Fulham Football Club (FFC) match - London

While in London I went to a football match at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC. They were playing Cardiff City. Both teams are part of the Champions League, a step below the Premier League. Currently Fulham is ranked #2 out of 24 in the league. 

The team is owned by the owner of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, Shahid Khan. A major sponsor of Fulham FC is visitflorida.com. One of the reasons I did not think about buying a team jersey was all the advertising on it. If it weren't for the small FFC patch sewn on the front, you'd think it was an American team. 

The team's mascot is Billy the badger.

Here are some photos inside the stadium.

The opposition- Cardiff City

The match itself was fun. Many families attended. It got loud in there at times. The Cardiff fan section was very vocal throughout the match. The main complaint I heard about Fulham was the lack of a good striker (forward). They really need a goal scorer. At one point near the end of the match Fulham was down 1-2. They had multiple opportunities to score and just could not get the ball across the goal line. Finally the ball was tapped in to make the final score a 2-2 draw. 

The outside of the stadium is a nice brick facade.

One of Fulham's most exciting players was Johnny Haynes (b. 1934 d. 2005). He played there for 18 years as a forward. He also represented England on the national team for many years. His statue is featured prominently outside.

Getting to Cravens Cottage Stadium was easy. I took the District line subway and got off at Putney Bridge. From there you walk about .7 miles, mostly through Bishop's Park, to the stadium. It was a little confusing which way to go upon exiting the tube station, but later on there were signs pointing your way. The stadium is very near the Thames River and in the flight path of an airport.

I recommend attending a match. It was a friendly atmosphere and the staff on duty were very helpful.

Wilton's Music Hall in London

I stumbled upon this old music hall in the east end of London thanks to a documentary on BBC TV. It is the world's oldest surviving music hall. The TV program featured its history and restoration. I would not have known about this treasure otherwise.

Location in Graces Alley, the hall could be easily overlooked. It stands in a row of residential buildings. 

This place was first known for its pub called "The Prince of Denmark". The earliest owner of this pub was in charge from 1730-49. Information I have obtained from a booklet about the history of this place suggests that the pub existed til 1812 under that Prince of Denmark name. Later it was also known as "The King of Denmark" and "The Mahogany Bar". This was the first pub to install a mahogany bar and it set the style for later British pubs.

Later on under the guidance of proprietor John Wilton (from 1850-1868) the focus of this building switched from pub drunkeness to classy entertainment. A small music hall was built in 1853 behind the "Prince of Denmark" pub. In 1859 he built a larger music hall across the back of 4 houses he bought in Graces Alley. The music halls were always under scrutiny every year to make sure that the building was up to code (had fire exits) and provided the appropriate entertainment for its type of license. (There were licenses for theaters, music halls and concert rooms. Each license had strict rules for providing a specific type of entertainment.)

The music hall had a number of owners after Mr. Wilton up until 1881 when it ceased to provide entertainment. In 1877 a fire destroyed much of the building. It was repaired and reopened in 1878. The building was abandoned in 1881 and it is not clear what if anything happened there between 1881-8.

A group of Wesylan Methodists purchased the hall in 1888 and made it into a mission center. It lasted until 1956. The Methodists sold the building to the Coppermill Rag Warehouse in 1957. This business recycled dress manufacturers "seconds" into wiping cloths for ships' engines. 

The building was also used to shelter families during the Blitz, provide meeting spaces for striking dock workers and those opposed to the fascist movement in Britain.

Here is a poster showing significant dates in the hall's history.

In the mid 1960s the London County Council planned some new development in the area around the music hall. The council was persuaded to save the building from demolition. From 1972-1997 serious efforts were made to raise money to restore the hall. Some repairs were made after that, but money ran out. Fortunately the hall received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to make further repairs. The repairs have been described as "conservative", meaning that they wanted to retain the look of the building from 1859. The first phase of restoration started in 2012. During the time of repairs shows were still happening in the hall. Repairs and shows are still ongoing simultaneously. 

I attended a free concert in the Mahogany Bar featuring a local jazz group called "Daj Dook". They play music that is influenced by the 1930s style of Django Reinhart. They call it "gypsy jazz" - a modern fusion of swing and gypsy music. The four players (on violin, guitars and double bass) are an international bunch - British, Iranian/Irish, French and Argentinean. I really enjoyed the upbeat rhythm of the music. It is very lively and virtuostic. You can check them out at www.dajdook.com or on their Facebook page. There are links to video clips here and on YouTube. 

