A frantic couple of days. We left at 3:15pm to prepare for the Salomé premiere and collected Stefano from the station on the way. We started setting up at 4pm. I probably carry about 150kg of equipment, but Mike and Mr Potts were as helpful as ever and we managed to unload quickly, and set everything up.
We had time to visit Morrisons for Stefano's food. He was unused to the routine, we probably wouldn't be finished until 10:30, so it's important to work out when to eat. Deb and I brought Huels. Only the chocolate flavour is remotely palatable, but a liquid meal like this is ideal for show days. People began to arrive at 6:30:
We posed outside for a few photos:
And the show went ahead at 7pm. At the last moment I had to control the projector, in contrast to the rehearsals. I managed to play everything from memory, but had the sheet music there as a crutch. I was unhappy with every imperfection - there were many, but generally everything went well, and Jane Harland contributed by knitting during the Freud's Lecture part.
The Open Mic included Mike Drew, Cherie Tuffin, David Tuffin, Jane Harland, Steve, Bryan Hurst, John Lindley. Some sad news was that Andy Stubbs wasn't well enough to play. I decided to perform Nietzsche's Donkey there, even though I'd not even played it once never mind actually rehearsed it. In these situations, everything is based on feelings or instincts.
Stefano Santachiara hastily ate outside during the open mic, and as co-host and co-manager (with Mike doing so much too), I darted between room and Stefano during the Open Mic to check that all was well. I had no time to relax. Stefano then gave a short speech about Lou Salomé and her life, and answered a few questions from the audience.
I recorded the whole event in audio, but the quality was not very good; very booming in the low frequencies and the piano parts were usually so loud that they were distorted. I hope to experiment with the sound recorder to improve this... it's difficult as I'm unable to monitor this and perform too. I really need an extra person to record things. Our Salomé part (as opposed to the Open Mic) was video recorded too, but this meant that halfway through the performance, I had to leave the stage, walk through the audience, and reset the camera which was at the back of the room. All of these things harm the performance, but can't be helped when the workload is so great.
About 20 people came I think. I spoke to lots of people, and everyone was lovely, really supportive and friendly, and it was a joy to meet friends and new-comers alike.
The evening ended at 10pm to so, then an hour of packing, and carrying everything back to the car. We arrived here at 11pm or so, then the unpacking, and carrying everything up one or two flights of stairs to re-pack. This is the exhausting stage.
Stefano constantly talked, such that Deb or I rarely spoke or could manage it, which was tiring. I was amused that he said that we could stay up until 1am to find a new place for him to stay. I said that it was too late and suggested that we do this in the morning. We had arranged to go around Crewe at 10am, to find dental floss - 'I must go to the bathroom for the dance!'; 'the dance!', he repeated often. It took me a while to work out that he meant 'the dents', teeth. Oral-B dental floss is 1/5th the price here as in Italy, apparently. He said that he wouldn't get up until 10am - I thought this amusing. I knew I'd be up at 8am.
Stefano seemed oblivious to the people buzzing around him like bees. As a man he is a giant, perhaps 7ft tall, a gentle giant. He reminded me of Louis Theroux, somehow child-like. He's a professional writer, so words should be his special tool for communication, but his limited command of English made him seem simplistic rather than profound. As a journalist he is most known, in Italy, for a political exposé which threw him into the limelight. He became a polarising puppet of the state and media (both, in Italy, are closely linked - his tales made me glad that our media is more independent). He is not particularly political, merely interested in the facts and the truth like any journalist. His experiences of fame and manipulation caused him to quit journalism and write more artistic works, seek more creative independence.
He rose, in the end, at 9am or so, and we searched for a new property for him. He wanted the seaside and he chose a place in Blackpool, a town which, if seen at all, is best seen in the summer. We left to seek the floss, and failed, then parted at the railway station.
I had a few moments to prepare my piano lesson with Peter. He showed me an Instagram video of composer Michael Betteridge, in Crewe Market Hall on July 26th, playing some variations of a piece I wrote called 'Sunrise Over Crewe'. It was a simple piano tune for one of Peter's lessons. I quickly made up the title with a smile, but without it Michael might not have played it. I think it's the first time someone else has played variations of my music!
After the lesson I cycled (for the first time in many years) to see Simon Ladley, which is always a pleasure.
I've still lots of work to do, filing the event, editing the video, and so much else but lots has already happened. Deb had a message from Angus at Crewe Library, and an invitation for a Christmas Show (we'll do it!) and she asked about performing Salomé there next week, to make use of Stefano's presence in Britain. There is hardly any time to promote this so we need to first make sure that we can raise an audience.
Today I've made a stand for mum's new Humax recorder, which has a tiny light on the front, so tiny and weak that it's nearly impossible to tell if the machine is on or off. I've cut a wooden board, and planed a 45-degree bevel on the front, painting this with titanium white to reflect the light.
On with the day.
