The Gerrard Chronicles 2004 - Art Scene

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Avis' Scene

Avis is still working at the Tate Archive & has continued her correspondence with Nick Serota The volunteers have now sorted nearly 3,000 artists files occupying 720 feet of shelf space. She has been working on her sketches of Chapel market characters amidst their merchandise in order to work them up for prints this year, alhough she has not decided on the methods. She has also started a new series of Studio Visits

Avis giving a Studio Visit talk to
Jill, Celia, Eve & Linda
from the Lilian Baylis Arts Club

Jason's Scene

Jason is concentrating on film & television nowadays, so most of the stuff he has worked on this year has not been seen by the viewing public yet. But he appeared as the 'seen-it-all' cop in "Sex Traffic" on C4 & as a victim of police violence in "Conviction" on BBC3 in November & on BBC1 in January. He will be seen in the lead with some of our friends from the Lilian Bayliss Club in "Wedding Planner", a feature film. He was seen on-stage working with Harold Pinter in "Six Sketches" & "The Dumb Waiter" at the Oxford Playhouse.


Pip's Scene

Yes, Pip has one this year as well. He was The Boy in a school production of "Where the Wild Things are". It is a sign that he is following in his father's footsteps.


Ken's Scene

After fiddling with it for nearly two years, Ken finished his musical ad hominem attack on the alleged 'character' of George W. Bush. This opus 25 is called 'Bang!' which has a lot of drumming in it, which Avis does not like. The music is very complicated but it is trying to illustrate the workings of a quite capable but totally dysfunctional mind. He is working on something pleasanter now, for a chamber orchestra.

LILIAN BAYLIS ARTS CLUB

When a speaker failed to turn up, Ken gave an impromptu lecture on Wagner but only got halfway before running out of time, so he has prepared a proper talk about the rest with CD & slides, for next time something goes wrong.

OTHER ARTS ACTIVITIES

Sixteen operas: ‘Rheingold’ ruined at the ENO but Verdi's 'Ernani', Berlioz 'Trojans', Verdi's 'Falstaff' & Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' (especially) were better. The Welsh did the original 'Butterfly' & Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin' at Sadlers Wells, where the Poles did Moniusko's rare 'Haunted Manor', the Hungarians, Kalman's 'Countess Maritza' (Ken took Anna, as Avis is sniffy about operetta), Bartok's 'Bluebeard's Castle' & 'The Miraculous Mandarin ballet' & Opera North brilliant in Puccini's 'Tabarro'. The Almeida Opera did Nyman's 'Man & Boy - Dada' about Schwitters & Birtwhistle's 'Io Passion'. At the Proms, 'Gianni Schicci' & Rachmaninov's 'The Miserly Knight'. The Guildhall School did Thomas' 'Mignon'.

The photogenic
Renée Sinclair gave a party for her 96th birthday at the Lilian Baylis Arts Club

The playgoing started with Michael Frayn's excellent "Democracy" & twelve other plays of varying quality, high marks going to Joe Penhall's, "Dumb Show" about the press persecution of celebrities. We went to just about every Tate & RA show.


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Next page ...is Traveller's Tales


Contact: Ken Baldry or Avis Saltsman, 17 Gerrard Road, Islington, London N1 8AY +44(0)020 7359 6294 or e-mail him or her
This page's URL: http://www.art-science.com/Xmas2004/artscene.html Last revised 30/11/2004
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