A beautiful soiree around the log fire in the.depths of the National Park of Circeo.
Even the cats were supremely happy.
Only sad note was when Hugh Mather said the stream was concluded and they were about to have a party to celebrate!

The log fire kept alight by Joan Booth`s bellows that she bequeathed to me when she past away eighteen months ago at the age of almost 105.

Jessica Duchen who was one of the wonderful trio tonight had gone to meet her to ask her opinion about her book “The Ghost Variations” in which her dear friends Jelly d`Aranyi and sister Adila, around whom the story revolves, had also lived in her village of Ewelme and whose god daughter Jane Camilloni was their great niece.

Joan at 102 stayed up all night to read the book for which she gave her blessing.

I suggested to Jessica that she might like to write a book about the great love story in over 300 letters between Vlado Perlemuter and Joan.
Written in beautiful french with the unmistakable turquoise ink of Vlado`s pen.
But it was not to be.

Such a shame because it was so touching to listen to Jessica Duchen`s beautiful story of Odette a celebration of Swan Lake.
Illuminated by some superb performances by Fenella Humphreys and Viv McLean.

From the frenzy of the Danse Macabre to the tear on sleeve of a violin and piano version of Liebestraum.

A wonderfully spacious Polonaise Fantasie and schmaltzy The Man I Love to the superb virtuosity of the last movement of the Tchaikowsky violin concerto.

Nothing like this has been seen on the TV for years and thank God for Hugh Mather and his superb team (just look at the beautifully artistic camera shots and the mixing of the images).
It is exactly what the BBC used to give us when there was only one chanel and you had to look via a magnifying glass into this wooden box for the few hours that it was available.

People used to tune in each week to see how my teacher Sidney Harrison was getting on with his pupil Peter Croser.

How times have changed not always for the better I must say.

I wonder if we should pay our TV license directly to Dr Mather in future!