At this concert I was sitting by a lady who was a regular at Wilton's and seemed to know a fair amount about the history of the place. During intermission she kindly offered to show me around. Unfortunately the main music hall was locked, but I got a peek at the upstairs. Right now those upstairs rooms are an extension of the bar. There are tables and chairs set up to relax and sip on your drink. The setting is bare on purpose. The idea is to restore the rooms so they are functional. Apparently these rooms were once dwellings as seen by the various hearths in the rooms. In doing some research I found out that #s 1-4 Graces Alley had upstairs apartments that were rented out for many years.

Here is a photo of the entrance.

Here is a photo of the Mahogany Bar where the concert took place. The musicians found their corner of the room to set up.

I discovered there was a show going on later that week in the music hall's main room, so I jumped at that opportunity. The British touring opera company "Opera Della Luna" was presenting two 1 act operettas by Offenbach. These are rarely performed and were recently translated into English by the artistic director of the company. This is comic opera at its best - over the top humor. The shows were " Croquefer or the Last of the Paladins" and "The Isle of Tulipatan". They feature 5 characters in both operettas. The same 5 people appeared in both shows. The acting and singing were top notch. The band of musicians were relegated to the corner. The music reminded me very much of the music found in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Apparently Offenbach was familiar with their operettas.

I was not allowed to take pictures in the main hall. However, it can be described thus. The stage has 2 performing platforms. The room is rectangular. The balcony is on 3 sides of the room and is supported by twisted pillars. The chairs on the main floor are moveable, creating a flexible space. On the walls in the upper level you can see remnants of paintings. The hall has an expansive feel. The ceiling is quite high and the space is bare. 

More information on the opera company is at www.operadellaluna.org

I would highly recommend a visit to Wilton's for a show in the bar and the main hall. Occasionally they do offer tours. I was not there at the right time for that. 

I picked up an informative booklet on the history of the hall and houses at the music hall. It is by Carole Zeidman, researcher and historian at Wilton's. She is the expert there.

East London - Brick Lane area

I wanted to spend an afternoon revisiting one of my favorite areas of London, namely the east end.

I had to check out the place on Brick Lane where I had a channa roll last summer. It is like an egg roll filled with channa masala. The shop is near Fournier Street and Brick Lane. It has a different name now than last year. From this picture you will see that it is now called "Arzu".

Here is the channa roll (with a bite already taken out of it).

On to my next food stop for a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. I intended to head for "Beigel Bake" on Brick Lane. Instead I ended up in the "Beigel Shop" by accident. It is a few doors down from "Beigel Bake". Oops! The bagel (plain) was firm and had substance (unlike some I've had that are lighter). It was tasty. Later in the afternoon I ended up in the intended bagel shop, "Beigel Bake". I was not going to come all that way and miss out on one of their bagels. I ordered the same kind of bagel. It was also tasty and firm. I could not make out any big differences in the bagel. Both were good.

Here is the "Beigel Bake" bagel.

The "Beigel Bake" shop seems to get all the hype, but I think both shops had tasty bagels and similar menus.

As I approached the intersection of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green I decided to go by my favorite cat café, Lady Dinah's. It was a block down on the right on Bethnal Green. I was disappointed they did not still have the tall cat tower in the window. Instead there were a few low cubby holes for the cats and a curtain blocking part of the window. I couldn't see the cats very well that were hanging out by the window. This is the best shot I was able to take.

A beautiful, sleepy calico cat. I had not made a reservation for tea there and they were booked for the day. The idea is you make a reservation for a particular 1 1/2 hour time slot and then you can hang out with the cats there. You can order tea and snacks if you want. Next time I will think ahead more and reserve a spot.

I wandered down one of the many side streets off of Brick Lane and saw rows of old brick homes with big shuttered windows on the ground level. These were formerly weavers' workshops and homes built in the Georgian style architecture. The workshop was typically on the ground floor and the weavers lived upstairs. The silk weaving industry was huge for a time in east London. Mainly the French Huguenots were involved in this business. Here is a photo of a typical weaver's house. Peeking out behind the house is the tower of Christ's Church Spitalfields on Commercial St.

I walked to Christ's Church to get a better view of it and hopefully go inside. No luck getting in. It was all locked up. I am so used to having churches open, but I guess it is only open when events are taking place. Next time I will try to attend a service there so I can see the inside. Here is the outside.

