Much of yesterday was a dream, floating enraptured in the realms of romance painted in florid colours, vibrant movements and pulsating harmony of Tchaikovsky’s masterpieces for Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. For thirty years my ears have been closed. For thirty years my heart has been denied such joy. Until yesterday when the disc whirled, the membranes vibrated and the air around me danced to the tune. I listened with great intent. My soul thrilled.
Beautiful orchestral music as this is a world apart from the sounds of Indian classical music. How shall one compare the two? How shall one proclaim which of them is better? How shall one make sense of the essence of each when both are equally joyful? Perhaps someday I shall understand this. Then the secret of not just music but the whole of life will be revealed.
It is therefore not a surprise that today has been a beautiful day from the start in the wakeful aftereffect of yesterday’s dream; for beauty comes from the mind, not of the weather, terrain or scenery. Nonetheless it was a sunny afternoon for an easy walk from Pangbourne via Upper Basildon to Basildon Park. Once again, as at most National Trust properties, the volunteering guides made every determined effort to explain what they could of the house, its history, the decoration and the family. They are not experts. They rarely are capable of giving delightful insights. Many of them are elderly and retired. Their memory does not serve them well. They have to often refer to the printed notes to refresh their memories. For them it is a hard task, as if going back to school after all these years to memorise names, dates, artistic terms, historical events and places. It is their eagerness to be active and to volunteer that must be appreciated. Furthermore, this is the Year of the Volunteer. I made it a point to ask at least one question to every volunteer and I have not been disappointed. They reminded me very much of my visit to The Vyne.
The Octagon Drawing Room is the unique feature of the house with its Italianate ceiling, walls covered with crimson felt and fine paintings, and attractive furniture. The Great Staircase gives a sense of open space and grandeur. This leads into the Octagon Drawing Room and is no doubt designed to impress the visitor. Built by Sir Francis Sykes of the British East India Company, the house has a couple of noticeable Indian artefacts – the wallpaper in the Breakfast Room has oriental scenes, the Bamboo Room being more oriental than English contains four fine prints of Indian architecture that augment the overall effect. But one must not be hasty in singing praises, for all that glitters in not golden. The wall decorations in the Dining Room are not plaster work but imitation bas-relief, a technique of skilful use of shadows that is called trompe l’oeil. Likewise, some columns are not marble but wood painted to give such an effect. Restoration is expensive and a difficult business for the National Trust. Still, they continue to do commendable work. Where imagination of past grandeur fails, an approximation will rekindle the same.
