Richard Lane

Mike and richard audio

Mike and I go back 30 years – we first met in the junior Bedfordshire Youth Orchestra as budding young violin players. Yesterday he was 40, so to celebrate most of his family and myself/Simpy gathered at his brother (and my ex flat-mate) Jeremy and wife Rebecca’s lovely house opposite Kew Gardens. Much bubbly and reminiscing. Notably, Mike and I celebrated the passing of 20 years since we shared a bizarre summer job – doing a night shift at a garage/petrol station in dear old Bedford, the town of my birth. Also the Perl and Lane families have quite a few similar experiences:

Mike’s parents Nick and Jenny live in Dorchester, a few miles from my folks.
Jeremy went to my school (Bedford Modern), my University (Leeds) and worked at Lloyds Bank for my father-in-law. Jeremy also shared my flat in Streatham in the early 90s. Jonny Perl went to Bedford Modern School also, and knows blog commentee Faith very well having worked with her in New York City a few years ago. And remember, Jonny set up this website (thanks again Jonny). Their sister Rosamund is the same age as me though is the member of the Perl family I know least well – odd, we should at least have gone out together in adolescence, this never transpired. Anyway, great to see them all.

Box 61 at the Royal Albert Hall had some unlikely occupants this evening. There are 5 seats: two at the front, two raised behind that, and one at the back – and a table for wine glasses and guide-dog harnesses behind that. Mercifully only three human seats had been sold – taken by Dave, Jeremy (Dave’s reader) and myself. So plenty of room for Simpy and Reuben to stretch out. a~s applause greeted the end of each piece (Strauss’ Don Juan,, a 19th century orchestral/solo mezzo work whose name I temporarily forget, and the great Shostakovich’s 6th symphony), Reuben and Simpy would take it in turns to come to the front of the box, place nose on velvet ledge and peer out over the cheap standing-room prommers below. Lots of oohing and aahing from neighbouring boxes.

A terrific evening. The second piece wasn’t great, but Strauss and Shostakovich arousing and exciting to the ear.

Simpy and I took the bus home – 49 from South Kensington to Clapham Junction and the 37 up St Johns Hill – much better than trekking through Victoria. We were helped by an American woman who had obviously had a couple of glasses of wine – she told us how her life was about to change from being a temp in south Ken to being a bush pilot in South Africa!