Across from this church is the Spitalfields market. It is a large building full of retail shops. There are a few places to eat inside as well as restaurants in the area.

Near Fournier Street and the eatery "Arzu" is the Brick Lane Jamme Masjid, a Muslim place of worship.

I do not recall there being such a tall tower in front in previous years.

In this area is a lot of street art. I particularly noticed the political commentary this year. It was been quite a year for England with the Brexit vote to leave the EU. I happened to catch part of a tour on street art as I was exploring. This relatively new piece of art (appearing the day after the Brexit vote) shows how many Brits are feeling about the decision to leave the EU.

Notice the extended two fingers. This means "F-U" in England. The style of art is distinctive with the x-ray look. It was accomplished with a spray can. This artist often paints with this x-ray style. If he gets the anatomy wrong, he hears from doctors who correct him. His name is Shok-1.

The other two cartoons deal with well known political figures of the day- Jeremy Corbyn (leader of the Labour Party and the opposition, whose leadership has been questioned), Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Boris Jòhnson (pro Brexit) was formerly mayor of London and was attempting to become the next Conservative party leader and prime minister after prime minister David Cameron's resignation. He was initially supported in that bid for conservative party leader by Michael Gove. Gove then decided later to throw Johnson under the bus and withdraw his support for Johnson. Instead Gove was going to run for party leader. It all got rather thorny. Here are some reflections on the subjects via street art.

Here is the gate to Banglatown (the name for this heavily Bangladeshi area) as you exit. This is on Brick Lane.

This area has a rich history of cultural diversity with various ethnics groups living here in the past - Jewish, Irish, French, Bangladeshi and more. You can definitely observe the Bangladeshi and Pakistani presence when you walk around and notice the people and ethnic restaurants. It has a different feel than the rest of London. I recommend a visit to this east end of London.

Vocal music at 2016 BBC Proms - Stile Antico with Fretwork and The Sixteen

I attended a concert at Cadogan Hall by the vocal ensemble "Stile Antico" and the viol players of "Fretwork". It was part of the BBC proms chamber music series. Much of the music had the common theme of using Shakespeare texts as lyrics. One of the composers, Robert Johnson, was in fact a contemporary of Shakespeare. He wrote incidental music and songs for Shakespeare's plays such as "The Tempest". His song "Full fathom five" from "The Tempest" was performed here. Other featured composers on the program who used Shakespeare's texts were Thomas Morley (1557-1602), Huw Watkins (b. 1976) and Nico Muhly (b. 1981). The piece "Gentle Sleep" by Muhly stood out for its word painting and close following of the text. A few of the other songs had either biblical or anonymous texts . These were by William Byrd (1540-1623), Thomas Tomkins(1572-1656), Robert Ramsey (d. 1644) and John Wilbye (1574-1638). 

Fretwork either accompanied the singers or played on their own (pieces by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons). Five viols of different sizes were performed as an ensemble. They produced a pleasant, homogeneous sound. I am not sure where they are based. I assume in London. They play early and contemporary music.

Stile Antico is based in London and has 12 singers. They primarily sing music of the Renaissance. They also give premieres of new works. 

Here is a photo of Cadogan Hall where the concert took place. It was previously a church.

At Royal Albert Hall I heard a late night proms concert with the vocal ensemble "The Sixteen", directed by Harry Christophers. They performed motets by Bach and 2 works by Arvo Pärt. 

The contrast in styles was obvious. These works were written 250 years apart with different musical harmonies. The style of writing is opposite. The Bach was often very "busy" with lots of contrapuntal lines whereas the Pärt was very "thin" with a sparse style. The contrast was very obvious to the ear.

The Pärt pieces performed were "Nunc dimittis " (2001) and " Triodion" (1998). The former was a commission by a church in Edinburgh. Pärt had written a Magnificat 12 years earlier in Berlin. Often those 2 texts of Nunc and Magnificat are paired by composers. This time there was a 12 year gap between those compositions. They were not conceived at the same time. The "Triodion" mixed orthodox chant style singing and more contemporary Pärt style writing. It was stunning. It was written in English and was a commission from Lancing College in the UK to mark its 150th anniversary.

I wish groups in the U.S. would sing this!

The most familiar Bach motet "Jesu, meine Freude" took the chorale tune. It was set in many different ways by Bach. You could always hear a hint of the chorale. The texture could get quite thick.

It was beautiful.

For this concert the usual 16 singers was supplemented and made into an ensemble of 34.

This was a very polished performance by a talented group of singers.

