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Latitude Day 1: Michael Nyman gets the festival off to a baroque swing

Afternoon all. You join us at Latitude in the company of the entire Alternative Cabaret scene, a giant. flying chunk of the Edinburgh Fringe, some frighteningly coloured sheep and, lest we forget, some excellent bands. Three exciting bits of news: it's not quite raining; I'm clear this year that we're in Suffolk, not Norfolk: and Michael Nyman is playing while I write at the back of the Music And Film Arena.

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Afternoon all. You join us at Latitude in the company of the entire Alternative Cabaret scene, a giant. flying chunk of the Edinburgh Fringe, some frighteningly coloured sheep and, lest we forget, some excellent bands.

Three exciting bits of news: it’s not quite raining; I’m clear this year that we’re in Suffolk, not Norfolk: and Michael Nyman is playing while I write at the back of the Music And Film Arena.

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What better way to start the UK’s most civilized festival than by watching one of the country’s foremost film composers tranquilly serenade Latitude’s early arrivals at the piano? These days he seems to have left behind the zippy post-modern baroque of his Peter Greenaway scores snd is playing solo (without the exuberant band I last saw him with, 15-odd years ago).

Instead it’s all very lush and romantic: he plays a decent chunk of “The Piano” score, and accompanies a screening of a Jean Vigo short about Nice. He also flubs a few notes, which is quite endearing and a nice contrast to his stern professorial demeanour.

All rather lovely, and it seems to be over. Now for a veggieburger…

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