If music be the food of love, then have a biscuit.

We were out late so this is late. We were, in fact, attending a concert of early music in Mag0g as part of Festival Orf0rd, this famous soprano and this also famous countertenor, performing (what else?) early music with a bunch of instrumentalists. The first half of the programme was rather disappointing: the man began with a couple of traditional tunes, and the woman performed four PurceII songs. She got better as she went along, but there were tuning problems and I think she has some technical vocal issues which I shan't be bringing up with her anytime soon, but which my expertise as a singing teacher has pinpointed. The second half was much more interesting. They performed together a Bach arrangement of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater which was very beautiful. There are solos and duets, and the latter were especially evocative, the two voices twining around each other in the same register, singing in seconds and long dissonances that just gave me shivers.

It was quite hot in the church and I kept experiencing one hot flash after another, so the shivers were welcome, believe me.

We met up with a couple whom we have known for many years, but whom we hardly ever get to see. They live in Montreal, but the husband and my husband were roommates at university (they were both classical guitarists studying with the same teacher, although the friend became a chemist), and the wife started out as a flutist but ended up as an English major. They have two children one year behind ours, and I think we last saw them around seven years ago. After the concert we went out for coffee, and it was really nice to chat and catch up.

We came home to a fragrant kitchen; Little Princess had made biscotti from the recipe supplied by our hostess of last weekend. I had some. It's delicious. Now it's bedtime.

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