tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post5985868739444430828..comments2024-03-26T07:58:59.761+00:00Comments on I'll think of something later: Mycomania 1: GöljådalenDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-54994732721476533472013-10-22T09:07:44.490+01:002013-10-22T09:07:44.490+01:00That's good to hear, Sue. And you remind me th...That's good to hear, Sue. And you remind me that Haitink's Shostakovich 15th remains my favourite recording, partly because the sound's so good.<br /><br />Rather pleased to say that long silences are becoming the norm here. How rare it was 20 years ago, when everyone noted the length of time before applause when Rattle conducted Britten's War Requiem in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral. Now the stick-waver just needs the right authority: baton aloft usually does it unless some moron shrieks 'bravo' precipitately.<br /><br />I did find creepy the 'no applause' behaviour at the end of Parsifal Act 1 when I saw it in Munich in the late 1980s (a horrible experience in most respects - men in purple gowns and long beards, horrid 70s decor).Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-62848304872324195382013-10-22T05:34:58.574+01:002013-10-22T05:34:58.574+01:00David: Well, I can only tell you that tonight Hait...David: Well, I can only tell you that tonight Haitink accomplished a miracle. At the end of Shostakovich's Fifteenth Symphony, that sublime morendo, he didn't immediately drop his hand. The audience heeded him, and there was silence, precious silence, before the applause. Now, I'll never forget Abbado's 2 minutes at the end of Mahler's Ninth, and this wasn't anywhere near as long as that, but even a few seconds at Avery Fisher, with not a single cough, was miraculous. (That he has your esteem for Parsifal is no small matter. I have taken note!) Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-31478432577045605392013-10-21T20:26:10.234+01:002013-10-21T20:26:10.234+01:00You did mention your fascinating neighbour, whose ...You did mention your fascinating neighbour, whose blog I shall visit forthwith. Sorry for his all-too-common (but of course also unique) loss. It would be good to know more of the philosophy behind his interest as every mycologist seems to be a true individual.<br /><br />I read somewhere very recently that mushrooms growing beneath oaks are to be avoided. Clearly this isn't the case. Slippery evasive devils they are, to be sure.<br /><br />Perhaps we should have covered Haitink's two concerts on The Arts Desk, but I wasn't keen and no-one else offered. My feeling is that his interpretations are now a little embalmed, though still wonderful in a calm, unsensationalist way. Have just gone through the Act 1 grail ceremony of Parsifal with the students, and - partly because of the Amfortas of Michael Volle, who was/is so stunning in our Sicilian Vespers - turned to the Zurich DVD conducted by Haitink. Now NO ONE conducts the outer acts of Parsifal better than he, for my taste at any rate. And the simple staging was incredibly moving in its modernity and restraint, the perfect balance between extreme suffering and transcendence unhampered by the usual Wagner baggageDavidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-46076181692038976872013-10-21T15:48:38.080+01:002013-10-21T15:48:38.080+01:00David: What a wonderful collection of mushrooms/fu...David: What a wonderful collection of mushrooms/fungi you've displayed here! I don't think I've ever seen one with coloring even close to the blue. As I think I've mentioned, we have a wonderful neighbor, Bill Bakaitis, who is a mycologist and who has brought us on many occasions delectable mushrooms we'd never dare pick ourselves. Once I thought surely I'd spotted a winner (though not so sure that I would taste it without confirmation) in a Hen of the Woods growing right where it should be, at the base of an oak, and at the right time of year (fall). I triumphantly sent him a photo of my find, and here's what he wrote back: “It could be Grifola Frondosus, the Hen of The Woods, or it could be the tougher, more bitter (but not toxic) Meripilus giganteus now know as Meripilus sumstinei.” Here’s Bill, BTW, and many of his mushroom posts may be found on this site: <a href="http://leslieland.com/2008/07/bill-bakaitis/" rel="nofollow">here</a> (Tragically, his wife, whose website/blog this is, died of BC this summer, much too young to go. Bill, her devoted husband and best friend in all the world, as she was for him, carries on.)<br /><br />Side note: Last night, I heard Haitink and the LSO perform Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony. He seems to take a slower tempo than Jarvi, and that took an adjustment, but I found listening live full of revelations and hope the opportunity will come again before too long. Tonight is the 15th, and I can’t wait (although the audience coughing is, well, you know . . .) I tried to find a review of the London performances on TAD, but couldn’t. If it’s there and you have a link, I’d love to read it.<br /><br />Back to the topic at hand: there is always an advantage to coming late to the party, because then I get the benefit of seeing all the wonderful exchanges that came before, including, of course, DD’s bit of mushroom history (not to mention your response)! <br />Susan Scheidhttp://prufrocksdilemma.