In London, on business for a few days...

In London, on business for a few days...

Always a pleasure to return to this city, my second visit within a few months.

London is getting that reputation of being truly the city of the new century (if one can say this that early in the century!) After Paris in the XIXe century and New-York in the XXth, London for the XXIst! (Wait until the mid-century when we e will probably talk of Shanghai as THE ONE!)

Why is that? The immigration factor most likely; a massive influx of immigrants from everywhere...or is this rather the result? Some argue that what we have been witnessing over the last 10 years or so is the direct positive consequences of Thatcher (after the "negative" effects). Blair has built on this with his "cool Britannia" message, and a new dynamism seems to have sprung from all of that. So people from all over the world came. From the Indian sub-continent, a tradition, but also from Eastern Europe, starting with the Russians and the billionaire oligarchs, and more recently the Poles - 300,000 of the latter over the last 3 years!

The numbers are staggering: Greater London is 7.5M people. It is 15 times larger, spacewise, than Paris. 100,000 net immigrant arrivals on average over the last 10 years, to add to the natural net growth of 50,000 to 70,000. Compensated in part by a net annual outflow of residents of some 80,000 people leaving the capital for the rest of the country. "The Brits have left London" a business acquaintance and long-time resident of MayFair tells us. And he is not exagerating: 35% of London residents were born abroad, a number that is expected to grow rapidly to 50%!

So why are they coming? The French are a good example: 300,000 residents; 100,000 more than 10 years ago. So much that Sarkozy felt the need to campaign here during the last Presidential; with the message that he will make France look like what they came here for! The lure is strong for the French, with a rosy view of possibilities here versus the uninspiring mood in their native country. The reality is that aside from a minority that gravitates around the financial circles and occupy plush positions in the City or Canarie Wharf, the bulk of them works in the restauration and hospitality sectors.But they are staying, and more and more so permanently it seems.

Stayed at the Park Lane Intercontinental. Freshly renovated. Very subdued lobby, with a clean reception counter without any of the frequent clutter. Room well appointed, with lots of wood, and cosy. Very eclectic crowd, cosmopolitan. Bar busy; usual crowd and the expected hang-ons, smiling and winking at you for a bit of business...

Traffic worsened by streets around the parks blocked for the start of this year's Tour de France, which London is hosting for somewhere around 10M pounds! Enraging taxi drivers cursing their free-spending mayor, Ken Livingstone. But we are getting around. In fact, we were expecting worst because of security measures after the recent aborted terrorist attempts here and in Glasgow. It made no difference at the airport though - not faster or slower than usual. My colleague, always a bit paranoid when it comes to logistics, left the hotel 3hours and a half before his flight: it was not more than an hour later that he was texting me from the confort of the business lounge! For myself I followed the advice of this monthly-out-of-town tripper: take a 15 to 20 min cab ride to Kensington station and the 15-minute train to Heathrow; a bit of a walk when you get there - but I left 2 hours before my flight, and time to waste shopping at the dutyfree shop. Beats the 45min to an hour taxi ride to the airport and the 70 pounds fare!

Foodwise. Best lunch (and breakfast at the Intercon new "coffee shop", the Cookbook Cafe, an open-concept eatery, with a large table at the center of the place for entrees and desserts, and open kitchen for everyone to see on the side.
Had a business dinner, with a group of 7 or 8, at long-established Elena's Etoile. Private room; 3rd floor. Fine but nothing that was outstanding. Were scheduled for dinner at Pont de la Tour, on the Thames, which has had mixed reviews - very high and very low! - but opted out in the end for something walking distance - a good 20 minutes - from the hotel, Cecconi's at the suggestion of our resident friend, well versed with the local restaurant scene and obviously a frequent patron as the owner-manager comes to greet him and us as we come in, and show us to the "royal box" - a reference perhaps to the fact that the Queen and her husband do come here from time to time for lunch...

August 2007

De janvier à juin 2007...

La ronde "musicale" continue : Cannes en hiver et au printemps: MIDEM et MIPTV; longue semaine à Santo Domingo en République Dominicaine en février; New-York à deux reprises et une semaine à Bruxelles pour le premier Sommet du Droit d'auteur.
Avec des "sauts" à Annecy/Genève après Cannes; Paris en hiver, Londres, après Cannes bis, et Montréal.

En 2006...

