First of all heartfelt thanks to Fane Productions for the precious and wonderful streaming of the Cadogan‘s conversation about Mr. Bonneville ‘s book Playing under the piano.
Secondly, heartfelt thanks to Mrs. FIONA LINDSAY for taking part in this fantastic conversation. Arts interviewer, broadcaster and producer , she spends her time getting amazing performers to chat about what they do and how they do it. Absolutely creative !
Well, let’s read some Twitter comments…
Fantastic evening spent at listening to waxing lyrical about his life, and the people who have threaded it like a tapestry. Since we all came to hear Hugh Playing Under The Piano, naturally, appropriate footware was required. Thanks for a great night Hugh“
@fionainterviews
” Thank you for turning what could have been root canal into a sun lounger “
What about this amazing book?
“The Downton Abbey and Paddington star recounted his glittering career with immense wit and warmth accompanied by fascinating and hilarious anecdotes featuring a host of famous actors. “What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, or playing Robert de Niro’s right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice? A wickedly funny storyteller, Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father’s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor”
But what did he discover of him in the characters he performed ? He said he played a lot of characters that all formed a building blocks with interconnections.
And what about animals ? “You should have a labrador or a bear” …
And we cannot forget Hugh’s powerful collaboration with fantastic Dames MAGGIE SMITH ( HIS SCREEN MOTHER ) , JUDI DENCH AND SHIRLEY MACLAINE . Legendary women representing a brilliant generation of extraordinary actresses.
Finally, we can describe Mr. Bonneville with a powerful piece . So , let’s listen to Haendel’s The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel’s bright and lively “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” interlude is a widely appreciated processional set piece. It often was (and it continues to be) played during wedding ceremonies. A noted public performance of the piece occurred during the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba is part of the oratorio Solomon in which was performed during church services. This is one of three parts of the oratorio in which the other two are the building of the temple and the famous judgment. Handel was of the age 65 when he composed this piece.
Sheba is a girl’s name of Hebrew origin and means “promise.” Sheba is an ancient kingdom mentioned in the Jewish bible, the Old Testament, and the Qur’an, and is home to the Queen of Sheba, a biblical figure.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, LORD GRANTHAM!!!