2016 BBC Proms and the West Eastern Divan Orchestra

This was the proms concert I had my eye on for the time period I was going to be in London. One of my colleagues in the San Antonio Symphony has played often in this orchestra (however not this year).

He has spoken to me fondly about his experiences with this group. 

Instead of typing out the orchestra's history, I will present you with a copy of their biography from the program.

My colleague said he appreciated the efforts towards dialogue outside of rehearsals. The orchestra would meet, watch a documentary about some aspect of the Middle East and then discuss it. They are all about humanity and co-existence. 

I am not sure why they include some musicians from Spain, other than the fact that the orchestra seems to rehearse now in Spain. I had heard from my friend that they used to rehearse in Argentina and then tour in South America before going on tour in Europe in the summer. With Mr. Barenboim's connections to Argentina (he was born there), it does not surprise me that the orchestra went there. Also the orchestra frequently collaborates with the Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich, a childhood friend of Barenboim.

My friend said the tour is long (4-5 weeks) and grueling. The musicians receive a salary and their expenses are paid (travel, room and most of board). It is just too hard for him to be away from his family for that length of time. He has not played with them for several years.

Last night's sold out concert was magical. The orchestra has played often at the Proms, so this group is known here. Apparently Mr. Barenboim is well loved in London, as he studied here and later conducted here. His marriage to the British cellist Jacqueline du Pré also endeared him to British audiences. No wonder there was thunderous applause for Mr Barenboim all night long.

The orchestra started out with a piece by Jörg Widmann inspired by Beethoven's symphonies #s 7&8.

"Con brio" quoted fragments of melodies and rhythms from these symphonies amongst explorations of sounds on the instruments (tympanist hitting rim of drums, woodwind players blowing into their instruments without producing actual pitches, string players exploring sounds close to the bridge etc.).

At points there was a lot of rhythmic drive to the music. In other places calm and silences prevailed.

It was interesting, but I did not get super excited about the piece.

One of the highlights of the evening was Martha Argerich's playing. She joined the orchestra for Liszt's piano concert #1. She showed the extremes of emotions very well. She plays powerfully when appropriate and delicately when called for. I think she is around 75 years old now. I am fortunate to have heard her live. Everyone was holding their breath to see if she walked out on stage. I heard that she recently cancelled her performance of that piece with this orchestra in Salzburg as she was not feeling well. She is prone to cancel at the last minute (due to illness-cancer- or nerves). She did appear to be a bit frail when walking. She played beautifully. Of course the audience (me included) wanted to hear more from her. After many bows she gave in and played Schubert's Rondo in A for 1 piano 4 hands with Mr. Barenboim beside her. It was a long encore (over 10 minutes long). It was played so delicately that you could have heard a pin drop in the audience.

On the second half of the program the orchestra performed Wagner selections from Tannhäuser, Götterdämmerung and Die Meistersinger. They were masterfully played. Barenboim is a master at balance - bringing to the fore the appropriate melody at the right time. I could tell that the orchestra understood the story behind the music by showing the temperament of the music. At times Barenboim stopped conducting and just pointed to the instrument that took the lead melody. True chamber music.

As encores (yes, more than one!) they played the prelude to act 3 of "Die Meistersinger". It was hauntingly beautiful. The more lively encore was from the opera "Lohengrin" - the famous bit.

The only way the applause ended was when the orchestra walked off the stage. Otherwise we would have kept clapping for more.

Here is a birds eye view of the stage during the bows.

It was really an outstanding concert. If you have a chance to hear these performers, go!

 

Victoria and Albert Museum 2016

I love this museum. Somehow I never thought I would be that interested in fashion and design, as that is often the description given for the contents of the museum. However, the way the pieces of art are presented is appealing. Be prepared for loads of sculptures on the street level floor. The amazing thing is they are presented out in the open and are scattered throughout the rooms. You can get a close up view. I guess they trust that you won't touch them!

I headed straight for the area of Britain from the 1500s through the 1700s. It features the decorative arts in Great Britain and how they are a reflection of society back then. I will show you a few photos of pieces that caught my eye.

Supposedly a virginal commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I and played by her.

An earl's wine cooler with ice from 1719-20. Enormous! I wonder how many bottles fit in there ?

A "fuddling cup" from ca. 1630-40. Basically 3 connected cups to be filled with alcohol. The cups are joined inside by holes so you end up drinking from one cup but the contents of 3 cups is drunk by the person. It is a practical joke! BTW back then "befuddled"=drunk.