La ronde "musicale" commence:
Berlin - enfin!
Cannes pour le MIPTV;
Première visite sur le continent Sud-Américain: Buenos Aires et un saut à Santiago de Chile et Valparaiso;
Paris au printemps - charmant séjour à l'hôtel de l'Abbaye dans le 5e, mais plutôt pluvieux et froid cette année-là;
De retour à San Francisco - dernière fois, en 1995;
Los Angeles en septembre - magifique;
Suivi de Zurich - découverte;
Puis le Japon: Nara & Kyoto;
de retour en Europe: Madrid, et quelques semaines plus tard, Amsterdam.
Avec d'autres visites parsemées ici et là: Ottawa; Montréal à plusieurs reprises, Halifax pour le JUNO, Madrid, au sortir de Cannes, et New-York 2 ou 3 fois...par affaires et pour le théatre...

Amsterdam; November 2006

Notes made in February 2013! (inspired by article in January Condé Nast Traveler magazine)...

Dominique came along.

stayed at the Sofitel - the Grand Amsterdam

dinners at the Brasserie Harkema (early before seeing - and falling asleep because of jet lag - "Rembrandt, the Musical"); Hemelse  Modder (very gay; with nephew Jean and his partner); Puri Mas (with André and Sylva?);The Mansion; and De Kas (organized for CISAC by local Society, Buma-Stemra, in a disaffected greenhouse in the Eastern part of Amsterdam), the latter featured (picture) in the magazine

Corral de la Morería, Madrid November 2006

Dinner and flamenco, November 11, 2006

Picture (above) by Lisa Limer

Extracted from the website of Corral de la Morería:
"Corral de la Morería was started by Manuel del Rey in 1956, and is the most known tablao flamenco in the world.
Throughout its history, Corral de la Morería flamenco show has witnessed the perfomance of some of the finest professionals of this discipline, including: Pastora Imperio, La Chunga, María Albaicín, El Güito, Mario Maya, Manuela Vargas, Lucero Tena, Isabel Pantoja, Antonio Gades and Blanca del Rey, not to mencion an endless numbre of singers, guitarist and dancers.
It's location is priviledged, as it is in the centre of Madrid - next to the Royal Palace, in the main historic quarters of the city -, its decoration, the arabic corbels and streetlamps dating from the 18th and 19th C recreate a setting reminiscent of the original tablao flamenco, that takes you back in time.
Considered as the "Cathedral of flamenco art" of Spain, this establishment is frequently visited by well-known celebrities visiting Madrid, therefore don't be surprised should you find yourself seated by the King of Spain, Government Presidents or famous international artists."

Coriolanus

Written form Malta in February 2014!
Found by chance Stratford "Coriolanus" old program, going back to 2006. We saw it the last weekend in June that year.

First play ever at Stratford! Little I knew at the time that I would see many more while living in Toronto...and that Cynthia would end up working for the "Festival"!

First time as well I was exposed to Fiore (I might have seen him before on film - notably in a film festival in Singapore...) Great "antique" profile or face! (I think we saw him again that year in Don Juan, de Moliere! he played as I recall in both the English (first) and French version. But Briere stole the show...Must have been the last time I saw Jean-Louis Roux, who played Don Juan's father - he must have been in his eighties; he died last year. Must have seen the French version late October that year, before going to Japan (Nara & Kyoto)!)

Monette was still the Artistic Director of the Festival; he died in 2011 or 2012! The play was directed by Cimolino, the current master of the Festival...

Malta, February 19, 2014

Cohen in Berlin...

I write this several years after, while listening/viewing the DVD (and because of the magic of digital, I can date it back to February 2006!)

I was in Berlin, for a professional meeting, at the time of the film festival (Berlinale?)

The festival was featuring the Australia-made documentary "I am your Man" on Cohen, celebrating the man and his music.
Thought of inviting some of our closest foreign colleagues attending the meeting - which we did, in a kind of celebration of Canadian music... (I never found out how the concierge of the hotel managed to get 6 or 7 tickets on such a short notice!...)

And when the DVD came out later on that year (this is what I am watching now), I send it to them for Xmas...

Struck in particular, at the time and now, by Antony's interpretation of "If it be your Will"...Wow!

He was in Toronto earlier this week, performing, and he had this great quote: “I didn’t sing for 15 years,” said the 78-year-old early on in the show, referring to his comeback and consistent touring since 2008, “and now you can’t get rid of me.”

Toronto, December 2012