The Franco-British Society Current Announcements

THE FRENCH PORCELAIN SOCIETY President: Rosalind Savill C.B.E. - Chairman: Errol Manners Lecture Programme Autumn 2008 / Spring 2009 The lectures, free to members and non-members, begin at 6.00 pm, and take place at: Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR (nearest underground Bond Street) 23 October 2008 Jonathan Marsden, The Royal Collection 'The International Taste for French Bronzes, 17th-19th Century' 20 November 2008 Philip Mansel, Society for Court Studies 'Grandeur and Catastrophe: the Court of France from Louis XVI to Napoleon III' 18 December 2008 Member's Evening Please join us and bring a favourite (or problem) piece of French porcelain to discuss, or alternatively an amusing anecdote. 29 January 2009 Cyrille Froissart, Expert 'Rouen Porcelain' 26 February 2009 Kit Maxwell, Victoria and Albert Museum 'Objects of Luxury: 18th century French Porcelain' - an exhibition opening in October 2009.' An additional speaker to be confirmed. 26 March 2009 Ann Eatwell, Victoria and Albert Museum 'Thé à la Mode: Tea drinking in France' All are welcome to join the speaker at a local restaurant following the lecture. If you are planning to attend, please contact the organizer, Patricia Ferguson, at least 3 days before the event (patricia.ferguson@earthlink.net (07708 099114)) THE BERLIOZ SOCIETY Registered Charity No 1124443 President: Jacques Barzun Patron: Sir Colin Davis CH Chairman: David Cairns CBE presents A STUDY WEEKEND at The Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT to explore Hector Berlioz's great work: "THE DAMNATION OF FAUST" November 29th and 30th 2008 OPEN TO NON-MEMBERS The two-day event costs £125 (to include morning coffee, buffet lunch and afternoon tea on both days) or £95 for new and current members of the Berlioz Society (annual subscription £15) Discounted rate for bona fide music students: only £25! One of Berlioz's greatest works, this unique piece - which he termed a Dramatic Legend - was composed in the 1840s. Berlioz - a huge admirer of Goethe's Faust since reading de Nerval's French translation - composed his Eight Scenes from Faust in the late 1820s. He had sent a copy to Goethe, but received no response. Undaunted, Berlioz expanded this into a full-scale work, writing the libretto with the help of Almire Gandonnière. Once started, he could not put it down, composing the music at inns, on trains and coaches in the course of his European travels. He wrote the famous Hungarian March in a single night. The Damnation of Faust was first performed in Paris in 1846 but was not a success; later on, however, it became one of his most popular works. Berlioz fans - and others - now have the chance to confirm how wrong the original Parisian audiences were about this wonderful work and to enjoy this weekend devoted entirely to it. Berlioz wrote it at the height of his powers; it is full of his typical musical ingenuity, containing wonderful melodies, complex yet brilliant orchestration - and biting musical wit at the expense of the musical mores of the time! In short, this is a blazingly original and tuneful work, containing some of Berlioz's finest music. Distinguished speakers, including David Cairns, Dr John Warrack, Professor Osman Durrani, Dr Julian Rushton, John Leeman, Nicholas Snowman, Gunther Braam, Linda Edmondson and Elizabeth Csicsery-Ronay will cover different aspects of the work. They will be playing generous excerpts, as well as showing relevant images, engravings, photographs and cartoons from the time - complemented by a full performance on DVD on the Saturday afternoon. That evening (29th November) there will also be a dinner at the Grange White Hall Hotel, 2-5 Montague Street, Russell Square, London WC1B 5BU, which will be addressed by Michael Geliot and John Amis. The cost of the dinner is £41.50 a head, including wine. To register, contact Harold Hughes, Berlioz Society Administrator, 16 Wingfield Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 5LR (or at hwdh@msn.com) www.theberliozsociety.org.uk