Mendelssohn

Our first outing of the year to the Wigmore Hall was at the unusual time of 15:00 on a Sunday, the draw being quartets by Dvořák and Bartók from the Motus Quartet, part of the European Chamber Music Academy showcase for 2026. The latter I think we have come across before, but the Motus Quartet were new, young and enthusiastic. A quartet which may have a big presence on the Internet and an Instagram account, if not their own website. But there is reference 1.

Odd how different the first violinist, right in the snap above, looks from the front than from the side than when left on the stage. Took me some seconds to convince myself that it was the same person.

By the time that we arrived, the programme had morphed to Mendelssohn Op.48 No.2 and Bartók string quartet No.4, which last we had quite likely heard in the distant past from the Endellion Quartet at Dorking Halls, a regular haunt for some years.

It was a day when waves were washing over the trains at Dawlish, something which caught BH's eye as she used those very trains to get to school for a few years. Furthermore, we could not make our minds up as to whether to go via Oxford Circus or Bond Street. And then there was the question of what refreshment to take and where. In the end, we settled for the canteen at the top of Oxford Circus John Lewis for before concert.

There were lots of cars parked on Meadway, on the way to the Eclipse car park. What on earth were they doing there on a Sunday? Annoying if you had paid a lot to live there, a lot of the houses being pretty big. And a Waitrose trolley on Station Approach and lots of swelling buds at Raynes Park on the way. An unusual trolley in that it had no maker's plate fixed to the side of the basket, but almost certainly a Wanzl.

There was also a substantial train of VTG tanker wagons heading into town at Clapham Junction.Rail freight is still alive! For which see reference 2, from which I learn that the rather long and shabby wagons in question were probably 'TEA-L: GLW: 101.6t  Tare: 25.6t Capacity: 102m3 Length: 18.3m  Bogie: TF25'. On which search key, both Bing and Google turn up some quite decent images, one possibly captured between Vauxhall and Waterloo, but all too small to be useful here.

Rather hot in the advertising tunnel which one passes through on the way out of the (very busy) tube at Oxford Circus, but not as bad as it has been in the past.

I had forgotten that there was some quite respectable art on the side of the John Lewis building, by no less an eminence than Barbara Hepworth. Quite a handsome building too, for a shop. This morning, I associate to the shimmering tiles on what was the Debenham's building a bit further down and noticed, for example, at reference 3. I used to be rather fond of them.

I was struck, not for the first time, by what a large and grand facility the canteen on the fifth floor of John Lewis was. It must have cost a lot to put in and a lot to run - and it attracts an interesting mix of customers. Some of whom do not appear to be shopping.

BH was entirely happy with her tuna baguette but I was not entirely happy with my rather larger ham and cheese baguette. Good quality ingredients, but far too many of them, including a smear of brown goo which reminded me of Branston's. Would have been much better had they just put the ham and butter in the baguette and left it at that.

There was one young chap in a hoodie sitting on the veranda outside, with his laptop and a coffee. Perhaps the deal was that he was permitted, provide that he sat outside and did not get in the way of customers who were paying rather more for their seats.

We also had a whole new sort of trolley. Nothing like it at the Epsom Waitrose. Maybe the Kingston John Lewis?

A whole new hole in Wigmore Street. Doesn't seem very long since the last one.

For once, along with lots of other people, we used the cloakroom at the Hall. Too many coats, bags and sticks for comfort in the stalls.

A few rows in front of this there was a chap who looked very like the now-retired first violin of the Endellion Quarter, possibly with a young protégé - the sort of thing that I imagine retired musicians go in for,. Perhaps it varies: some taking to growing vegetables and never wanting to see an instrument or a concert hall again, some taking to teaching and so on. Whatever the case, this one looked to be travelling incognito and would not especially have wanted to be reminded of his days playing to Dorking Halls.

The concert was lively enough, even if not really my thing and, as it turned out, not a very good time of day. A bit betwixt and between. And outside the cloakroom afterwards there was a middle aged chap, quite well dressed, rolling a cigarette in preparation for exit. The first time I have seen such a thing, although one does see people smoking outside in the interval often enough.

We headed for the GBK outlet outside Waterloo Station, which suited the occasion well enough. And, for me, they managed quite a decent burger without mayo - and all the other stuff you are all too apt to get in other places.

Plus s couple of quite decent bottles of a light beer from Hawkstone, people I had not heard of before. Furthermore, their glossy website at reference 4 left me rather unclear as to what the business amounted to and where it was based.

But shock horror. Gemini explains to me that it is one of Jeremy Clarkson's vehicles, a chap whom, from what little I know of him from newspapers, I find rather unpleasant. Will I opt to avoid the brand in future? Despite it being the best of the bunch at the rather convenient Waterloo GBK - for which I am now the proud owner of a discount card, valid until close today.

The parquet on the floor was much larger than the domestic variety and looked quite old. We wondered, unsuccessfully, what the place had been before. Perhaps a bar? My guess would be that Gemini would fail on this one, but would offer advice on where one might go to find out.

The seats in the concourse area at Waterloo seemed to have been thinned out, so we opted for Raynes Park. Plenty of stuff in the platform library, but nothing for us.

Waitrose trolley had not moved from Station Approach, but it had found a friend.

A perfectly decent outing, but I think we shall avoid 15:00 starts in future. Don't fit into our day very well.

References

Reference 1: https://cselloakademia.hu/motus-quartet/.

Reference 2: https://uk.vtg.com/products-and-services/fleet.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/09/brahms-and-dressing-gowns.html.

Reference 4: https://hawkstone.com/.