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-5203778786392803832013-10-21T08:25:05.138+01:002013-10-21T08:25:05.138+01:00Wanderer, yes of course we go a-blackberrying, why...Wanderer, yes of course we go a-blackberrying, why wouldn't we? And sloe and damson gathering...<br /><br />Laurent, my stunning reference work, Mushrooms by Roger Phillips, tells me that Claudius was possibly poisoned by Deathcaps (Amanita phalloides) mixed in with his favourite, Caesar's Mushroom (Amanita caesarea) - the one I wishfully hoped was the orangey-red specimen found on our walk (it wasn't). It seems a shame that Katerina Izmailova had to resort to rat poison mixed in with the mushrooms; one likes to think that even in her confined Volga existence she would have known where to go for fungi deadly in themselves.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-30786823628092246862013-10-21T04:07:20.164+01:002013-10-21T04:07:20.164+01:00It should be remembered never to eat mushrooms tha...It should be remembered never to eat mushrooms that grow under an Oak Tree, it was the wife of L. Cornelius Sulla, who ate such mushrooms and died of internal bleeding. Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03297393116796129135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-17973610954552376722013-10-21T03:57:32.514+01:002013-10-21T03:57:32.514+01:00David recently British friends of ours came to Mer...David recently British friends of ours came to Merrickville and on the way we crossed the Rideau River they were very surprised at how wide it was for a river. They have also seen the St-Laurent which is called a fleuve in French. To them it is more like a bras de mer or gulf. I suppose we have big things here in Canada.Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03297393116796129135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-1092611578843220372013-10-21T01:14:09.494+01:002013-10-21T01:14:09.494+01:00As a child I remember going blackberry picking. Do...As a child I remember going blackberry picking. Don't you of the Great Green Merrie Isle pick berries?<br /><br />I too love that first photo David, for the colours yes, set against that mysterious deep royal blue water and the fresh limey green ferns, but the spectrum in organics is most fascinating - the rapid waters the source of all, the bowing fronds just drunk and so alive, the strange fungi (all fungi are strange to me, unless in a risotto) emerging parasitic from the great old trunk, its job not yet finished.wandererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196036534397389760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-85158976956422743862013-10-20T21:52:52.732+01:002013-10-20T21:52:52.732+01:00Well, Laurent, I certainly don't believe a riv...Well, Laurent, I certainly don't believe a river's a river - having experienced the Hudson and the Neva, I can never look on the Thames as a big 'un again - and I was struck by how one in an Ottawa photo of yours resembled the Goljan (not the banks, but the flow).<br /><br />How I wish I'd been part of a village or town tradition where mushroom gathering and seasonal festivals were a way of life. And I guess tradition meant that identification was certain. But I'm not going a-gathering ever, having listened to Martyn's cautions and learnt elsewhere that very recently a respected mycologist made a fatal choice...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-46844953180173789642013-10-20T21:44:38.927+01:002013-10-20T21:44:38.927+01:00I also remember the charming tradition of Poland w...I also remember the charming tradition of Poland when at this time of the year whole families would go to the woods to gather mushrooms. Same in Italy, chesnuts and truffles too.Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03297393116796129135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-14620534724581585872013-10-20T19:43:11.555+01:002013-10-20T19:43:11.555+01:00Looking at the pictures I thought where is that. L...Looking at the pictures I thought where is that. Looks a lot like Canada and our National Parks north of Ottawa.Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03297393116796129135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-16315822772521625422013-10-20T10:45:34.034+01:002013-10-20T10:45:34.034+01:00A good man indeed, David, as we know from his gene...A good man indeed, David, as we know from his generous hospitality. The next step, though, is to liberate those wonderful paintings from behind bars...<br /><br />Pia - I'm grateful that another true artist proclaims. I had no idea when I was taking that picture of the 'hoofs' on the dead tree that it would turn out like that. I'm especially pleased that in addition to the texture of the trunk and its appendages, there's a hint of water on the left and green on the right. It reminds me of that extraordinary Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-60026678756854565212013-10-20T10:38:30.983+01:002013-10-20T10:38:30.983+01:00Although I am admittedly partial, I love your phot...Although I am admittedly partial, I love your photos from Sweden. In particular of the two types of lichen in iron red and acid green. - And the main photo - it looks more painterly than photography-like.Pia Östlundnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-67284457491455535472013-10-19T17:46:39.247+01:002013-10-19T17:46:39.247+01:00It is said that he who plants an avenue of oaks ca...It is said that he who plants an avenue of oaks cannot expect to