A painting based on Holbein's painting of Sir Thomas More, his family and friends. This artist added a few more generations of the More family to the painting. By Rowland Lockey of London.

A chair that has been "japanned" or has Asian features. The Orient was all the rage. It has the exotic look, though made locally. Interesting that it shows Chinese influences despite the technique referring to Japan.

A silk gown made in east London, Spitalfields area - known for its silk weaving industry.  This was made ca. 1744 and adjusted in 1780.

Finally the Royal oak tree at Boscobel House shown in a plaque honoring Charles II after he regained the throne (after the battle of Worcester that he lost). Charles II went into hiding and ended up staying 1 day up in this tree with a supporter to elude the authorities after he lost that battle of Worcester.

His triumphant return to power as king was celebrated in this piece of art. Apparently you can go visit the Boscobel House and see a descendant of the original tree on the grounds.

During this span of 1500s-1700s the Brits and their arts were influenced by foreign countries. Between 1600-1710 prints from the continent influenced designs on British ceramics and embroidery.  The Indies and Asia were trading partners with Britain. The Brits picked up on design ideas from them (ie. the Japanned furniture, designs on ceramics). Foreign potters and glass makers from the continent came to Britain and imitated the designs of expensive imports on their ceramics. They could sell these ceramics cheaper than importing ceramics. Furniture became more functional and decorative at the same time. Upholstery was an art. The noble families were always trying to make the entertaining rooms in their houses the fanciest rooms of their estate. They were very aware of the latest fashions.

An odd piece in this British section is the "bed of Ware". It was very big for beds those days (big enough for 4 small couples!). It was built around 1590 and was intended as a tourist attraction at an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire - outside of London. 

Another famous piece in the museum is the Drake jewel, given to Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I in thanks for his success fighting against the Spanish Armada. One part of it is a portrait of the Queen with a Phoenix below her. Another part has 2 cameo silhouettes (side view) of the Queen and an African gentleman.  I do not know much about this jewel, but it is famous.

Upstairs in the museum the section on Britain continues from the 1700s onwards. Next time I will take a look there.

If you get hungry and want to sit down, there are 2 nice cafes (in the garden and indoors) with tasty looking food, cakes and teas.

This is one of many free museums in London. It is big. I highly recommend going over several days.

Lebanese food in South Kensington, London UK

On the way home from the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington I stumbled across a Lebanese canteen called "Le Comptoir Libanais" (the "Lebanese counter", I believe, in French).

It is in a pedestrian square along with many other eateries. This place has a huge outdoor seating area and a medium size inside seating area. 

This location is 1-5 Exhibition Road. There are other branches in London and beyond.

I ordered the mezze platter that consisted of hummus, falafel (with added sesame seeds), lentil rice salad (with onion and a lemon vinaigrette), baba ghanuj (smoked eggplant, tahini and lemon juice with pomegranate seeds), salad and halloumi cheese ( a firm cheese that was grilled and spiced with thyme). It was delicious. I really liked the baba ghanuj because of its smoky flavor. I had never tried that halloumi cheese before. It would be bland without the grilling and spices added. It was tasty.

For a drink I ordered the apple, ginger, spearmint homemade "lemonade" called "toufaha". The term "lemonade" is misleading, especially to Americans. There was no lemon in the drink. It was a great blend of flavors and very green in color.

For dessert I had to get the baklava. I was served 5 different kinds. One had ground cashew nuts. I think another had pistachios. I did not find a walnut kind (very common in the U.S.). The round baklava was more of a pastry and not phyllo dough. It had figs inside. That was different. It all was very tasty, but I really did not need 5 pieces. Would have been good to share with a friend.

Overall I would recommend this place. The food was great. I wish I could have tried their tagine (stews) and kofta. The service was slow tonight (Sunday), but it was packed. I give them that excuse.

Maybe the key is get takeaway. Service might be quicker. I will come back here.

South Indian vegetarian cooking class in London

I had the privilege of taking a private cooking class with the Indian chef, cookbook author and teacher Monisha Bharadwaj in her home in west London. Normally she teaches groups, but I was the only one signed up for the class. Lucky me!

I thought that London might be the place to learn how to cook Indian food. I really wanted to focus on South Indian cuisine as it has become a favorite of mine. I had not figured out how to make dosa (paper-thin rice crepes) and sambhar (a lentil stew with a homemade sambhar spice blend). Fortunately my teacher catered the class towards my interests.

