Concert in Macclesfield, 6 August 2006

[grant]

Hi Peter!

I cannot compete with your fantastic review and you kept that picture quiet!!!

I can however, fully agree with and add to all the wonderful comments already posted.

Now looking forward to the next time.

Best wishes
Grant

[scoobedoo]

Hi Peter and everyone,WOW, what a brilliant review even from the other side of the world I felt I was there.You are a great writer Peter, no question about that. The venue must have been Ideal for a concert that Hayley,Fiona and Ian to perform. I'll bet you had a night to remember, well done Peter good stuff.

I wonder what the "extra something" that has cropped up regarding Hayley altering her break she was going to have,It must be something big I should think. We wait with baited breath i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Cheers,
Rodders Christchurch NZ

[postscript]

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for your kind reception of my write-up on Macclesfield. I hope such enthusiasm from Scoobedoo, Grant, Richard, Andrew, Belinda, Roger, George, (I think that covers everyone at this stage) for which many thanks does not preclude anyone expressing any contrary opinions, if they should be harbouring them.

We are, after all, supporting one of the finest singers in the world today who is without doubt a perfectionist who strives to deliver 100% in all she does. If we are to be as supportive of her as we seem to desire, then we too, must ensure our praise is valid and objective,.otherwise our support will be meaningless.

So, thank you for all those expressing appreciation, especially those who were there who truly know whether I exaggerate or simply fairly present the situation. We owe it to her to be truly objective and we all need to keep one another on our toes to be giving her our best.

Also, remember it is numbers giving their opinion that is important to show balance, not a few expressing themselves volubly. Macclesfield had particular meaning for me because I've been in that situation many times, although not now for many years and it brought back many personal sentiments as well as appreciation of Hayley, so i hope I wasn't too impassioned.

Peter

[postscript]

drew said:

Gawsworth Hall - a Musical in Three Parts.

Script by Postscript.

Excerpts to be repeated in the London South West End on September 23rd, but without the scenery and the fairy lights.

Congratulations Peter, it was one one of those novels that you don't want to put down until you finish it (but you made us put it down each night). You kept us in suspense until the end. And we all want to relive your experience.

I hope I am not trying to be too clever for my own good here. The following reply was originally in response to the above post under the musical thread. I felt it was cross-threaded so have tried to get it put under thread discipline by deleting that reply and reposting under this thread as follows.

Hi Drew.

I left you out on my most recent post expressing appreciation of those who had enjoyed my Macclesfield report as I was not aware of your post at the time.

Unwittingly, or perhaps most perceptively reading between the lines, you picked up a point that Grant hinted at in one of his posts but on which I chose not to be drawn.

All I will say here, is that the Hayley effect on me has been as many have expressed from their own experiences, a wonderful panacea to a troubled time. In fact, Hayley's CDs have replaced my relaxation therapy CDs from one of the two consultant doctors, bringing me out of my own dark tunnel of the last two or three years.

While we may regard Hayley as an oasis in the desert, the desert (the rest of the world) is a reality and oases only survive if viewed practically and realistically. Emotion is of no help when the well has run dry and you are thirsty! We need to stay objective but thank you for your encouraging support.

However, creativity will out and Hayley is certainly creatively inspirational.

Peter S.

PS: I'm glad you liked the three-part tease!

[Steve H]

Hi Peter,

Sorry it is a belated 'thank you' but I am still recovering from your wonderful report, what a treat it was to read. I hope the thread has been linked on the 'official site' it would make some of the members there realise just what they are missing.

You are a true asset to us Peter and I pray that your recent problems are slowly being put behind you, and that you can draw support and comfort from your extended HWI family.

I totally agree that Hayley is truly inspirational.

Steve H

[Joe]

Hello Peter...

I would also like to say thank you for the wonderful and detailed report from Macclesfield. Every aspect of the concert was very vivid...from sound check right to Hayley et. al. departing the venue. What a sincere pleasure it was to read it all. It was as if I were transported there and amongst the audience.

Also thanks to Grant, Chris, and George...I really enjoyed your photos and remarks as well.

I was truly looking forward to these reports, Peter. I must say you never disappoint.

