She was brilliant, of course!
Noisy and splendid evening at Lemmensinstituut, Leuven (Belgium, if you need more info)...
...and Sarah-Ann's first gig with us, as a guest in 6 songs.
...this was a try-out of much of the Showtime show for next year...
We will do this twice more on the 11th and 13th December in Wemmel and Aalst (yes, still Belgium)... before Richard leaves the TLQ stage with his final turn at Esch, Luxembourg...
Lots of new stuff, of course... Abba, Guys and Dolls, Batman, O Mio Babbino Caro, He's a Tramp & Michel Legrand... just to name a few... you'll just have to come and see the show!
As ever a most ferociously enthusiastic response from the students - a lovely atmosphere... great for Sarah-Ann's first concert... and they all joined in with Always Look on the Bright Side of Life splendidly & loudly at the end!
Edwin Risbourg did a fine job on sound and lights, and Chris Hatt was excellent as ever at the piano... great to have such a team working with us.
Thank you, BE agent, Thomas VdS of course too...
STOP PRESS: Forgot to mention that we were also joined by some students from the college to sing the chorus parts in Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from Lion King - tremendous to have their contribution too...
A great evening....
A few precious days off now, before we start the Xmas rush on November 29th!!
Saturday, 22 November 2014
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
DE tour then pastures new... with Sarah-Ann
Last two dates of the November outings to Germany... in Nienburg/Weser & Bremerhaven...
Two more performances of Best of British with the splendid Paul Plummer at the piano...
This was our second show in Nienburg, and the place was full to the brim, and much flag-waving and excitement ensued!
Our fellow Magenta artists, Medlz are here in Nienburg next Saturday (22nd November)!
Do go along... they're cool...
Then we went up to the fishing port/harbour of Bremerhaven... and ate lots of wonderful fish... (it is difficult not to eat fish here!)...
...and to a theatre we have not been in for ten years... excellent to be back...
Excellent staff and support and an audience prepared to let their hair down!
Now it is a totally new venture... we have never done this before when we have changed members, but we have three Belgian gigs where both Richard and Sarah-Ann will perform together... it will be our new show for Belgium - Showtime! (This will be called Memories in Germany)... where we celebrate music for the stage...
Sarah-Ann will be our guest for a few songs on Thursday at the Lemmens Instituut, and then in December at shows at Aalst and Wemmel. All details on our site.
From the 29th November we are ferociously busy... (more details anon - tho' you can look at our site)
Hooray for all that!
Two more performances of Best of British with the splendid Paul Plummer at the piano...
This was our second show in Nienburg, and the place was full to the brim, and much flag-waving and excitement ensued!
Our fellow Magenta artists, Medlz are here in Nienburg next Saturday (22nd November)!
Do go along... they're cool...
Then we went up to the fishing port/harbour of Bremerhaven... and ate lots of wonderful fish... (it is difficult not to eat fish here!)...
...and to a theatre we have not been in for ten years... excellent to be back...
Excellent staff and support and an audience prepared to let their hair down!
Now it is a totally new venture... we have never done this before when we have changed members, but we have three Belgian gigs where both Richard and Sarah-Ann will perform together... it will be our new show for Belgium - Showtime! (This will be called Memories in Germany)... where we celebrate music for the stage...
Sarah-Ann will be our guest for a few songs on Thursday at the Lemmens Instituut, and then in December at shows at Aalst and Wemmel. All details on our site.
From the 29th November we are ferociously busy... (more details anon - tho' you can look at our site)
Hooray for all that!
Saturday, 15 November 2014
Hameln & Haus der Springmaus
It wasn't so Grimm in Hameln ! (geddit??!!)
No Pied Pipers whisked anyone off whilst we did a Best of British in Hameln...
We had lunch here which was nice... splendid old town in the midst of a circular road... very picturesque...
Then on to Bonn...
For this tour we are with our old friend Paul Plummer on piano... he has been with us most often in our 11 trips to Haus der Springmaus.
Terrific to have Paul there as it was a 'farewell Richard' concert... (he is already clanking with bottles and can't walk for the weight of chocolate and gifts! - but don't stop, will you?)
Wonderful to see Andrea Heister who runs Haus der Springmaus, as ever, and old friend Ingeborg in the audience...
We repeated our Born 2 Rule Over You Horrible Histories song, as we sang as part of the 300th anniversary of the Hannoverian throne of Great Britain... and it went down very well!
Excellent willing and appreciative audiences in both venues... as we have come to expect in Germany
We are very lucky to have another friend Birgit to help sell our CDs (in fact to do it completely!) - she's very good at getting shot of Cricket Tea Towels... we have none left (17 gone in two days!)... She is with us for most of this tour - a delight - and such a great help too...
On to Nienburg & Bremerhaven next...
No Pied Pipers whisked anyone off whilst we did a Best of British in Hameln...
We had lunch here which was nice... splendid old town in the midst of a circular road... very picturesque...
...and the flag-waving was great. Good participation all round.
Excellent to meet Dorothee once more at the theatre... great staff and venue.
Then on to Bonn...
For this tour we are with our old friend Paul Plummer on piano... he has been with us most often in our 11 trips to Haus der Springmaus.
