Ah! Heav'n! What is't I hear?

An evening of counter-tenor [1] duets is what, going collectively under the title I've stolen for this post, and indeed featuring a duet by Blow (no giggling at the back, there!) of that name.

Oxford is lucky enough to be the home of an early music ensemble by the name of Charivari Agréable, and at the moment they are putting on a series of concerts by candlelight in Exeter College Chapel. Last night, edling and I attended the 'Ah! Heav'n!' concert, and were very much impressed.

( Counter-tenors! Duets! Counter-tenors AND duets?!? )

( The singers )

( The music )

( The setting )

_________

[1] ( Long footnote )

Trophy from Hong Kong

I've been wanting to post the following scan of a postcard I brought back from Hong Kong for ages, largely for the benefit of gamahucheur, whom I know collects similar posters / postcards from Shanghai. However, until angeoverhere told me about Photobucket, I believed I had no way of hosting it to post it up here (at least, not without spending money!).

Now that the problem is solved, I present my favourite one out of three postcards I bought, reproducing advertising posters of the 20s and 30s from Hong Kong. They are basically all along the same lines: they show pretty, Chinese girls using Western-style products, which are generally cigarettes or alcohol. The reason this one is my favourite, though, is the expression on the girl's face. While the others look demure and beautiful, this one offers just the hint of a sulk. She looks for all the world as though she's saying, "You took my country away, and all I get is these lousy cigarettes".



[Much, much later edit: picture no longer hosted at Photobucket, because they don't allow free hosting any more.]