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Joe

[postscript]

joe said:

Hello Peter...

I would also like to say thank you for the wonderful and detailed report from Macclesfield. Every aspect of the concert was very vivid...from sound check right to Hayley et. al. departing the venue. What a sincere pleasure it was to read it all. It was as if I were transported there and amongst the audience.

Also thanks to Grant, Chris, and George...I really enjoyed your photos and remarks as well.

I was truly looking forward to these reports, Peter. I must say you never disappoint.

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Joe

Hi Joe, thanks for the US view. I had thought, not that you mentioned that specifically, that a little description of 'Old England' might be particularly appealing.

The problem with acquiring a reputation is that pedestals are all too easily toppled!

You will be aware of the programme from posts here but one of the 'adverts' for Classic fm's 'top of the charts' is 'the higher they climb the harder they fall'!

Interestingly, the quote I had in mind was 'Reputation does make cowards of us all', in the context that acquiring expectation one subsequently fears to disappoint.

That, as I write, is another incredible aspect of Hayley. She has stated publicly that 'you learn from your mistakes' and she is not afraid of trying things that might not work. That she does not allow (or seem to allow) her reputation to get in the way of her continually experimenting is another credit to her.

In fact the quote is wrong--just as well I checked it! It is 'Conscience does make cowards of us all', so not applicable.

There remains the problem that acquiring a reputation one fears to dare. Hopefully, not yet for me and never for Hayley!

Peter

[postscript]

Hi Steve.

Thank you for your kind thoughts on my Macclesfield report. In your post you provide us with yet another superb photograph. Thank you for that. Perhaps someone who posts on the official forum could give them a link for yours, Dave's, Stuart's, Roger's photos? Perhaps there should be a combined archive? Perhaps there is and having downloaded as I came across them in the 'current ' posts I have never needed to find out.

Regarding linking to my text, I will do a précis for Simon to put up on our main archive. In fact I had just PMd Roger for advice on how much to cut out, with specific reference to the quotations. What is your opinion?

By the by, so as to dissuade people from contributing to a wreath, I should say my various problems are all within the expected ups and downs of an average life but 'thank you' for your kind wishes. Yes, the camaraderie that is devolving as a side effect from this site and around Hayley is a magnificent extended family from which I hope we are all gaining much.

In my specific case, very simply expressed, I had shingles in the eye from stress I couldn't control (a terminal family illness) and due to that terminal illness I was never able to recuperate properly. That's the price I'm paying now, for failing to recuperate properly at the time.

The eye is safe, mercifully (you can lose your sight) but there is damage to the triangial nerve (goes to the sculp up either side of the nose). The damage causes chronic pain and fatigue not unlike ME. However, nine months ago I had to stay over in Banbury feeling unfit to drive an hour after Hayley's concert. The other week I drove from Llandudno in about four hours. So, moving slowly on, provided I pace myself, thank you.

This is why I keep presuming to nag Hayley about ensuring she paces herself. Having said that, I spent my life from about thirteen doing half-a-dozen diverse things at the same time, right through to my fifties when, in the middle of doing another degree I was elected to Council and got not only thoroughly involved in all three tiers of local government, just for the experience (even addressing the national association of local councils twice) and being town mayor, I also stood for Parliament under the Referendum Party banner, while still trying to run my own business as a freelance consultant in the media. The one casualty then was failing to complete my law degree!

The key of course was being in control, which i think Hayley is. It is being subject to forces that you can't control (as in my case of a family illness) when the stress becomes unmanageable and problems emerge, but, without any warning, that is the problem, it just suddenly happens.

I remember that it was just after the stage during which I was a danger to young children and pregnant women (you can pass on Chickenpox during that stage, after which the pain really sets in) that I attended a centenary dinner for Graham Greene. Out of the eight people on my table it turned out that six of us had experienced a shingles outbreak. I expressed surprise that the proportion was so high.It was P D James, I think, who asked why I was surprised. Look at who is on this table! Apart from another writer (Sir John Mortimer--both he and James had known Greene personally, whereas I had only met him a couple of times) everyone else was equally high-powered in their own fields (banking, judiciary, local and national government) and all of them accustomed to juggling half-a-dozen balls in the air at the same time!

