Yesterday I attended a memorial service for Andras Kalman at the Westminster Synagogue. Andras is famous for having discovered, nurtured and made L S Lowry one of the most famous and successful artists of the last century. Over the years I purchased 5 Lowry's from his gallery, the finest being Jetty at Knott End near Fleetwood. I wish I'd taken Andras's advice and bought Ben Nicholson at the same time, but however much he tried to convince me that Nicholson was going to be a shrewd investment, I just didn't like them enough - which I've always considered to be the ultimate test when purchasing a new piece of art. The service was well-attended with friends from the world of art, tennis and of course his beloved Hungary, from where he escaped the tyranny of first the Germans and then the Russians. I shall always remember Andras telling me to buy Sutherland, Nicholson and Ernst, and I suspect that the majority of people who attended the service have several paintings and sculptures in their possession that have added to the pleasure of their lives, but not as much as knowing the man himself.
On Wednesday evening I went to see Marguerite at the Theatre Royal, which bore a great resemblance in style to Les Miserables - not surprising as it was written by the same team. An enjoyable evening, but I agree with Mr Billington of The Guardian that it's very hard to feel sorry for someone who collaborated with the Germans while they occupied Paris, so when she dies at the end, you're hardly weeping. The piece deserves to succeed - not least because of Ruthie Henshall's outstanding performance and wonderful voice (and any red-bloodied male in the audience will fall in love with her) - but I have a feeling it will close soon after Christmas.
On Wednesday evening I went to see Marguerite at the Theatre Royal, which bore a great resemblance in style to Les Miserables - not surprising as it was written by the same team. An enjoyable evening, but I agree with Mr Billington of The Guardian that it's very hard to feel sorry for someone who collaborated with the Germans while they occupied Paris, so when she dies at the end, you're hardly weeping. The piece deserves to succeed - not least because of Ruthie Henshall's outstanding performance and wonderful voice (and any red-bloodied male in the audience will fall in love with her) - but I have a feeling it will close soon after Christmas.
2 Comments:
Dear lord..I am finally at peace,i now know who becomes the govenor in Sons of Fortune.And you know the best part about your answer was that it made me find out the answer for myself,just a simple reference to chapter 31.Thanks a lot.Will keep bloggig.
Sir
Good to know that your book is NumbeBr 1 in india...which doesnt surprise me one bit because whatever book that you write is bound to be Number 1 best seller in India. Any bookshop that you visit anywhere in India has one or all of your books from landmark to the traffic lights. But what is most disappointing to me as a fan is after i arrived in US i just couldnt find your book anywhere....Why is that? You seriously need to tell your marketing people to take care of this. Iam sure you have done this but in any airport in US just see how difficult it is to locate your book. Here in all bookshops all we find is Clive Cussler and James Patterson along with John Grisham who iam sure are fine authors but not to the taste of someone who is from india. Maybe the reason why people adore you in India is your story always tells the tale of a simple man who dreams big....dream of every indian. Keep rolling out good books. Thanks for blogging.
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