Greetings! I've just returned from a wonderful weekend of rehearsing for 'The Mikado' by Gilbert and Sullivan- a classic, light Victorian Operetta! Visiting my favourite place in the whole world- after a gap of a year and seeing some of my favourite people and sharing music with them. It is a remedy for whatever fatigue, maladies or ennui you might experience when you go there. Two days of glorious music- rehearsing for around 10 hours from Friday to Sunday, culminating in an informal 'performance' of the operetta.
Aside from visiting this place that holds some of my happiest memories, the place I last visited and first came back to after my year in Indonesia, the place I spent New Year's eve 1999, the place I first played flute in a Symphony Orchestra, aged 14, the place I had my first kiss as a teenager aged 17 (and second!), the place where CBC and I discovered we liked each other, where we got together- essentially the beginning of our courtship, a place of magic.
This weekend was all the more exciting because we were rehearsing The Mikado. I have been waiting since I was 11 to 'do' the Mikado. I was brought up on a diet of Gilbert and Sullivan- my Mum being in many an amateur dramatics production of it. One of my earliest memories was of seeing Princess Ida with my Grandparents, aged about 4ish and needing the toilet mid-performance and going out. I subsequently remember waiting with bated breath for the Moving pictures scene in Ruddigore, a bit older. Another time, watching my Mum skip across the stage in a white Victorian nightgown in The Pirates of Penzance (which I know most of the words to), The Gondoliers, Yeoman of the guard and more. Seeing Bonnie Langford as Mabel in the Palladian, London in Pirates. Later, watching our family friend in The Mikado with a different company and seeing it as a 21 year old with an ex at ENO. As a student, I played in the 'pit' as a flute and viola player for various amateur dramatic groups- Trial by Jury, HMS Pinafore. Then, the friends who organised today's show, began putting on productions- I played in Utopia Limited and then a few years later played Tiger Lily (I think?!!) in The Rose of Persia (by Sullivan but not Gilbert). Yet, my first performance of G&S in Public was in Year 6, Primary School aged 11. My Headteacher, who ran the school choir, had been off sick for a term and it seemed that there would be no choir or choir performance for the concert. SO, my Mum (the ardent G&S fan) decided to arrange a little singing item for the concert. She got myself and 3 other good musicians together (we had a very musical school- two of those three were Grade 5 violin already) and taught us Three Little Maids from School from The Mikado. It's in three part harmony and then she gave the piano part to the third girl. We practised lots and then during the concert (my head was back by then) we sneaked out and got dressed in Kimonos and hair flowers with my piano-friend in a Mortabord and gown and we marched in and performed it. To this day, I still know all the notes and lyrics of that song. I adored that Kimono and really wanted my own one. My Mum lent it but wouldn't give it to me. That family friend, who had been in the Mikado, had her own genuine Japanese kimono which she gave me. The one I am wearing in the pictures. She had had it a long while already and I've personally owned it for 22 years so it must be quite old. I've kept it all these years, wearing it and hoping for the opportunity to wear it in the Mikado. And finally, that moment came! His flute parts are gorgeous- luscious tunes, loud crashy bits and tumty-tumpty tunes and fun interjections into rapid patter-songs. We were all invited to dress up so who was I to miss an opportunity to wear my Kimono which had originally been inspired by this operetta!
Here's my two favourite songs: Three Little Maids
This one, I've got a little list, is always doctored when it is performed to include current celebrities or people of reknown. The guy who played Koko, the Lord High Executioner who is singing about all the people he'd like to execute , had written his own current lyrics which had us in absolute stitches
as they included reference to Michael Gove, and other very topical references!
My friend laughed and wanted to take the picture of me as I drank from this pint-sized mug of tea- she though it incongruous with the kimono!
It wasn't all rehearsal though- delicious food, chats with long known friends and then yesterday afternoon, a glorious walk. There had been torrential rain all morning and then it cleared up beautifully for the afternoon. It meant, however, that our walk, beginning in the woods was really muddy and we got to one point where the mud looked inpenetrable so we took a detour through a barley field which was beautiful but then the path at the side became filled with thistles and nettles and my friend had bare legs.
We trekked on through, frightening a she-pheasant who had been hiding amongst the barley. She gave us the fright of our life as we flew out posthaste protesting! It was lovely to chat to this particular friend as I haven't seen her for an age! The sky was beautiful and the fields were brilliantly green and vibrant. The sun shone down and we didn't meet a soul,the entire journey! We looked in a grave yard and then made our way back up our steep hill!
