Echoes of Flavio's Ghost Dreaming

Wandering around the South Bank - the Crossbones Graveyard of the Outcast 16-04-26

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:01:01 GMT

I couldn't go in as it was closed -so many years in London and I didn't know this existed, the Graveyard for the Outcast Dead. The outcasts were sex workers, immigrants, disabled and other minorities. Will try to go at a time it's open next time. The site next door is also interesting. London is full of interesting things!

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[ Books ] 'Project Hail Mary' - Andy Weir

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:05:59 GMT

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this. Of course in describing an interstellar travel there are a few impossibilities and you have to choose which to ignore but the story here felt 'real'. Loved the possibility of friendship between beings that have so little in common -even sensorial bandwidth. We could all learn a couple of lessons from Rocky. A perhaps implausible plot with a wild take on Panspermia but it all works and you 'live' in that world for the duration of the book. Loved this book.

View all my reviews

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Easter Break..

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:43:26 GMT

Getting up on a Tuesday at 9:00 am is so much better for my delicate constitution ( 😃 ) than getting up at 5:15 am. Only one lesson (here at home) today. And returning an air-fryer that I'd bought a few days ago which stopped working half way through making dinner last night. For now, coffee and arepa with buffalo mozzarella (because I'm a mongrel South American/Italian). And avoid the news, just in case.

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Un dia de sol...

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:56:59 GMT

Yesterday I went out in shirt sleeves for the first time this year. That felt good. Not sure whether we had a lot of sun today as Wednesdays means teaching in that room (more like a cubicle) without windows in that school in Highbury. Maybe the season is finally changing. Or maybe it is the false spring that we so often get in February...

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Leo Brouwer's 'Omaggio a Tárrega' - Nuevos Estudios Sencillos No 5

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 20:59:32 GMT

Leo Brouwer's 'Omaggio a Tárrega' - Nuevos Estudios Sencillos No 5
And yes, it is the same thematic material he uses in 'Flight of the Lovers through the Valley of Echoes', second movement of 'Decamerón Negro'(which I have posted at some point). In a much more concise form.

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[ Books ] 'Quicksilver', book 1 of the 'Baroque Cycle' by Neal Stephenson.

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:52:08 GMT

As a counterpoint to the very well written but very grim and rather topical 'Parable of the Sower' by Octavia Butler (the book for next month's Bibliogoth), I'm also reading 'Quicksilver', book 1 of the 'Baroque Cycle' by Neal Stephenson. The reviews on Goodreads complain that it hardly has any plot and it is kind of true but it is lovely to hang out in the London of the 17th Century with Boyle, Wilkins, Hooke and Newton, but minus the smells, the fires and the chances of literally losing your head.

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A note or two

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:23:05 GMT

Putting out my music and photography (but especially my music) feels a bit fruitless at times. It is easy to say 'I do it for my own satisfaction' and it is largely true but when you put it out in the world you also would like some, a little bit of, appreciation for what you're trying to do. What I do will never be viral, will never make me famous (I wouldn't want that bit) and will never on its own pay the bills but it still would be nice to know that some people do enjoy it. So you practise hundreds of hours, put on a little recital locally, perhaps twelve people attend if you're lucky. If you make an event on Facebook the first sixty comments are on the lines of 'Sorry I cannot make it this time ('or the previous, or the next' remain tacet).

It is true that I'm just not very good at 'selling the product' but still.

I s'pose I'm lucky that I can do it, nonetheless. I would be hopeless at any more 'normal' endeavour.

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the grey, wet, dark and cold

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:48:34 GMT

The combination of London winter (not that it is extremely cold, it isn't; just grey, wet, dark and miserable), all the stuff out there in the world and finding myself running out of energy so easily and rapidly (and the uncertainty after all those medical appointments, tests and scans even though they keep drawing blanks), is making this time of year difficult to bear this time.

Can't wait for the spring.

IADOFT, Need to think how to find a few more little venues suitable for my classical guitar recitals. Wish I could rekindle the house concerts of twelve, fifteen years ago. Those were lovely occasions to play and people came out happy -and so did I. But I'm hopeless at persuading people they need me to play for them. One of those things.

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'Come Again' by John Dowland (1563=1626)

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:36:20 GMT

'Come Again' by John Dowland (1563=1626)
Verity Lingard-Hill, voice
Flavio Matani, guitar
Rustique Café, Tufnell Park, July 2014

John Dowland was the foremost amongst the English Renaissance lute composers. His music often has the curious characteristic of a lively, happy sounding melody together with often melancholy, reflective or even morbid lyrics.

