Les Arts Florissants – La Descente d’Orphée aux enfers and Venus & Adonis

Last week I travelled to Paris to meet up with Sam who had been working there since 27th December with Baroque ensemble ‘Les Arts Florissants‘ on two pieces: ‘La Descente d’Orphée aux enfers’ (Charpontier) and ‘Venus & Adonis’ (Blow).  Having not long returned from Dubai, squeezed in a trip to the country to visit my dog (who has been on her holidays with my friend Susan and her dog Ollie while I was away), celebrated my Dad’s 60th Birthday with a big party, done two days teaching at school and sorted out the whole snowboard debacle, I was nonetheless keen to get off travelling again!  It had been two weeks since I’d seen Sam and I was really looking forward to spending some time with him and seeing his show.

I arrived at Cité de la Musique in Paris half way through the second act of the their show there on the Wednesday evening, having travelled across London and Paris with a suitcase and snowboard, ready for my trip ahead.  They were streaming live video of the show on tv screens outside the auditorium but I had a ticket for the last night of the production so avoided watching any of the show and waited for them to finish before meeting Sam and the rest of the cast backstage, then heading to a local bar for some drinks and a bite to eat.

I’m glad that I waited to see the last night of the show (and many thanks to Les Arts Florissants for my ticket as I know they were in limited supply).  It was in the theatre at the Chateau de Versailles, a truly spectacular building and gardens, and the theatre was a wonderful venue from an audience perspective – apparently the acoustics on stage were not ideal for the singers, but the sound coming into the auditorium was fabulous.  The orchestra were onstage too, not in a pit, and the two productions, each around an hour long, were semi-staged.  I was pleased that they had put the pieces on in the order they had – La Descente d’Orphée is really rather dark, and Venus & Adonis made for a much lighter second half (despite the ending).

So, another trip made to a place I had not visited before (Versailles) to see Sam performing, and then on to the Alps for a week of snowboarding with my new board & bindings!

2012 and I’m excited!

Happy New Year one and all, and wishing you the very best for 2012 – a year destined to be significant for many, if you are open to the possibility of change.

I saw in the New Year in style this year, on a gig in Dubai at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (despite having a terrible cough and cold and generally feeling very under the weather).  On 30th December I flew with 8 other musicians from a chilly London to the warm shores of the UAE where the 10th band member joined us from Manilla.  Even though the tour budget couldn’t stretch to putting us all up in the Jumeriah Beach Hotel (3000 UAE Dirhams / £530 per night) we were nonetheless well looked after by the hotel, who collected us from the airport (cold towels and bottled water at the ready) and dropped off at the Academy (appartments allocated to staff at the hotel).

After a late arrival and an early start for the most amazing breakfast buffet I’ve seen in a long time (since my last trip to Dubai in fact), we took the opportunity to stroll along the beach and dip our feet in the sea, before a meeting with the agent and a lengthy set-up and soundcheck on-stage.

The venue for the gig was a temporary, but enormous, open marquee on the hotel’s private beach, where the 1000 or so guests ate another lavish buffet meal before joining the dance floor outside to party the night away with us in the run up to midnight and beyond.

The countdown to midnight saw the band scrabbling for last-minute dinner and costume changes before the most spectacular fireworks display over the water.  Since the stage’s backdrop was the sea and the Burj al Arab hotel, we had the best (and completely unobstructed) view of the whole display.  We then played our fourth and final set to get 2010 off to a rocking start.

Champagne on the beach followed – the band were in high spirits by then since this was the first drink we’d been allowed to have all night.  I was the first to go to bed, since by this point the drugs (Sudafed & Cold + Flu pills) had worn off and I was feeling worse for wear.  Some of the band continued the celebrations way into the early hours of New Year’s Day and only made it up in time for the plane home.

Luckily myself and two of the girls in the band had extended our stay until 5th Jan, so for us we still had a few more days of sunshine and sand.

And as for the exciting year ahead, there’s been a lot of noise about 2012 and all the possible changes it may bring; from the end of the Mayan Calendar and the prophesised end of the world to shifts and changes on a much smaller scale, it seems to me that this is the year to really make of it what you will.  I for one have started as I mean to go on: working with fantastic people and having as much fun as possible along the way.

Tweeting is easier!

I realise I have been rather slack on the blogging front.  I have to say, Tweeting is so much easier; I think micro-blogging is much more my style!  However, I will now attempt to condense the last 6 months into a sensibly sized blog post.

So, after a quiet January, February wasn’t much of an improvement.  Aside from my regular teaching work I had two function band gigs and a handful of rehearsals for The Bombshellettes and T.Mandrake.  On a positive note, I did have a couple of lessons with an old teacher of mine, Andy Mitchell.  Andy is principal trumpet with the English National Ballet and professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior Department (where he used to teach me).  I was put back in contact with him by one of my former RAM tutors, Mark David, who’d been working with Andy and suggested I get back in touch.  I’d not seen him in ten years, so obviously there had been quite a change in my playing since he’d last taught me!  We had a couple of lessons working on a recital programme I had coming up and it was so useful to get a new perspective from an old tutor.

