Richard Armitage, fellow orchestra geek
Here’s the interview announced by BBC East Midlands earlier today.
This is definitely one of those sweet moments where I really do wonder about something I have thought about a lot — the extent of similarity between his childhood and mine. I mean, of course, who doesn’t love cheese? (though Stilton was not big in northeastern Wisconsin). It was more the young symphony thing this time. Playing in a regional orchestra. Remembering stuff you played (we played Titus Overture at least once, too, Mr. Armitage).
And I totally remember the boys who sat in the back. I didn’t talk to them. But that brings to mind a very specific picture of young adolescent Armitage.
Me + Richard Armitage 
Ah, yes…it was sharp cheddar and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #3 (from way in the back of the regional orchestra!).
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There were only four clarinets, and we sat right in the middle … but yes to the cheese and the music (also Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony).
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Tall order to make your sound stand out in that sea of strings! Vaya con queso 🙂
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Crossing swords with Mr A on this one. I hate Cheese of any kind, and pianos don’t lend themselves to orchestra participation. Does my membership in the choir count? 😉
However, those interviews where armitage talks about his life lend themselves to searching for similarities. I relate to the typical ex-pat behaviour of equating a feeling of home with food. My pork pie and Stilton is Kohl und Pinkel (typical Bremen dish which you are no doubt familiar with) and sugar beet syrup. Home is where the belly is, eh?
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I must have told you my “quest for Pinkel in Göttingen” story … 🙂
Choir: I’m sure he did a fair amount of singing 🙂
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I loved this interview, mainly because he mentioned Leicester stuff! And because he said “pork pie” before she’d stopped speaking! I love a man who knows where the best pork pies come from! 😉
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You should write about that — you got me to actually look it up to see what it was!
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Haha…not sure I could find enough to say about a pork pie…other than it has to be a Melton Mowbray one and it’s proper yummy 🙂
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Oh you’re right! It has to be! Personally I don’t think I could live without cheese and I adore Stilton. Now I have even more reason to like both of these things!! 😉
Many moons ago I also played the cello in the school orchestra (although nothing like as proficiently as Richard no doubt did) and sang alto in a performance by our school choir of “Stabat Mater” in Latin in the Cowdray Hall in Aberdeen (Scotland)! Those were the days!!
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Things very same south of WI – NE IL second violin – also the cheddar and the brandenburg like Obsura! I’d never go with the pork pie though – can’t digest it w/o nitrates added. I bet he was a better player than he recalls.
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probably, since he’d have had to audition for a group like that, one assumes. It’s a British cultural requirement, however, for him to say he was bad at it.
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