Just a few miscellaneous tidbits before I go onto describe the dishes we made....

Mangoes- there are Indian and Mexican varieties. In Texas we obviously get Mexican. They are full of pulp. Indian mangoes are sweeter and have less pulp. India does not export their mangoes, so I'd have to go there to try them.

Mango lassi - found in both North and South India. I believe the difference between the two is the proportion of yogurt to water. I think she said 50-50 in South India. Not sure the proportion in the north.

In any case you should make it thin and pourable.

Yogurt used in South Indian cuisine is full milk. Consistency is liquid (unlike our U.S. gelatinous blobs in the grocery store). I may have to make my own yogurt from now on.

Nuts used in cooking are always used raw, not roasted, since you will probably end up roasting them anyway in the pan.

Try to find aged basmati rice. May be marked on package that it is aged. More expensive than "young" rice. Advantage of aged rice is that it does not stick to itself as much. 

However for idli any cheap basmati rice will do as you want it to be sticky.

Idli (steamed rice cakes)- no need to use potha thin or parboiled rice, as the recipe I found said. The potha is supposed to make fermentation happen quicker. Two kinds of rice are unnecessary. Just use cheap basmati rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and let them ferment.

Dosa (paper-thin rice crepes) are made using the idli batter. The batter should be thick, pourable. I had read you should thin out batter. Did not work when I tried to cook the dosa. Cook in large non-stick frying pan (around 14" in diameter at least). Pour one large spoonful in pre-heated hot, dry pan. Use back of spoon and make circles in batter with each circle getting larger. You should end up with a thin layer circle.  Allow to cook until it gets brown and starts pulling away from the pan. Flip and cook on other side if you want to. Not obligatory to flip. Serve warm with chutneys.

Equipment- necessary are a mortar and pestle and/or spice grinder (metal coffee grinder). With the mortar you can grind spices and make pastes. My teacher also had a plastic gadget that looked like a pill crusher. It had plastic teeth inside. You twist the top to make small amounts of paste (like fresh ginger garlic paste). I need to find that gadget.

Many of the seed spices and lentils should be dry roasted in the pan, so that if you grind them later all of their inner moisture is gone. These seeds and lentils include black mustard, fenugreek, cumin, toor dal and urad dal. In some recipes however the black mustard seeds were roasted in oil. That was in instances when you were not going to grind them. When roasting in oil, start with room temperature oil and throw in the mustard seeds. The oil will heat up and the seeds will pop. Then they are ready. Use a neutral vegetable oil when frying and not olive oil (adds flavor when you don't want it).

Cabbage and cauliflower were introduced to Indian cuisine by the British during their reign. They are very commonly used still today.

The dishes we prepared are meant to be easily prepared at home. You may find similar dishes served in South Indian restaurants. We started out making Thayir vada (lentil fritters). These are made with soaked split white urad dal (lentils) and deep fried in vegetable oil. Use enough oil to almost submerge the fritters. Fry them in a deep frying pan. The fritters are served in a yoghurt sauce that is flavored by an oil tempered with black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilies and fresh curry leaves. There is an option of dipping the fried fritters in water and squeezing them out to make soft fritters. I personally prefer not doing this. I like the crunchy exterior and soft interior. You serve the fritters in the sauce. 

Lemon rice is basically basmati rice with a tempered oil consisting of black mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, soaked channa dal, cashews, peanuts, turmeric and lemon juice. You fold the flavored oil into the rice. It has a lovely bright yellow color and a lemony taste.

Sambhar lentils with vegetables is made of red lentils, a vegetable (pumpkin, carrots or eggplant), spices and a paste made of fresh tamarind block plus water. You can make your own Sambhar powder by dry roasting spices individually and grinding them with mortar and pestle. A few teaspoons of the tamarind block was diluted in water and then drained to capture the thick pulp. You cook the pulp until it thickens. Apparently the fresh tamarind in the block gas has a sweeter flavor than the tamarind paste/concentrate in jars. You want the sweetness for this dish. This lentil stew can be eaten alongside rice or used as a dipping sauce for idli and dosa.

Green beans with coconut and urad dal (white lentils) is made with fresh green beans and a tempered oil of black mustard seeds, urad dal and dried red chilies. You cook the beans in the oil with some water added until the beans are cooked. Add the dried coconut at the end after the beans are cooked.

