En blanc et noir

Another photo taken as best I could from a fixed position. S took me to the early evening concert in Lagrasse, several different pianists playing pieces by or for Clara Schumann: one of the classic examples of a talented composer being underestimated because she's a woman. Luckily she had a supportive family, including her husband Robert, but she still spent more time playing other people's music than composing her own. This also makes me think of other talented women musicians who didn't even get that opportunity.

Photo: Kara Huber playing a set of arrangements by Clara of songs by Robert (substitute photographer seen bottom right). I was sorry to have missed Kara's concert the previous day: here's a taster.

We got back from this, had dinner, and were off again for the first concert in our village programme of summer events. It was supposed to be in the amphitheatre behind our house, but the musicians were unreasonably panicked by a few distant rumbles of thunder at 4 pm. So they set up in the village hall. Outdoor temperature at this point was a mere 29C. The inside of the hall was like a flipping sauna. Most of the audience stubbornly refused to enter and sat outside the open doors. 

So the situation was not ideal for a Cuban singer performing very standard Cuban/Latin American songs to a backing track (argh) while, for some reason, her male companion drew caricatures on a flipchart behind her. She had a nice voice and good technique, but there was no passion there. We emerged gratefully into the cooler night air the minute it was over.