Terrific to have Paul there as it was a 'farewell Richard' concert... (he is already clanking with bottles and can't walk for the weight of chocolate and gifts! - but don't stop, will you?)
Wonderful to see Andrea Heister who runs Haus der Springmaus, as ever, and old friend Ingeborg in the audience...
We repeated our Born 2 Rule Over You Horrible Histories song, as we sang as part of the 300th anniversary of the Hannoverian throne of Great Britain... and it went down very well!
Excellent willing and appreciative audiences in both venues... as we have come to expect in Germany
We are very lucky to have another friend Birgit to help sell our CDs (in fact to do it completely!) - she's very good at getting shot of Cricket Tea Towels... we have none left (17 gone in two days!)... She is with us for most of this tour - a delight - and such a great help too...
On to Nienburg & Bremerhaven next...
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Ferry cross the Bodensee (twice)
Two beautiful Ferry crossings over the Bodensee to facilitate concerts in Elgg (Switzerland) & Immenstaad (Germany).
Both evenings very loud and enthusiastic! Lots of old friends at the Swiss concert; Silvan, Andrea & Michel, Ulla Schmid & Lotti Viola and Hildegard Sutter - how delightful. Irene's Mum & Silvan got the Are You Lonesome? treatment!
We started the "Farewell Richard" process at Elgg, and he was presented with a bottle of wine... he may not be able to carry his suitcase by the end of December!
...and another friend Urs gave a wonderful, moving singing tribute to Richard after the concert..
...and it was standing room only at Immenstaad.... (they only have two shows a year, so they are very popular!)
We were in a dressing room full of the Carnival costumes at Immenstaad - they start rehearsals now! - and of course it carries on for months!
Mike felt like the Comedian Harmonists (Ich wollt' ich wär' ein Huhn).... so, wishing he were a hen, tried one on:
Very fetching...
We started the "Farewell Richard" process at Elgg, and he was presented with a bottle of wine... he may not be able to carry his suitcase by the end of December!
...and another friend Urs gave a wonderful, moving singing tribute to Richard after the concert..
...and it was standing room only at Immenstaad.... (they only have two shows a year, so they are very popular!)
We were in a dressing room full of the Carnival costumes at Immenstaad - they start rehearsals now! - and of course it carries on for months!
Mike felt like the Comedian Harmonists (Ich wollt' ich wär' ein Huhn).... so, wishing he were a hen, tried one on:
Very fetching...
Friday, 7 November 2014
Beautiful Autumnal Germany and very odd toilets
A game of two halves on this first of a few tours of Europe between now and Christmas...
...firstly we have two concerts in Germany and then one in Switzerland, but back to Germany again after that...
Starting in the autumnal splendour of Illingen Saar & Bad Waldsee....
We performed two Best of British shows with Chris Hatt on the piano.
Terrific.
Here is the back of the theatre in the latter.... nice, eh?
Last time we were here (in 2000) we were in a performing tent and they were planning the venue we played tonight... It was great to see it having come to fruition...
Both sets of audiences loved waving their union flags and lustily singing Land of Hope and Glory, Rain stops cricket at Lord's, Red buses and Shakespeare, John, Paul, Ringo & George.... (Better than their efforts at The Lambeth Walk!)
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...firstly we have two concerts in Germany and then one in Switzerland, but back to Germany again after that...
Starting in the autumnal splendour of Illingen Saar & Bad Waldsee....
We performed two Best of British shows with Chris Hatt on the piano.
Terrific.
Here is the back of the theatre in the latter.... nice, eh?
Last time we were here (in 2000) we were in a performing tent and they were planning the venue we played tonight... It was great to see it having come to fruition...
Both sets of audiences loved waving their union flags and lustily singing Land of Hope and Glory, Rain stops cricket at Lord's, Red buses and Shakespeare, John, Paul, Ringo & George.... (Better than their efforts at The Lambeth Walk!)
The venue is indeed excellent, but these loos are very rarely used by two people we suggest... well, not unless they are both standing presumably... (Nice posing, Mike... we felt mime rather than realism best here.)
Now Chris Hatt has ridden off to be maestro at the Billy Elliot building site & it's on to Elgg in Switzerland, then Immenstaad on the Bodensee for a cappella us ... for some Madrigal to McCartney shows...
Onwards and eastwards...
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Rule Britannia repeats on BBC
We've been on TV again...
The BBC are repeating
Rule Britannia - Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th century...
...do seek out our minutes (a few per programme!)... at your pleasure
BBC iPlayer:
Episode 1 - very near the end of the episode; one of me appears!
Episode 2
Episode 3 at 8PM on BBC4 on Friday 7th November...
For those not in the know, we sing drinking songs, catches, anti-French tracts & both the original of and the US National Anthem itself...
The BBC are repeating
Rule Britannia - Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th century...
...do seek out our minutes (a few per programme!)... at your pleasure
BBC iPlayer:
Episode 1 - very near the end of the episode; one of me appears!
Episode 2
Episode 3 at 8PM on BBC4 on Friday 7th November...
For those not in the know, we sing drinking songs, catches, anti-French tracts & both the original of and the US National Anthem itself...
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