#dowland #renaissanceenglishmusic #voiceandguitar #rustique #rustiquecafe #tufnellpark #kentishtown #englishlutemusic

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Not the future I'd signed up for

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:13:46 GMT

Well, what did the New Year bring?

For me, the sense of dread, the dozens of WhatsApp messages between members of my family and friends checking whether the others were safe, the phone footage on TikTok of the city I grew up in being bombed, the friends abroad celebrating the violation of my original country and the apparent toppling of a tin-pot dictator, kidnapped or arrested (take your pick) and now standing trial in NYC, accused of a whole pile of stuff he probably didn't do -none of the bad things that he did do, apparently. Interestingly, only one of my friends (an ex-girlfriend, friend of 40 years +) currently living in Vz was celebrating, although many of those Venezuelans abroad were. I told this friend about my concerns about the consequences and repercussions of this not just for Vz but for the whole world. She's now not speaking to me.

I'm no fan of Maduro, but I fear what's to come after this. Whenever the gringos have done something like this (Chile, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya etc) the outcome has been five or more years of extreme violence, tens of thousands of dead. I would not like to see that in my original country.

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As the Years Go By

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 11:03:06 GMT

Another year goes by.

2025 was filled with... medical appointments, tests, scans, more tests and more scans. In the end, apparently nothing that will kill me straight away although there are some things that will need follow ups.

It also was a year when I did a little more playing in public. Not a lot, just three local recitals and a few private gigs. But that was good, it is not something that helps me pay the bills a lot but it is something I need to do. Much as the first thing I think when I find myself on stage is 'why do I put myself in this situation' and 'which way up do you hold this guitar thing?'. Need to move more in that direction -of playing more in public, that is, not fretting about it.

Christmas was a very different affair this year. Last year I was in Miami with my sister and family, being shown around, eating exotic non-Venezuelan food and slightly breaking my no-alcohol vows. This time I spent mostly horizontal, mostly coughing my lungs out and with a runny nose and full of brain fog. Mercifully by NYE it had gone and I was able to go to Tarantella at the Albany and dance and catch up with people for a bit.

Let's see what the new year brings. The world outside looks dark and menacing, my own situation will need me to do things -like finally applying for British citizenship, just in case. A very expensive 'just in case' but given the dark clouds over the horizon it will need to be done.

Hope your own Christmas and NYE were good. Still catching up on my 'Reading Page' here.

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Health and stuff

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:53:01 GMT

It's been a rather strange week.

Winter finally coming, what gets to me is not the cold (and it hasn't been _that_ cold) but the darkness, the short days, it becoming pitch black night in the middle of the afternoon.

And then there's been the health issues. Or rather, the not knowing what's going on.

A few months ago I started having back pain. I also noticed that I had tingly feet and my ankles were a bit swollen. This can be caused by various alarming things so went to the doctors. They said it could be one of various alarming things and sent me for an ultra-sound scan, which was inconclusive. Then to a CT scan, a PET scan and finally an MRI scan, the results of which were never released to me or to the GP. I insisted and they sent me to UCLH for further checks - blood and urine tests, then a cardio echosonogram, then a full body MRI. Appointment to discuss whatever comes out of those, next week. On a day, of course, I had told them I would not be available so I had to scramble to sort that out.

The worst bit, thus far, is not knowing what's going on. But then, thus far, neither do they know what it is, so just a matter of patience. Wait and see.

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A soggy day in London Town

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:38:45 GMT

Was going to go out for a walk (those ten-thousand steps a day, and that). Made two steps out of the building and... changed my mind, with the rain, the wind and the damp cold out there. Will have to go out later (for one of my two remaining visit lessons, something I decided I won't do any more) but, for now, home it is.

The last week has been a bit empty.Oh, lots has happened, doing my lessons both private and school -the school in Watford decided they would do an Inset day on Tuesday so I had to ask whether I could do my teaching day on Friday. For some reason it was a lot more exhausting than usual. I wonder how long I will be able to do these things -but can't afford to retire so must try to do it for as long as I can. I love teaching music but the work in schools is often a chore, more usually not because of the teaching itself but because of the way they do things in those places.

Will be looking at getting some English lute renaissance pieces ready to play -I hardly ever play in public these days but I want to have a programme ready. And I have, but want to change some of the material I'm playing. And you never know, I did get those three local concerts recently. Looking at a couple of pieces by John Dowland, maybe play again that Pavane by Holborne, 'Countess of Pembroke's Paradise'.

For the moment, just some scale practice and put a load in the washing machine..

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Tuning machines...

