Youth is a state of mind


I've written here many times that youth is a state of mind, not a time of life. But the sheer vitality of our young people is awesome. This photo was taken yesterday evening in the 1970s segment of a fund-raising fashion show in Norwich. All the costumes were made by students from garments found in a charity shop. The young lady on the left modelling the Vivienne Westwood outfit is our daughter. Photo credit is BBC and there are more images on their website. Of course, the year is 1972.
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On that sleeve for his 1985 recording of the Goldberg Variations , Scott Ross is seen standing in the grounds of Château d'Assas in Languedoc. It was here that many of the harpsichordist's great recordings were made. Then, as today, the château dwelt in the twilight zone between grandeur and dereliction, and thirty years ago the recording sessions were regularly interrupted by the sound of rats scurrying across the floor. Scott Ross was born in Pittsburgh in 1951, and moved to France with his mother following the death of his father in 1964. He studied at the conservatoires in Nice and Paris, and first came to Château d'Assas in 1969 to give music lessons to the grandson of its owner Mme. Simone Demangel . When an early music academy was established at the Château d'Assas, Scott Ross gave masterclasses and became a frequent visitor. At first he stayed in a room in one of the towers, but from 1983 he rented a small house across the road from the château. The photos b...
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