Saturday 21st May 2011 Antoing. Concert in Anzin

Paul and Anne

Mild and sunny. Anne’s musician colleague Paul called for her in his car, and they went to Anzin (opposite Valenciennes) where they were doing a day-long Master Class - then there would be a concert in the evening, to which we were invited. I tried the WiFi and couldn’t get it to work. Mike was busy in the engine room checking the injectors. (Number 1 injector had a different soot pattern to the other three and number 1 combustion chamber was much sootier than the other three. I think we’ve found the culprit that produced yesterday’s soot. Replaced the faulty injector with the spare and all ran perfectly OK. Ed) He paused to turn the antenna for me while I checked the signal strength. It was no better so I gave up. Mike carried on re-fitting the injectors. Set off in the car at 5.30 p.m. to Anzin to the concert taking Olly with us. 

Paul and Anne with singers

We arrived fifteen minutes early (due to start at 6.30 p.m.) and went into the Conservatoire de la Musique to hang about until they let us in. Several other people and a couple of students were also wandering around. Anne came out and said she’d had a wonderful but exhausting day. We were ushered in (two dozen of us all told including musicians) and sat in a semicircle in a large room with all sorts of musical instruments around the walls (vibraphone and a set of drums plus several pianos under covers). A young man introduced us to the concert and explained what Baroque music they would perform; the first was an ancient folk song about a shepherd and a shepherdess. This was played by two men (one was Anne’s friend and chauffeur Paul) on transverse recorders and a young man playing harpsichord. Anne joined the young men for the next piece, then Paul played an unusual curved wind instrument, which looked very hard to play; and then a choir of three women and two men joined the harpsicordist and the two recorder players while Anne sat that one out as they sang two pieces. 

The dance commences

Then our master of ceremonies said they would all dance and all the musicians and singers did a mediaeval “danse en ronde” where the couples walked round and back (not enough of them to form a complete circle!) Then came the shock! He wanted us all to join in! No use Mike complaining he had three left feet – up and dance - it’s simple! Oh yes! Holding hands in a big circle we all side stepped two steps left, then right, then left, etc, while the young man played the harpsicord. Next we had to do two left and one right, while the experts stomped to the tune we had trouble remembering our rights and lefts! When we finished and sat down Mike had a wringing wet shirt! Nervousness rather than hot I think. 

The rapt audience

Apart from the surprise dancing lesson we thoroughly enjoyed the music which was exquisite. While Anne packed up her violin, Mike asked Paul about the last instrument he played, which he told us was an early form of cornet that he had made himself but wasn’t finished yet as it is supposed to be covered with leather. Anne didn’t have chance to play her rebec (early violin that Olly had made for her) she said there was to be another concert on the 6th June when she would play it. Anne and Olly came back with us in our car to Antoing. We were back around 9.00 p.m.