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 15:41:02 GMT

Went to get my guitar back from the menders today. Well one of my guitars but the one I've had for nearly half a century. It is a Yamaha GC15d (which I paid something like $1200 for, back in 1976) of the time when Yamaha had set out to make good concert classical guitars. But they chose an old Spanish standard for the distance between axles in the tuning machines of 39 mm. Every other classical guitar in the world has a distance of 35 mm. There is only one maker of guitar tuning machines in the world that makes them to 39, in the USA. Instead of the 30 or 40 quid that a reasonable tuning machine would have cost me when the originals broke, had to pay close on $150 and... they weren't very good. So they had to be replaced when they broke, hardly more than a year since I bought them. So we had to improvise.

The 'mender', Mike Cameron, is an instrument luthier and repairer who must be, like the guy running the Camden Coffee Shop (which is not a café but.. well, a coffee shop where he sells coffee), one of the legends of Camden Town. His workshop is an Aladdin's cave of instruments and he, who is now 80, a trove of anecdotes and information. His solution was to take a normal tuning machine and cut apart the individual tuners; the way he did it it's quite hard to tell that that is what he did so I'm pleased. I've had, as I mentioned, that guitar for nigh on half a century so I'm glad it still is a working instrument.

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More on the entropy of passing years

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 10:53:21 GMT

Here, coughing has receded after a rather uncomfortable night the previous one. Still with that back pain all the time, although it goes up and down in intensity. And tingling feet, which is the alarming bit. All the time now. Blood tests on Monday. Today, not a lot. Two lessons in the evening, hopefully some guitar practice. Would love to find a couple of little local venues where I could do some more recitals. Not that I get money from those, fifty quid if I’m lucky which, given how long it takes to prepare one and set one up etc plus the having to talk to people and promote it, etc, works out at a couple of pence per hour, but it is something that I need to do..

Doctor's appointment on Monday was slightly alarming. Young female doctor saying that the back pain plus the swelling in my forelegs could be something extremely serious, loss of renal function and 'it happens with age, there is no treatment for that so you just have to live with it'. Or it could be heart. All this didn't make the rest of this busy week particularly stress free or enjoyable. Quieter today, just a couple of lessons in the evening. Some social things tomorrow.

Not enjoying this entropy of accumulating years much..

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'A Moment's Thought', live at the Kentish Town City Farm on 17-10-

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:32:34 GMT

'A Moment's Thought', one of my own little pieces, played live at the kentishtowncityfarm on 17-10-25

Guitar is a Yulong Guo Chamber Concert

#guitar #classicalguitar #kentishtowncityfarm #kentishtown #livemusic

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Money, it's a gas

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 12:24:54 GMT

This was the week when I needed to do the car's MOT. The repairs for that came up to no change out of £900. Then there was the insurance for said car, which was a large increase from last year.

And then my fridge died. Waiting for the fridge repair man to come this afternoon. I have been told by many people that I'm better off just buying one, but let's see what repair man says first -although he of course is not impartial...

An expensive week.

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coming guitar recital at Café Palestina

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:29:23 GMT

I'm playing a recital at the Café Palestina up the road from here.

"a short classical guitar recital with
Flavio Matani
at Café Palestina,
53,, Fortess Road
An evening of Classical Guitar music with music by J S Bach, Fernando Sor, Alonso de
Mudarra, Diego Pisador, Antonio Lauro and Flavio Matani.
Date: Thursday, 25 September 2025
Time: 7:00 pm
Café Palestina,
53, Fortess Road NW5 1AD
Admission £10 - paypal flavio_matani@mac.com
Info and tickets: flavio_matani@mac.com -
info@cafepalestina.co.uk
"

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Sat, 06 Sep 2025 12:03:53 GMT

https://youtu.be/cXDBIbG7orw

'Canción Del Emperador' is a setting for vihuela by the Spanish composer Luys de Narváez (1526–1549)) of the song 'Mille Regretz' by Josquin des Prez. I have had the pleasure and honour of playing it with the singer Ruth Pritchard. In this occasion it is just the vihuela setting, transcribed for guitar.

This take recorded live in concert at the Rustique Literary Café in Tufnell Park on 25/07/25. The guitar is a Yulong Guo Chamber Concert.

Mille regretz de vous abandonner
Et d'eslonger vostre fache amoureuse
Jay si grand dueil et paine douloureuse
Quon me verra brief mes jours definer

A thousand regrets at leaving you
and leaving behind your loving face,
I feel so much sadness and such painful distress,
that it seems to me my days will soon dwindle away.

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Photo memories

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:14:36 GMT

Trying to convert old iPhoto libraries from twenty years ago to a format I can more easily use these days. 50 GB, so taking days to do this! Also as the photos keep popping up I run into friends who are no longer with us, some who seem to have disappeared or decided we are no longer friends, couples who are now mortal enemies of each other... and also friends who still are friends and memories of good times past, so there is that. It all feels quite strange, looking at these snippets of past lives.