Ginger Raita is a yoghurt sauce that can accompany rice and other dishes. The yoghurt is flavored with a fresh green chili ginger paste, raisins and vegetable oil tempered with black mustard seeds. The raita is prepared in the mortar.

Bagare Baingan is eggplant in a sweet tamarind sauce. For this recipe you make a tempered oil with dried red chilies, cashews, coriander seeds and add onion, dried coconut and white sesame seeds. You also make a fresh ginger garlic paste. All this makes a fragrant curry paste when blended. You sauté more onion and the eggplant. You make some tamarind paste out of the tamarind block plus water. Combine the tamarind paste, dark brown sugar and curry paste. The onion and eggplant simmer in that wonderful mess until cooked. The sauce has a pleasantly sweet flavor. My teacher said you can substitute cauliflower and potatoes for the eggplant if you want. The sauce compliments those veggies too. Just simmer the raw vegetables in the sauce until cooked. They absorb the flavors of the sauce better if they are raw (as opposed to cooking the vegetables first).

Cabbage Thoran (cabbage with black mustard seeds and coconut) can be made with green or red cabbage. You temper the vegetable oil with black mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, fresh green chilies, asafoetida and turmeric. You cook the cabbage in it, adding some water to moisten. After the cabbage is soft, add the dried coconut. This dish had a bit of a kick to it, due to the green chili flavor. It was not too spicy.

I highly recommend looking into cooking classes with Monisha (in her home or at various cooking schools around the UK). If you can't manage that, then at least get your hands on one of her cookbooks. A new one is coming out in November. 

I can't wait to try these recipes out at home.

"New Blood" - St. Endellion Festival - 58th season

This year's summer classical music festival is one of "new blood", as some of the regular participants are not here. Nevertheless the level of music-making is up to its usual exceptional standard. Kudos to our artistic director, tenor Mark Padmore, who put together a stellar group of vocal soloists and chose interesting pieces for the concerts. A shout out to all the "fixers" who assembled a fine orchestra and chorus.

The festival takes place every summer for two weeks in North Cornwall at the Collegiate Church of St. Endellion (near Port Isaac) in late July/early August. It draws participants mainly from the UK (with a few Yankees thrown in). 

The highlight each year for me as a performer is always the semi-staged opera at the end of the festival. This year we are performing "Gloriana" by Benjamin Britten. It was commissioned for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and is about Queen Elizabeth I in her final years of reign. 

Many intriguing events fill the plot - primarily Queen Elizabeth's relationship with the Earl of Essex and its consequences. The queen is gloriously sung by Susan Bullock, who has performed here before and is known for her portrayal of the queen in the Royal Opera House's production of "Gloriana" a few years ago. The queen's nastiness is particularly clear in her performance. Her supporting cast is outstanding, especially the Earl of Essex played by Andrew Tortise. The opera is full of song and dance, "musical interludes" that stall the plot but are delightful. This year we are missing some of the usual opera stars (Roderick Williams and Pamela Helen Stephen), but are enjoying the performances of the newbies Graeme Danby and Andrew Tortise. TBD the opera next summer. Hopefully it will be announced in the next few days. Can't wait!

Every summer there is also one major choral work programmed for performances at the church here and in the Truro Cathedral. I always enjoy this collaboration with the chorus. This year we played Berlioz's "L'enfance du Christ". It is about Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus and their flight into Egypt.

A highlight of the piece is the performance by a  trio of two flutes and harp as they entertain Joseph and his family arriving at Sais in Egypt. This was beautifully performed by our flutists Daniel Pailthorpe (co-principal flute of the BBC Philharmonic) and Roger Manasse (freelancer and sub with the Bournemouth Symphony). Our orchestra harpist Olivia Jageurs accompanied them very well. The vocal soloists and chorus were outstanding.  I liked the bit where the women of the chorus sang as angels to Joseph and Mary from outside the church door at St Endellion and from the depths of the quire in Truro Cathedral. On both occasions delightful birds chimed in with the angels' singing (although in Truro it was a performance by noisy seagulls). 

Here are a few photos of the inside of Truro Cathedral.

Our "stage".

The quire where the angels sang (behind our stage).

The rose window above the main doors of the cathedral.

 

This space is rather "boomy"(live), so it is a challenge to perform in. The setting however is stunning.