see it in its full glory. But Jean-Guy, when purchasing the castle in the Rhone valley ( having given the chateau in Brittany to his son) found there a number of oaks ( I think they were actually holm oaks) under which truffles grew ( I hope that the truffle angle justifies this thread) And he then planted 50 more such oaks, to provide many more truffles for future generations - what a good manDavid Damantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-55841586962353288552013-10-19T11:40:08.832+01:002013-10-19T11:40:08.832+01:00Well, Jamie, I think you'll find the Wakehurst...Well, Jamie, I think you'll find the Wakehurst tour with Martyn and fellow Kew mycologist will be as good as the best of introductory courses. Certainly I found that to be the case with his Kew processional. You couldn't find a better or more enthusiastic expert.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-68918714974579457032013-10-19T11:30:47.039+01:002013-10-19T11:30:47.039+01:00What a lovely walk that was, thank you for the rem...What a lovely walk that was, thank you for the reminder. We keep saying we should go on a mushroom course and maybe one day we'll get round to it. Meantime I shall enjoy your pictures, comments and memories :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18327321860417936051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-84251149811022670152013-10-18T07:47:35.438+01:002013-10-18T07:47:35.438+01:00Now how is it that I just KNEW you'd have an a...Now how is it that I just KNEW you'd have an anecdote linking mushrooms and aristocrats, Sir David? Let 'em eat poisoned mushrooms! But since that must be the immensely hospitable Jean-Guy whom you so effortlessly introduce as a Chatsworth guest, may they live on.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-89342696492669832072013-10-18T06:28:51.071+01:002013-10-18T06:28:51.071+01:00A friend ( who has a place in France)was staying a...A friend ( who has a place in France)was staying at Chatsworth and one morning got up very early to go for a walk in the park, meeting the wife of the French Ambassador, also a guest of the Duke and Duchess. They saw and collected some splendid mushrooms, of a kind eaten with pleasure in France. Well! To have the mushrooms for breakfast they almost had to sign a document taking all responsibility on themselves, and when they were served two schools of thought were apparant, the French eating happily and the English watchful. But everyone survivedDavid Damantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-46224583227836690232013-10-18T00:02:35.487+01:002013-10-18T00:02:35.487+01:00A delectable post in itself, Elizabeth, and you pi...A delectable post in itself, Elizabeth, and you pinpoint for me what I've been gleaning from Richard Mabey's exquisite, poignant little slice of autobiography Nature Cure: that we can cultivate our own co-existence with nature in the smallest patches and in the tiniest ways. Especially, as my mycologist guide pointed out, if in a garden there isn't too much mulching, clearing and weeding. Isn't it fascinating to watch nature correct the imbalances without much if any human intervention?<br /><br />Mr Myco was also very scathing about people following telly programme chefs and foraging the land around London clear of edible mushrooms. It matters less on vast estates in Scotland, but near the city the ecosystem is more fragile.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506881804082382739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1248503935075362425.post-28394665505570842532013-10-17T20:21:10.147+01:002013-10-17T20:21:10.147+01:00David, "mushroom mad" is perfect. I have...David, "mushroom mad" is perfect. I have a two-fold love for mushrooms: admiring and, alas, consuming - though not so much the ones I reserve for respectful gazing. I love to eat any sort of mushroom, particularly in Chinese dishes, where they have an especially earthsome flavor. Only once did I eat wild mushroom, with a friend I was visiting in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado. She had spent a lot of time with a mycologist (I know even they can be fooled - one hears occasionally of an "expert's" death by mushroom), and she often ate dinner plate-sized mushrooms she found in the woods. Thickly sliced and grilled in butter - what a treat! Getting off-subject, sorry.<br /><br />I find the information board paragraph most interesting, as it well describes microcosms in my own yard. This is the only yard for which I have had any personal responsibility, and the first time a tree came down, I regarded the leveled stump as a "permanent" stand for potted plants in summer. There have now been several of these, and when the first one became lopsided, the pattern emerged. It involves all that are listed above, I think in this order: ear mushrooms attached to the stump and others surrounding; bugs moving into the deteriorating wood; quickly followed by astounding, huge pileated woodpeckers, who deplete the bug population. The mushrooms remain undeterred, of course. I don't know anyone's name, but there are in the summer patches of bright orange, spotted mushrooms that look like they probably shouldn't be touched. Gorgeous, as are your photos here. Beautiful to see them growing together with mosses, and that blue is stunning! Looking forward to your next installment -- ElizabethAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com