My BBC Debut

I am being interviewed by Michael Rosen (former Children's Laureate) on BBC Radio 4 at 4pm (4pm to 4.30pm London = GMT + 1 hour = BST) on Tuesday, 7th May, 2013 - the show is entitled "Word of Mouth" (repeated the following Monday at 11pm (11pm to 11.30pm) and also available as a Podcast).

I recorded the show at Broadcasting House on April 30th 2013.

From a desktop computer, you should be able to hear the broadcast from this URL -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/


If you have time, please take a look at my website  -  http://febland.net

Matisse Snail - an original interpretation

The below was originally published on Blog.co.uk 21st August, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/matsnail

I am presuming my interpretation is original and new for 2011 and that this sort of thing has not been thought of by anyone else.

Very briefly:


lower left Blue = Sea (or Water)
lower right Green = Land
top left Violet = Art
top right Green = Science
small Orange (right) = ages 0 to 6
larger Red = Schooldays/Education
next Orange = University
Yellow = Young Adulthood
Mauve = maturity and eventually old age
Black = death [literally, a coffin]
Green = renewal

http://tinyurl.com/matsnail

posted by Jonathan FeBland (Znethru)

[further added 30.12.2011]

The final Green (after all) is not renewal. It is the colour of the Science Green not the Land Green. I feel therefore that Matisse was an Atheist and that his hidden message is "Science will find all the answers". [Add to this, "but Art will make life worth living!"]

Also, The Snail is autobiographical, because Matisse himself lived to a ripe old age (hence the large Mauve colour). This was a work created on his death bed and he knew it would take many years for someone to crack its meaning.

+ + +

2nd interpretation - added 14.02.2012

Blue = masculinity
Land Green = femininity
Top Left Violet = female brain
Top Right Science Green = male brain [although these two could be reversed]
The snail itself = a human foetus within the womb
also hinting at Shakespeare's seven ages of man, from which, here is a quote:

"And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school."

+ + +

Matisse 3rd interpretation added 9th March, 2012

More thoughts have struck me regarding this masterpiece!

Yellow = Sun (there is only one Sun)

Black = Death (we only die once)

Blue = Water/Sea/Liquid/Drink

White sections = Days (days are always different)

Black (secondary meaning) = Night (nights are all pretty similar)

Lower R.H. Green = Vegetation/Trees/Salad/Vegetables/Plant Life

Two Science Greens (fractionally different shadings, apparently) different Sciences

Purple/Mauve different Art forms

Red = Blood ("we are all of one blood”) reminiscent of Beethoven/Schiller's Ode to Joy or if you prefer, Elton John/Tim Rice Circle of Life. The tune to Beethoven's 9th Symphony could be played on a keyboard similar to the one utilised in the film "Big” by Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia – plucked out single notes a very simple one-line melody that Beethoven turns into an incredible Symphonic movement.

n.b. Line 31 of Schiller's poem in English - Pleasure was given (even) to the worm

Orange = fruit/drink/colour/food I am also guessing here, Matisse's "favourite” colour.

This work is at least in part autobiographical, and the self-portrait to me that it most resembles is the Rembrandt oil 1660-1662 (Self-Portrait in Painter's Costume).

Another idea for the Snail part of the painting now.

Black = 20th Century (Matisse lived through two World Wars)

Science Green number 2 = 21st Century a Brave New World

And now just wind back, so,

First orange = 15th C
Red = 16th C
Second orange = 17th C
Yellow = 18th C
Mauve = 19th C

quiet day

I am organising all my passwords today - long job!

Another Birthday?

The annual round of celebrations went well this year: two restaurants, dinner at my mother's and a play ~ 'Playing with Fire' by David Edgar, at the National Theatre, London. The best idea now seems to be to give up eating for a month! The last 3 months have been spent on musical projects - I just have not had the spare time to sit down and work on the novel as well.