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A quiet Sunday

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 19:32:14 GMT

It was a very quiet day, lessons cancelled and not a lot of energy to do anything so I just got on the 88 to let it take me someplace. Regent’s Street and Whitehall are more interesting from the top deck of a bus. Got off in Stockwell, walked (nearly eight thousand steps) to Brixton, walked around but there was no market on Sunday so no guanabanas. So went to Kings Cross, bought a slice of Basque cheesecake and had a little chat with the cake stall man, bought a couple of things from the Waitrose and had ice cream from the former neighbour, Ruby Violet. The ice cream was elderflower and prosecco and it was very nice. Couldn’t tell if the alcohol of the prosecco was still there but was quite happy for a few minutes 😃 managed to get the 214 back home just as the drops of rain were starting to fall.

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On thinking about getting British citizenship and related stories

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 10:25:12 GMT

After the little scare when booking the flight back from Miami on the NY, I decided that, expensive and a faff as it now is, I should get British citizenship, after all these years.

Why hadn't I done it before? Well, until 2016 that didn't seem necessary, with me being an EU citizen. But then I learnt that half of this country kind of don't want me here (I know, I'm being a bit melodramatic there). On the night before the flight back the airline wouldn't let me check in online because 'I needed a visa to enter the UK' and I 'needed a return flight' out of the UK. That night, let's say I didn't sleep much. There's been a couple of other things that have made me think I really should look into this.

I tried to fill in the forms online and then I hit what seems a very minor obstacle: they want the _exact_ date of first arrival in the UK. Well, I came here first on a Caribbean Airways (national airline of Barbados) flight in... sometime late June or early July? 1986. You don't keep airline tickets from 38 years ago. Plus the airline went under the year after I came so no-one there to ask. I entered the country as an Italian, EU citizen, therefore no stamps on my passport. I should imagine the Home Office should have the passenger manifest for that flight so I daren't make up a date and then be told that I forfeited the nearly two thousand pound fee because I put false details in -can't afford that!. Later I learnt there is a lot more to that, apparently you should declare even minor parking or traffic fines, etc. So it looks like I need advice but -lawyers are very expensive! I don't think I can afford that and the nearly two thousand pound fee. So I'm at a bit of a quandary, waiting to see whether I can find more information about this. It is clear that at this point in the game I will be spending what's left of my life in this country -unless something really, really major happens. So it looks like I'll be needing advice on this.

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Them on the other side

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:22:03 GMT

Wow. The Brazilian kids next door (next building, garden flat) are having a party again . 😮 Last time they lasted around 30 hours or so. They seem to have a very good sound system -by 'good' I mean 'extremely loud'. And, as I may have mentioned before, the current standards of popular Brazilian music have declined to some sort of reggaeton-like thing. Mercifully not loud inside my flat 😃 (different story if I open the door..)

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of gigs and health scares

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 10:30:04 GMT

Apart from health scares (there's been a couple of these in the last couple of weeks and I'm due for a CT scan next week), an interesting end of this week. I got a call (several calls and a voice-mail message) by this lady who needs a ’Spanish style guitarist’ for a function (her 80th birthday). I said I was not exactly that; I do not play flamenco, etc. She said she was aware that I was a classical guitarist, Would I be free to play (unamplified) at that garden do? How much would I charge? I said £250 and she jumped straight back ‘yes!’ Which made me think I should have said £400, but there you go. I’ll have to prepare a few biz cards to give out at that thing, see whether I can get more custom of that sort. Summer is normally very very slow and I very often just scrape through September, so this is quite welcome.

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A Bank Holiday week-end

Tue, 27 May 2025 08:55:38 GMT

My Bank Holiday Week-end, by Flavio, age -(no, not that, please forget about it)

Saturday brought the first Hampstead Alternative Picnic of the year. The weather was not promising, it looked like it was going to rain but it never did, so that's a win. Good company in the grounds of Kenwood House also was. Later that evening I went to Aces & Eights for Nathan's 'Dancing & Laughing' night. Couldn't dance much (foot still painful) but I enjoyed the band (Staatseinde) and catching up with peeps. Sunday -I can't even remember what I did, apart from going to Elephant & Castle to the Colombian shops to get some Venezuelan foodstuffs. On Monday I went to far away Peckham for the last day of Jane's showing at the Now Arts Fair -her work is amazing and I'm glad I went. Later I went to Walthamstow for Raven's celebration of birthday and graduation. All written like this it doesn't sound like much but bearing in mind how quickly I get tired these days and I still had (have) a painful foot, it was quite a bit.

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