Things started picking up a bit in March.  I had my recital – one of the highly coveted lunchtime concerts at Chichester Cathedral which went very well indeed.  The venue was full, there were literally hundreds of people there to see the concert, including my mother – my number one fan!  I also had a photo shoot with Cavendish Brass which was a really fun day and we got some great shots for our new website (http://www.cavendishbrass.com).  I played with Zone One Brass (ZOB) at the Regional contest and we failed to qualify for the National Finals – very disappointing indeed considering how well we felt we’d played and especially after listening to the recording of our performance.  Oh well, the politics of the brass band world are far too ridiculous to get into now.

April was a rather average month, although I did play a fun charity gig at The Parish Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch.  The concert was a fundraiser for the church, with many actors and singers involved, and I was booked to open the show with a performance of Let The Bright Seraphim along with soprano Eli Rolfe Johnson and organist Olly Lallement. 

The month of May was ZOB madness.  The band played in two contests that were two weeks apart; the first in Blackpool and the second at the All England Masters in Kettering .  The rehearsing paid off and the band did rather well – 2^nd in Blackpool and 5^th at the Masters.

In June I launched my new Live Music Night at a bar in Soho called El Camion (formerly El Camino).  The night runs every Tuesday and I book four acts to play a 30 minute slot each.  So far it’s all been going really well, and I’m trying to build up the reputation of the venue and the night as a respectable one to play on the London circuit for those looking for an intimate performance space. 

July was a very busy month – spent a couple of days up north with Oompah Brass doing some outreach work with them which was great fun.  The Bombshellettes opened the main stage at the Lovebox festival which was a big step forwards for the band.  I then spent 3 weeks in France for the Opera de Bauge festival, which was a great experience.  3 operas in 3 weeks (Mozart – Magic Flute, Verdi – Rigoletto, Handel – Julius Caesar), I met some great people, enjoyed the operas and in general had a wonderful time. 

So, that took me into August, and then it’s been all about the function band scene since then.  I had some Bombshellettes gigs too; a wedding that was basically a 3-day festival, as you do, and a fun gig at Floridita.  I’ve been Oomping again, with Oompah Brass at Katzenjammers in London Bridge for a couple of Friday nights, which is always great fun.  I saw their new show up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last month – “The A-Z of Oompah” – which was excellent.  I had a fun few days at the Fringe actually, saw a few shows, played a jazz quartet gig, and it was sunny for a change!

Now it’s September, the schools are back which means I’m back to many hours of teaching and driving, but it’s good for paying the rent.  I’m off to Poland on Friday to see my boyfriend singing in a concert or two out there, and then back to London in time to run another night at El Camion.  I will, of course, attempt to blog more regularly, but life’s busy and I’m promising nothing!

An Oompah Brass Update

If you read my blog post back in September (On Tour With Oompah Brass) you will know that I spent a week in August at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performing with Oompah Brass in a show called Blow Up! The Credit Crunch Musical (www.blowupthemusical.co.uk).

Although my part in Oompah Brass’ 3-week stint was only a small one, I’m glad to say it all went rather well: of their 23 scheduled shows and four extras, they sold out all but one and got 5* and 4* reviews in The Times, The Scotsman, The Mail (hmm…), etc.  They shared the bill with the likes of Frank Skinner, Rich Hall, Simon Amstell, Adam Hills and Jason Byrne, and in fact Frank Skinner has since asked them to appear in his London show on 9th November too.

Blow Up is hosted by failed German banker Max Klein who explains the rise and very recent fall of the world’s economy, through the medium of pop tunes in a Bavarian style played by Oompah Brass, who will be drinking beer and wearing improbably tight lederhosen. Honestly.

Anyway, they’ve now brought Blow Up to London, which is really the point of this post. I highly recommend you go to see the show either at the Leicester Square Theatre on Sundays or the King’s Head, Islington. Full details below. NB It’s cheaper to go as a group… ;o).  And if you’re planning on going then let me know as I love this show and would happily watch it over and over!

Sunday performances at The Leicester Square Theatre (6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX)

Nearest tubes: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus

Sunday 25th October, 19.30

Sunday 1st November, 19.30

Sunday 8th November, 19.30

Sunday 15th November, 14.45

Sunday 22nd November, 16.00

Sunday 29th November 19.30

Running time: 70 minutes.

