Concert: Duo Corde Brillanti

This evening, I was with TAC at a classical guitar concert, Duo Corde Brillanti, at King's Place. (Jeez, I've seen so many different spellings of that - now going with the one on the free programme I got on the way in, I figure that's as close to a source of truth as I'm going to get!

I appreciated the extra hour - had a lovely lie-in! and naturally, with the day to get ready, was still rushing at the end. The bus route was the same as Friday, which made it easy - and the buses came quickly, which I appreciated on such a cold day. My plan was to check out Nando's King's Cross for food - I was a little tight for time, and they're quick and convenient. Unfortunately, they also tend to be busy.. with a queue that stretched onto the road, and me in a little bit of a hurry, I scouted around - same story as Tuesday, a queue at The Barrel Vault, would you believe, and all the seating outside the upstairs eateries occupied. And just like Tuesday, I ended up in Pret again - I know there are other eateries, but as I say, time was an issue.

Made the venue in good time, got my ticket at the box office - got a drink from the downstairs bar (which he judged by sight), and was one of the first in, handily, as this was in Hall Two, where seating is unreserved. I got a central aisle seat, third row from the front - I could have got closer, but figured I didn't want to be right up against the instruments! 

This is a Czech duo - he did all the talking, and from what he said, we gleaned that they're married. He, Vladislav Blaha,  performed every second piece solo - he seems to be the bigger star, President of the Czech Classical Guitar Society and the International Guitar Festival Brno. She played the mandolin, and wore a sparkly dress, perhaps appropriate to the title:


They started with Vivaldi, then she went off and he played a piece he said was dedicated to him - the first of a few of those - the Usher Waltz by Nikita Koshkin. The name apparently derives from the fact that it was inspired by the story, The Fall of the House of Usher - it's as dissonant as the story is disturbing. The remainder of the first half was merrier, with Paganini, the Spaniard, Manuel de Falla, and the Argentinian composer, Máximo Diego Pujol.

A short interval was followed by Dvorak's Slavic Dance #2 - I suppose they had to throw in someone Czech - some Piazzolla, and some I never heard of. I love classical guitar - and this, it turned out, was part of the London Guitar Festival, which seems to have been based at King's Place - unfortunately, this was the last concert of the festival. I just wish I could have heard Ana Vidovic, whose playing I love, and who was playing there yesterday..

And yes, the #188 stopped for a change of drivers on the way home.. In other news, finally turned on the heating tonight - my room was like a fridge when I got in - and have spent the day ploughing through the goodies I didn't take with me yesterday!

Next, three Meetups: tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) at Soho Theatre for Little Brother - planned to meet my sometime travel companion, who's also going, in the nearby Nellie Dean beforehand: but she figured she couldn't make it in time, so she booked Flat Iron for after, and I said I'd join her.

On Tuesday, a new Meetup group to me, Rewind Tours of London, which apparently runs pay-what-you-like walks, has a special Hallowe'en walk - London: City of Death! (Actually running daily until next Sunday, but I'm going on this day.)

And on Wednesday, The Hideout has grabbed me again - we're headed to Nightmare on Elm Street 2 at Cineworld Leicester Square. And yes, meeting at Victory House again, and I'll be in Bella Italia before that.

On Thursday, thinking of film again - as my co-worker says, it's my movie night - Urchin is at the Curzon Bloomsbury.

Appropriately, Hallowe'en weekend is all about The Hideout/Movie Roadhouse London (MRL)! On Hallowe'en itself, The Hideout are on another field trip - following the success of Shocktober, we're now off to Haunt Fest. I'll have to get off work as quickly as possible - blast that I can't take the day off this year, I always try to but my days have been spoken for. Anyway, we can get there by Thameslink from King's Cross (gee, I'm there a lot all of a sudden!), and handily, Harpenden, our destination, had the Oyster system extended to it some years ago. We're meeting in The Parcel Yard - well, unless I need to go straight to the train!

On Saturday, planning to go with MRL to the 40th anniversary screening of Back to the Future in the Cineworld Imax - finally got a ticket booked, after some internet trouble. As usual, eating in Bella Italia, meeting the group in Victory House.

And next Sunday, I'm back with The Hideout for a new horror, Shelby Oaks, Leicester Square venue TBD..

Finally, on the 3rd, fourth Meetup in a row, back with UITCS for Fatherland at Hampstead Theatre.

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