The sound of applause should still be ringing in the ears of members of the East Sussex Youth Orchestra (ESYO) when they set off on a tour of the Netherlands on Tuesday.

A preview of what is in store for audiences in Antwerp, Utrecht and Amsterdam was given at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, on Saturday evening and it was a real treat.

On the programme were Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony No 3, Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor and A Sussex Overture composed by Tony Biggin, director of the East Sussex Music Service.

Soloist was Beatrice Philips, from Lewes. Her performance in the Bruch was magnificent and, oh so moving. Looking on proudly from the audience was Beatrice’s former teacher Cynthia Eraut, also from Lewes.

The conductor, who has worked with ESYO since its inception in 1979 was Colin Metters. He spent the week leading up to the concert – 9am to 5pm every day – rehearsing with the young musicians who were brought together from towns and villages across East Sussex.

Favourite piece for my 14-year-old daughter on Saturday “and not just because it was the shortest” was Tony Biggin's work which he described very amusingly in the programme. I’ll share his words with you in a few minutes.

For Grandad, it was the Beethoven and for me ... well, the Bruch violin concerto has long been a favourite but I would love to head off to the Netherlands this week to hear repeat performances of the whole. It was that good.

Here, in an excerpt from Saturday’s programme, composer Tony Biggin gives a flavour of what it is like to write a piece for  ESYO:

“Being given the opportunity to write for the East Sussex Youth Orchestra did not come without its challenges: please compose a 10-12 minute piece for the orchestra which this year has no lower brass players, more clarinettists and flutes than are generally considered legal and decent, possibly a bassoonist (maybe two) as well as three trumpeters who are not required in the Bruch and five percussionists who are not required in either of the other pieces (all of the latter, therefore likely to appreciate having plenty to do).

“However, don’t write for too many large percussion instruments as they won’t fit on the tour bus. Oh, and by the way, the orchestra will be performing in large, reverberant churches when on tour in the Netherlands so, make sure that the music is not too fast!”

Congratulations to Tony Biggin on the wonderful job he did and to everybody else who contributed to that fantastic evening.

I was interested to see that some of the porcelain sunflower seeds which once carpeted the floor of the turbine hall at the Tate Modern are now on display in an immaculate heap in one of smaller rooms at the gallery.

Was also fascinated by these red stairs. Wish I had made a note at the time of the creator because a quick hunt for more information now has failed.

Next time you admire a mirror, art work or ceiling decoration take a closer look ... they might be more than they seem. They could be the latest infrared heating technology offered by Brighton company Pure Energy Consultants.

I learned a lot about infrared heating after chatting to Alan Prodger, one of the partners in the company, at a Business Boost networking event organised in Lewes by @eggboxrobin, and then went on to write a press release for distribution at an exhibition the company was attending.

I mention this now because I remain intrigued by this form of heating as, often, are others I mention it to. Here’s part of the release:

These clever heating panels are chameleons. They fit into your chosen decor almost without trace, no pipes, no plumbing, no boiler and best of all they offer warmth without stuffiness.

The mirror you are reflected in could be one of the panels. The blackboard you are scanning in a restaurant could be one too.

The heating panels are energy efficient in a natural, clean and safe way, ideal for heating homes, offices and commercial premises.

The wow factor lies in their ability to be customised to suit a client’s brief, camouflaged, wall mounted and plugged into sockets or hard wired by a qualified electrician.

Have you heard of anything like this before? Here's more if you are interested.

 

See also:

This great video about woodfuel heating. I was chatting to Stewart Boyle, who works in the renewable energy industry, recently who helped make the video – I didn’t know anything about this fuel before watching it.

And:

Watch an electric bike in action then read more about the Uckfield engineer who designed and built the bike.

Lots of care is lavished on the front lawn but the back is more difficult to access and as a result is prettiest of all.

Who is going to be able to compete with The Card Factory in Uckfield? Who has the wit and imagination to be able to do so?

Mother’s Day turned me into a big fan of this fairly recent arrival in our High Street.

My 13-year-old has enthusiastically bought all her cards there since it took over the former Currys but I was a slow convert.

I suspected the cards might be cheap with the quality reflecting that but now I’ve changed my mind and I foresee a future where I might take pleasure in buying greetings cards once more.

For a long time I’ve flinched because the cost of cards has seemed so high and after all they don’t spend long being cherished before going into the recycling bin.

My youngest bought from there for me on Mother’s Day the biggest card I have ever received. It is pretty, contains charming words and is still standing proud on the fireplace unlike many cards which quickly sag on the mantelpiece.

