and editing the videos.
I also facilitated a writing retreat, which I haven’t done for a year or so. Despite having run them hundreds of times, I’m always astonished by everyone’s productivity. Some structure and encouragement makes a huge difference.
I did some writing coaching, too. It’s interesting how people often share the same challenges, but those challenges shift around. At the moment, clients seem to be struggling with trying to plan, write, and edit at the same time.
I love to learn from other facilitators, so attended the Arvon Masterclass The Journey from Academic to General Readership with Tania Hershman. This session was designed to get academics writing more creatively. Hershman started with a 10-minute game of word cricket š She gave us the first line of a short story, then threw us a new word every minute that we had to incorporate. Chosen at random, the words included purple, lemons and breaking. I produced a rather sinister scene, which reminded me of a Magnus Mills short story. The other exercises were also highly effective at escaping the academic mindset. Hershman is a scientist with a PhD in creative writing - it’s a delightful combination.
Now that work is quieter, I’m spending a lot more time writing. And playing bass, of course.