The Italian chef and restaurateur, Antonio Carluccio, is to open a new restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon early in October. The restaurant will be situated on Waterside — in the long empty Hamilton’s Wine Bar & Brasserie site, alongside the Shakespearience’ — in what will, hopefully, once again be a premier location (even more so if the dreadful public lavatories next door are closed, or at least disguised) when the Royal Shakespeare Theatre re-opens in two years time after renovations costing in excess of £100m. In the meantime it will add a much needed touch of culinary class to a part of the town that has been synonymous with little more than fish and chips.

To quote from his own website, Antonio Carluccio…

“ …was born in Vietri sul Mare in the province of Salerno. His father was the railway station master and moved with his family to Castel Nuovo Belbo and then to Borgofranco D’Ivrea, both in Piedmont. Antonio was always the food hunter and learnt his passion for mushrooms from friends of his father, in the hills around his home.

“ After a spell in the navy, Antonio worked as a correspondent for La Stampa in Turin and then with Olivetti. He moved to Vienna, studying languages and learning about café society [ Vienna is a pretty good place to do that] and then to Germany where he became a wine merchant, which was also his occupation when he moved to London.”

We can’t wait for the opening.

Read more about Antonio Carluccio and his food. #

The Sixth Stratford-upon-Avon Bach and Paganini Festival
for Violinists — 6th to 13th August 2007

The Stratford music scene moves up a notch next week, with the sixth Stratford-upon-Avon Bach and Paganini Festival opening on Monday 6th August at the Levi Fox Hall, with Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in C Minor, plus Elgar’s delicious Sonata for Violin and Piano (Op.82).

Let me quote from the programme…

“The Festival was founded by Dr Rimma Sushanskaya as an opportunity for young violinists to study the virtuosic repertoire of solo Bach and Paganini. Rimma was originally inspired to set up the Festival from her experience of studying with the Bach specialist Dr Rosalyn Tureck, who was its Founder Patron. The tone of the Festival is set by a recital given at the start of the week by Dr Sushanskaya and Dr Robert Markham in the Levi Fox Hall of King Edward VI Grammar School.

“ Since its beginning the Festival has grown to include a wide range of composers and the students have the experience of working with other instrumentalists.

“ This is a truly international Festival as our participants represent many countries including Russia, Sweden, France and Hungary as well as the UK.

“ During the day students benefit from expert tuition given by Dr Savely Shalman (St Petersburg) and Alvia Vandysheva (Moscow), as well as taking part in master classes with the inspirational Dr Rimma Sushanskaya. They are also able to work closely with our wonderfully talented pianists, Dr Robert Markham and Joanne Sealey.

“ The solo studies culminate on the Saturday evening with a concert which showcases an impressive array of talent and virtuosity.

“ Students are also encouraged to explore the orchestral repertoire through daily ensemble rehearsals under the directorship of Dr Sushanskaya. The Monday evening concert given in the magnificent Parish Church allows the students to end the Festival by working together to present a thrilling orchestral performance.”

And that end of Festival concert at Holy Trinity on Monday 13th August – with the Stratford Virtuosi Orchestra conducted by Rimma Sushanskaya – will this year include Bach’s Concerto for Violin, Oboe and Strings in C Minor, two pieces from Walton’s film score for Henry V, Guy Woolfenden’s Concerto for Oboe and Strings, and Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings in E Major.

Dr Rimma Sushanskaya has lived in Stratford for some time now, and when I last spoke to her had recently returned from a conducting engagement in Moscow, and believe me this woman is passionate about her music, and is undoubtedly one of the finest violinists alive today.

If you can get to Stratford for these concerts make the effort.

Tickets will be available on the door, or can be reserved by telephoning 0121 3739649.

Find out more about Dr Sushanskaya.

I was going to ignore this story when it came out a couple of weeks ago, for the simple reason that Hilary and I had not seen them.

UFOs over Stratford, England

We’d been out at the time they are supposed to have appeared – so it must have been a load of tosh; that was until ex-BBC Radio 4 editor, Rod Liddle, mentioned it in The Sunday Times yesterday (29th July). Let me quote you from his column…

“ Flying saucers have been spotted circling the night sky above Stratford-upon-Avon. A collection of bright lights hovered over the town and began darting back and forth.

“ This phenomenon was spotted at 10.36pm outside The One Elm pub, by some people who had been drinking all evening inside the One Elm pub. The light show continued until just after last orders. No official explanation has been forthcoming but we may, using the information above, grope towards a sort of unofficial explanation at least.

“ Or maybe not, because on Friday Nasa revealed its astronauts occasionally set off in rockets pissed out of their skulls. So we have another possible explanation: that a bunch of inebriated astronauts had messed up the controls of their craft and mistaken Warwickshire for a celestial body, maybe Saturn’s arid, chilly moon Hyperion, or an undiscovered palnet.

“ So what’s it to be? A bunch of paralytic people in the sky looking down and saying to one another: ‘What the hell’s that?’ Or a bunch of paralytic people on the ground looking up and saying: ‘What the hell’s that?’ Or neither? Or both?”

Personally, if there was anybody up there, I think it was Harry Potter and his cohorts, astride their broomsticks, checking out the queue at Waterstones.