Music is the solace

After a busy and lovely weekend with friends over from Kent, am reminded of a little jewel of a free performance that visitors and residents alike can enjoy in Brugge. I write of Luc Vanlaere and his harps. Luc gives three free concerts several days a week in the area behind Sint Janshospitaal Museum, and the Pharmacy. He is obviously well-known to many tourists from entries on Trip Advisor and the audience is usually to capacity in the intimate concert room. His current concert is amazing; he plays a variety of instruments; the grand Concert Harp, the Celtic harp, a traditional Japanese harp, Steelharp inspired by the Trinidadian steel drums, and an instrument, built by Luc, which he has christened, the Chromachord, in a series of boxes with the most marvellous resonance. All this and a brass gong from Wuhan in China and several singing bowls. The music is composed by Luc and my friends judged the concert 'magical'. I have heard it several times now and agree!

In fact, quite a musical week to follow the Luc Vanlaere experience. Friday evening [23 rd Oct] to the Concertgebouw to hear the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees and the Collegium Vocale Gent play Schumann to a full and appreciative house. I understood hardly any of the Dutch electronic summary displayed but knew it was described as an oriental folk tale. It showed Schumann's love of literature allied to his narrative skills and in a form which was operatic and often thrilling. I saw Lebanon and Syria  appear on the display board and I think there was a fallen angel and Paradise was mentioned! Quite a magesterial theme and the standard of the Collegium Vocale Gent was superb as were the soloists. The Orchestre des Champs-Elysees and the conductor, Philippe Herreweghe produced the most lyrical and often stirring music. It was a night to remember.

But before that, to Brussels to find .... Marks and Spencers. Unexpected but true. I need to find jeans that will look right with the orthopaedic walking shoes I now have to wear and suddenly I remembered the virtues of M&S which opened in Brussels in May. It was located, situated alongside high fashion shops on the Boulevard Waterloo, and looking more chic than any branch in the UK. Discovered that my faith had not been misplaced; there were nine jeans styles, each in three lengths. Impressive, as was the wonderful girl who helped me track down what I needed. The fatigue of the chase meant no energy to find somewhere else for lunch so the escalator bore me aloft to the delights of fish and chips [in dainty portion!] in the M&S restaurant. A first. 

En route to the next item on my list, saw a splendid Apple Store abuzz with mainly young men in animated discussions and at least one young assistant who  said how much he loved working there; his dream job. Really admire the mixture of pzazz and mercantile cunning of Apple; haven't seen such collective male eager enthusiasm since the attack on the birthday spread at five years old parties. Only the huge, lightest of light, chicest of spaces was new.

After which to locate Bozar on, I think, the  Rue Ravenstein, to sample the fab exhibition, Imagine Istanbul,  with photos by the Turkish–Armenian Magnum photographer Ara Güler -the ‘Eye of Istanbul’.There are also works by Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Turkish-Dutch ‘Photographer of the Fatherlands’ Ahmet Polat. Europalia sent the Belgian Magnum photographer Bieke Depoorter to Istanbul. She returned with powerful images of the legendary city on the Bosporus. The exhibition itself is laid out in the form of a photographic circuit, with new compositions by the French musician Débruit, films, interviews with, amongst others, Orhan Pamuk and installations by contemporary artists such as Ayşe Erkmen, Sophie Calle and Kasper Bosmans. The photographs were wonderfully evocative, especially those of Ara Guler; works of black and white art.

 Two of the numerous works of black and white art by Ara Guler.


Oh dear, have abandoned this entry because of time pressures so now it is rather out of date. No matter; will close with a photo of one of the marvellous Art Deco buildings in Brussels which I passed en route to the Gare Central and home. Loved it; Brussels is really worth time spent in looking; so different from Brugge  but a handsome international city.