Tickets £17.50 standard stalls, £15 concessions, £12.50 group rate (8 or more)

Book online here or call 0844 847 2475

Weds, Thurs, Sat performances at The Kings Head Theatre, Islington (115 Upper Street, N1 1QN), all 22.00-23.10

Nearest tubes: Angel, Highbury & Islington

Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th October

Wednesday 21st, Thursday 22nd October

Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th October

Wednesday 4th, Saturday 7th November

Thursday 12th, Saturday 14th November

Wednesday 18th, Saturday 21st November

Weds 25th, Thurs 26th, Sat 28th November

Tickets £17.50 standard stalls, £15 concessions, £12.50 group rate (8 or more)

To book, call 0844 209 0326 or visit the theatre’s website here

Links

www.blowupthemusical.co.uk

www.oompahbrass.com

www.charlietalbot.co.uk/C&B

Here’s the official blurb from their management company:

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‘Blow Up The Credit Crunch Musical’ will have its West End Premiere on Sunday 25th October at the Leicester Square Theatre. It will continue to perform there for the next 5 Sundays. Times vary from 14.45 to 16.00 to 19.30. Please note that group bookings of 8 or more receive a £5 reduction on the ticket price of £17.50. The show runs for 70 minutes without an interval. Please see the attachment ‘London PR’ for further details.

Blow Up will also be playing at the King’s Head Theatre at 22.00 on certain dates from 14th October onwards. Again please see the ‘London PR’ attachment.

Blow Up and Oompah Brass are also available for corporate bookings. We can offer an evening of theatre, music, comedy and dancing, adapted specifically for your event. Perfect for corporate Christmas celebrations.  Please see the attachment ‘Corporate PR’.

As you may know, ‘Blow Up The Credit Crunch Musical’ was a huge sell-out hit at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Please see the ‘Press Summary’ attachment. Additional information can be found on www.blowupthemusical.co.uk.

If you have any further questions please call our manager Philip Talbot on 07775 517411.

STOP PRESS – Oompah Brass have just been booked to appear with Frank Skinner in his new West End run.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As I said, it’s a great show – if you go to see it please post your comments here, I’d love to hear your reactions!

On tour with Oompah Brass!

I was invited on tour with Oompah Brass in August for the first week of their 3-week stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  I’d played two gigs with the group before; the first where I depped on first trumpet at the Octoberfest Pub in Fulham, where they have a residency, and was confronted with a first trumpet ‘bolting’ solo (i.e. you must down a pint [for girls] or stein [for boys] during a few bars rest – which I accomplished with the help of my Exeter University training!) and a German festival in a location which at the moment escapes me (again, I was depping on first trumpet so it’s not a big surprise that I can’t remember which town we were in).  So, when I got the call to see if I was free to go up to Edinburgh for a week I knew I was in for a good time.

The Oompah Philosophy is this: they started out with the firm intention of being a traditional German Oompah Band, playing all the famous waltzes, polkas and marches that nobody will have heard of.  Very quickly they realised that it was much more fun for the audience, and especially the band, to play tunes everyone knows and can sing along to. Thus they began to arrange classic pop songs with a slight Bavarian lilt, and Oompop was born!

The Oompah Edinburgh Fringe Festival experience was an interesting one.  Accommodation was a tent on a campsite a short taxi ride away from the city centre.  Initially dubious of this set-up, I eventually succumbed to the way of camping life and rather enjoyed myself in the end!  This was of course due to the Oompah approach to life on tour – eat haggis, drink scotch and be merry.  But in all seriousness, I was very well looked after by the Oompah boys, who provided a blow-up bed, an extra sleeping bag, plenty of tea and general fun and games.

In terms of the work, the average day consisted of a show at the GRV Theatre playing in “Blow Up! The Credit Crunch Musical”, and busking on the Royal Mile and various other locations around the city.  It has to be said that the GRV is one of the hottest venues I have ever played in.  Despite a capacity of about 60 people and the efforts of a small air conditioning/de-humidifying unit, the theatre managed to clock up temperatures to give your average sauna a run for its money.  At least we were provided with beer for the duration of the show, which lasted but an hour, and at least for me, the outfit wasn’t overly stifling…  As an ex-City worker, I found the show particularly enjoyable, as I knew only too well the trials and tribulations of the world of finance, which was expertly explained by comedian and writer “Max Klein”.  The busking slots were also pretty interesting…Oompah Brass are without doubt the loudest brass quintet I have ever played with, and whilst the majority of Fringe visitors were very supportive of our efforts, some of the locals were slightly overwhelmed by the noise and we were moved on more than once in order to keep the peace (quite literally) between festival organisers and Edinburgh residents.

The show was a massive success for the entire three week run – they sold out pretty much every day, and additional shows were added to the bill at the GRV to cater for increasing demand, as well as requests from top-class comedians who just had to have an injection of Oompah in their show (Rich Hall, Frank Skinner, Ali McGregor to name but a few!).  You can see some of the rave reviews here.  I had a great time up in Edinburgh, and am pleased to report that Blow Up! is coming to London – I will post details as soon as I know them.  This really is a show worth seeing – even if I do say so myself!

Some Oomp-related links for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.oompahbrass.com
http://www.oompahbrass.com/Fest_Pub.html
http://www.blowupthemusical.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/oompahbrass
http://twitter.com/OompahBrass
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wear/low/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8197000/8197180.stm