There are people who simply operate at that level as a matter of course and for them to be forced to take a break does them more harm than good. Arguably, if you enjoy what you are doing, is it stressful, is it even 'a job'? I think Hayley may well fit that category.

Peter

[thomas]

Hi Peter !

I also have to say thank you to your wonderful reports. It took me a while to read them (with a few looks into the dictionary ) but all three reviews were great.
Please continue like this. That gives us (who can't attend so many concerts) the feeling that we don't miss too much. Although listening to Hayley's singing live at her concert and meeting her after the show can't be substituted by anything.

I can't really say much about your illness because I don't know much about it but I hope it's not too serious and that you are doing well now!

See you in September and wish you all the best!

Thomas

[postscript]

Thank you, Thomas, for your kind wishes and supportive comments.

As i said in one of my earlier posts, 'its all within the 'normal' gamut of man's seven ages', so I do not have anything to complain about, especially compared to other's travails. I'm not the only WHI member ploughing through their own particular health challenges anyway but 'thank you' for your kind thoughts.Moving on slowly, I just have to be patient!

I'm sorry if I cause you to need a dictionary.occasionally. I am afraid I do love playing with words which doubtless is why there are no fewer than four dictionaries from different publishers behind me as I write, supplemented by various other linguistic specialities. I operate on the basis that if you don't use it you lose it.

Language to me is like a Cornish or Devon cream tea which someone else has paid for, enjoyed on a warm summer's day in an orchard, but without any wasps!

I was brought up in an age when Dickens was an automatic reader and I am still an admirer of the compound sentence in which the whole gamut of punctuation might be found.

Regretfully, because of TV adverts, people now have difficulty in maintaining sufficient attention spam to see a film through without reaching for the crisps or needing to go to the washroom while it is still playing! People simply lack the attention span to handle compound sentences and multiple thoughts involving subclauses..

However i digress. Nice to chat. All the best.

Peter S.

[drew]

Peter, at least we are yet to see text message abbreviations on the HWI forum.

Thomas, your command of English is excellent. I should be most grateful if you would translate "Wiegenlied" for me when we meet at Cadogan Hall!

I feel so inadequate when I hear Hayley singing in English, Maori, Latin, Italian and German. (Have I missed any?)

[roger]

Hi Drew,

Yes, you have missed one actually. I have the 'Wiegenlied' single on which she sings three versions of the song. One of them is in Japanese!

Roger

[Raymond]

drew said:

Peter, at least we are yet to see text message abbreviations on the HWI forum.

Thomas, your command of English is excellent. I should be most grateful if you would translate "Wiegenlied" for me when we meet at Cadogan Hall!

I feel so inadequate when I hear Hayley singing in English, Maori, Latin, Italian and German. (Have I missed any?)

Hello Drew,

The translation is here. www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=6785

Lullaby

Sleep, my little prince, fall asleep:
the lambs and birdies are resting,
the garden and meadow are silent,
and even the little bee hums no more.
Luna with a silver gleam
is pouring her light into the window.
Sleep by the silvery light,
sleep, my little prince, fall asleep!

Everyone in the castle is already lying down:
everyone is cradled in slumber,
and even the little mouse rustles no more.
The cellar and kitchen are empty,
only in the chambermaid's quarters
one can hear a languishing sigh!
What kind of sigh might this be?
Sleep, my little prince, fall asleep!

Who is happier than you?
Nothing but amusement and rest!
Toys and sugar enough,
and even a stately coach to convey you;
everyone is careful and ready
so that my little prince will not shriek.
But what will the future bring?
Sleep, my little prince, fall asleep.

Ming

[drew]

Thank you Raymond.

Somebody hide this before Thomas sees it.

And I suppose that you could translate the Japanese CD cover for me!

(Sorry all - going off thread.)

[drew]

roger said:

Hi Drew,

Yes, you have missed one actually. I have the 'Wiegenlied' single on which she sings three versions of the song. One of them is in Japanese!

Roger

Thank you Roger. I have only listened once. I have just played
the third version again. Slow and Fast I could understand. I shall pay more attention in future.

Amazing Grace. Sorry Amazing Hayley!