I should mention our wonderful principal conductor, Martyn Brabbins, who is with us for the second year in a row. He is a gem. He is calm, cool and collected during performances (our steady rock). He totally gets the circumstances of the festival (putting together music very quickly for concerts) and rolls with it. His sense of humor makes rehearsals enjoyable, yet he can also be very businesslike when necessary. Our regular conductor, Ryan Wigglesworth, was not able to join us as he is under the strain of composing an opera commissioned by the English National Opera ("A Winter's Tale", based on the Shakespeare text).

Another feature of the festival is the chamber music performed some evenings by festival participants. 

Britten's Phantasy quintet with two violas, Schubert's Trout Quintet and Schubert songs have been performed already. Mark Padmore's (tenor) interpretation of Schubert's final songs "Schwanengesang" ("swan songs") was amazing. He was able to show the contrasting moods with ease. We are fortunate to have such a fine singer/festival director here. This week several of the opera singers collaborated on a program "A Little Night Music". It was a collection of songs loosely connected by the theme of nighttime. There was a lot of variety with show tunes and more serious classical songs. Humorous songs from Gilbert and Sullivan's "Iolanthe" and by Tom Lehrer were a contrast to songs about death. I was impressed by the singers' abilities to sound "American" in some of the American popular songs. I would not have guessed they were Brits imitating Americans from listening to them. They sounded truly "American".

Our first concert of the season was purely orchestra and featured our co-principal cellist Tim Gill on the Walton concerto and our fine chorus on Handel's "Dixit Dominus". Tim's exquisite playing drew my attention to a piece I did not know. It is a piece with stunning colors and instrumental acrobatics for all, especially the soloist. Tim made it sound effortless. No wonder he is the principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic.  The Handel work I have played before. An energetic performance was achieved. I learned that the piece has a nickname over in England, "Brexit Dominus". Bad joke, I know. Thanks to our associate conductor Aidan Oliver who coined the term we had a good laugh.

The final late night chamber music concert featured our trusty head administrator Tom Hickox, who is best known outside of this festival as a very talented singer/songwriter. I could not miss this opportunity to hear him perform. He was backed by a "band" consisting of musicians from the festival (violins, viola, cello, trumpet, bass and harp). Tom sang and played the piano. All the compositions were original - either from an earlier CD or one that is about to be released. The best word to describe his style is "soulful". The lyrics are thought provoking. The music created the mood. I particularly liked the two historical songs he set. One was about the "Lisbon Maru", inspired by an event during World War II where a Japanese boat full of American and other Ally POWS was mistakenly bombed by American forces. Most on board did not survive. Those who did had to swim in bloody waters to dry land, only to be rescued later. Apparently this story made the newspapers 50 years after the event thanks to a persistent survivor trying to get the word out and a journalist who took notice. This survivor had been telling the story for years to anyone who would (or would not) listen. It took a long time to get the story told. The other historical tale was a Cornish one from 1698. This song was written especially for this festival concert. It tells the story of a terrible storm at sea where all the males of Port Quin perished. The village was left with widows and children who left Port Quin and were taken in by the people of Port Isaac. Really a tragic story. Perhaps I preferred these songs as they had direct and not esoteric lyrics. I would highly recommend catching a concert of Tom Hickox. He does tours. If not, grab a copy of one of his CDs.

Here is a photo of the Collegiate Church of St. Endellion from this year. The view is from a side road. The church tower peeks through the trees across a field of hay.

High praises for this festival on this northern Cornish coast. It is most definitely a highlight of my year. 

I encourage you to come and attend some festival concerts. You will be amazed!

For the sake of cream tea - the walk from St. Endellion Church (Cornwall) to the Longcross Hotel

The best cream tea near St. Endellion Church is at the Longcross Hotel, just down the narrow road alongside the church. It is definitely worth the trek down the road for the freshly baked scones and the view from the outdoor terrace. The scones are baked daily in the hotel kitchen and are served from 11 am til 5 pm (or until they run out). They are light and flaky (and not overly sweet). Served with clotted cream and strawberry jam, they are a delight for the taste buds. The English tea served with the scones is very smooth and not tannic as some black teas can be.

Here is a photo with the scones presented the "Devon way" (with the clotted cream topped with jam) and the Cornish way (with the jam topped with the cream). 

The hotel boasts beautiful views from the terrace. Luckily we had sunny weather the day we went.

The hotel sits at the intersection of a few roads. The road from the church and a road leading to Trelights intersects there.

We entered the hotel from the road leading to Trelights. The hotel car park and the main entrance to the hotel are there. To the left of the main entrance is the terrace where we sat. The terrace has covered seating and open air seating.

How about these scones?

Are you hungry yet?