My pianist friend, Louis Alvanis was due to start recording my compositions (on the 'Meridian' label) today (after many rehearsals). Unfortunately, he sustained a painful injury to his left arm and his shoulder in particular is in agony - he is seeing various medical specialists to try and sort out the situation ASAP. If all is well, we hope now to try and record in December.

My Swiss Clarinet-playing colleague, Walter Achermann intends to premiere my Wind Quintet in July 2006. I'd spent some time writing this work out using my 'Sibelius software' package ~ another distraction from the novel, I'm afraid, but sometimes, one needs to prioritize.

Piano, Latvia and Force-Feeding.

My day job is teaching the Piano, term has now finished and pupils have all passed their exams. It is odd how I seem to get more accomplished when 3 hours of my day are eaten up with teaching than when I have 12 hours ahead of me with absolutely no structure! I will shortly be off on a boat around Scandinavia, Latvia and Russia (St Petersburg). These cruises are not exactly good for the regime as they tend to force-feed you with several meals a day. I have been listening to a Flute CD today (soloist - Andrew Anson). I have rehearsed with Andrew on two occasions and he is starting to programme my compositions in his concerts which is exciting and of course, great publicity. I don't have much to say about the London bombings and the killing of an innocent man by the police here - I know this might sound strange, but the weather here is so heavy today that I can't seem to focus on these important 'real' news events. I live only about 11 miles from the centre of London but can happily avoid 'town' for months on end. I was on the tube (London Underground) just one day before the 2nd round of bombings (which caused no deaths fortunately) - I didn't feel nervous travelling by tube - you just have to get on with your life, I suppose. When I return from my trip I hope to be able to settle down to my novel again. At the moment life seems like a perpetual fight to remain optimistic in the face of huge negativity set up by just about everyone I am in contact with.

Self and Others

Progress with everything I am doing is incredibly slow. I am waiting to hear from quite a few different people who have the power to move my career onwards rapidly. Louis Alvanis (Pianist) will be coming here for a rehearsal within the next three weeks. We are practising for a CD to be recorded on the Meridian label in October, 2005. I am waiting to hear from my webdesigner, Pat Wick...also my new music publisher Ralph Williams-Morgan who has signed a number of my compositions but doesn't seem to be doing anything with them as yet. The young lady writing the programme notes for the CD, Maria Rice is moving apartment and has found it difficult to communicate with me. I am also waiting to hear from a literary agent with regards to my new novel. If they offer me a contract, I will need to complete the project in good time to present something tangible to a publisher and hope to receive a favourable contract. All I can do at my end of the equation is to wait for these people to wake up a bit and to continue to persevere with my current project (the completion of my novel, Doctor Fish). It is not easy to remain positive and upbeat in the face of external lethargy and complacency. I need to motivate myself to work harder and harder and to continue to 'produce the goods' in spite of a seeming lack of interest by the rest of the world. Let's try to remain positive and see how the rest of this year pans out!

Sibelius, Chicken and Life

I played a little tennis today - a good run around and I even managed to draw 5-5 in one set of singles against Mr.B who is 7 years my junior - quite an achievement I feel. After tennis, we headed out to Nando's, Edgware - a restaurant where they offer 4 levels of chicken. I opted for medium and Mr. B went for a hot - I think he regretted this later as it was hotter than he expected. We couldn't resist going into a wine and chocolate shop on the way home and I managed to down a large glass of wine before embarking on 3 hours of piano teaching which certainly 'took the edge' off things. I have been listening to Sibelius Orchestral works (brilliantly conducted by Paavo Berglund in an 8 CD boxed set of 7 Symphonies + other orchestral works) very inspiring, although who knows just exactly where music is heading these days? Progress on my novel is slow and I'm finding it hard to attract a literary agent even to read my work - the genre is perhaps slightly 'suspect', being so called 'science fantasy'. One tries to remain optimistic in the face of rejection, stupidity and arrogance and just plod on with life in a day-to-day manner hoping, hope against hope that yes - life can and will improve.