I joined the Tate

Yesterday was the last day of the Francis Bacon exhibition so we all decided to go to see it. With the price of individual tickets so high it makes sense to pay for an annual membership if you live in London.
Three years ago I was given a membership as a gift and I used it a lot. The last two years without it I must say I didn't go to nearly as many exhibitions. When ticket prices are £12 per visit you think twice before going and then only to those that really interest you. It's a bit like broadband v dial-up. You don't have to think of the meter ticking.
As for the Bacon exhibition, it was well worth the visit, plenty to see. It was reassuring to see that his studio was a bigger mess than mine!

To get a copy of the catalogue click the link below.
Francis Bacon

Gaza protest march - London

Today I went to London with my wife, daughter and two grandchildren. We joined the Gaza protest march from Westminster Bridge to Trafalgar Square. My wife threw a shoe at Downing Street! as did many others.

The turnout was impressive. There is the usual discrepancy between the police estimate and the organisers estimate of the number of protesters. The police say 10 - 12,000, the organisers say 75,000.

We heard speeches by Tony Benn, Bianca Jagger, Brian Eno, Ken Livingstone and others.

We got home to find that the Israelis had launched their ground offensive in Gaza. Where will it end?

I usually restrain myself from making political posts in this blog, but this matter is tragic indeed and I feel very strongly about the injustice and the disproportionate action of Israel and the inaction of Britain and the USA.

2009 Composer Anniversaries

Happy New Year everybody!
2009 is a great year for anniversaries of composers. For example:

• Isaac Albeniz - died 18 May 1909 (100 years)
• George Frideric Handel - died 14 April 1759 (250 years)
• Franz Josef Haydn - died 31 May 1809 (200 years)
• Felix Mendelssohn - born 3 February 1809 (200 years)
• Henry Purcell - born 10 September 1759 (350 years)
  
  
  Go to my 52composers.com website for more details