And, much to my surprise I found the perfect card for my mother too at about a quarter of the price I would normally spend.

We’re learning that this shop throws itself into every festival with gusto. Out go the normal birthday greetings cards in the run up to Mother’s Day, in come a massive range of cards for that celebration in all shapes and sizes.

There’s something very clever going on in that shop and I don’t believe the other Uckfield shops are up to competing. Does that matter?

Tulips, some colour on a grim Uckfield morning. #uckfieldspring

 

 

I was reminded of this production when @DavidAnderson3 mentioned on Twitter last night that he was going to see the English National Opera's Mikado.

I instantly tweeted that the performance I saw, on Saturday, February 18, 2006, was very good.

Here's what I said at the time:

Paul, Eleanor, Charlotte and I agreed that we couldn't distinguish song lyrics or 90 per cent of the spoken words.

This was a strange experience. I felt I was guessing what was happening by interpreting gestures and expressions and laughing because, knowing the story, I recognised the funny parts.

Why was the production staged in the 20s on a fantastic white stage with everybody wearing mostly white but with black tailed coats? I wished for brightly coloured Japanese costumes and scenery.

It seemed to me a random theme which bore no relation to the story. There could just as well have been a punk theme but the set would have been dark and dingy instead of bright and happy.

The Gilbert and Sullivan story is about the Mikado, an alternative name for Emperor of Japan, who demanded regular executions and an executioner who couldn't do the job.

It was set in the town of Titipu with characters including Yum Yum, Ko Ko, Nanki-Poo and Pooh-Bah the private secretary, treasurer, coroner and solicitor all in one.

Poor old Charlotte, (nine at the time) who hadn't read the programme before the first half hadn't a clue what was going on though after being put in the picture enjoyed the second half.

I don't know whether the cast were speaking too quickly/singing too quickly or were drowned out by the orchestra but really there was a big problem.

We all so enjoyed the waitresses, particularly Louisa McAlpine an acquaintance who prompted us to see the performance.

During long singing sections there were little cameo scenes in the background. For example we hooted with laughter as one of the maids staggered down a steep corridor with a pile of towels then staggered back and another where Louisa, also a maid, tottered around briefly with her feather duster as if drunk. She was great, superb facial expression.

The set was fabulous with entrances and exits and different levels, huge doors opening when the huge Mikado arrived.

The Coliseum was a fine venue though Paul found the seats in the area of B12, Upper Circle, uncomfortable,  with a poor sight line. Charlotte's view was also partly blocked by a woman in front.

 I wonder what audiences of 2011 make of the production.

Greg Hadfield is a journalist ... and so much more.

He has worked for titles including the Wakefield Express, Western Morning News, Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph.

His stories range from an expose on the effects of nuclear bomb testing at Christmas Island on servicemen, standing one mile away with their backs to the explosions, to coverage of the story about serial killers Fred and Rosemary West.

But on top of that he founded, with his 12-year-old son, Soccernet a website providing comprehensive coverage of world football.

Now Greg is turning his mind to building an Open Data City at Brighton and Hove and he talked about that, his background in journalism and his hero George Orwell at a meeting of the Brighton Future of News Group tonight.

One thing was clear from the start of the meeting, Greg’s meticulous research and record-keeping.

He came with George Orwell’s books littered with markers so he could find the relevant quotes when needed and he brought cuttings of stories displayed alongside his original copy, one paragraph to each sheet of paper.

Greg also showed us one brown envelope - out of more than 200 he has at home – containing original shorthand notes and a survey completed by one of the Christmas Island servicemen as he collated information for a story for the Western Morning News.

It would have been so much easier, he said, if the official data had been available.

Greg’s dream now is to get every public body in Brighton and Hove, from councils to police to bus companies, to make all their data open to the public for interpretation in any way they choose.

He criticised the new police crime maps, released this week, saying data had been interpreted at source to produce the maps and it would have been better if the data itself had been published for others to interpret.

Greg was asked for his view on the essential tools needed by journalists these days and without hesitation he said 120 words a minute shorthand (Pitmans not Teeline), keyboard skills and knowledge of Excel.

He also said every journalist should learn to use Google Fusion, a free service for sharing and visualising data online.

It was also helpful to be creative, using programmes such as InDesign and Photoshop, to display data.

See also:

Brighton Future of News live blog by Sarah Booker

Open data cities - visionary way forward or just TMI by Martin Thomas

Open-data Brighton and Hove