November 27th, 2009
The Telegraph recently reported on some interesting findings from a survey commissioned by their Sunday magazine, Stella, into dating trends. The You Gov survey, which interviewed almost 2,000 men and women of all ages and backgrounds, concluded that a “revolution in British dating habits means more of us than ever before are waiting until our 30s to get married – and more of us are divorcing in our 60s and beyond – meaning that our dating years are extending at both ends of the spectrum”.
The survey found that over 55s were the most active daters, not those in their 20s or 30s as you might expect. Of those interviewed 60% of men and women over 55 had joined a dating organisation, compared to just 20% of 18-24 year olds and almost as many men as women said the main reason was to find a long-term relationship.
Another slightly surprising finding, if you believe the stereotypical view that men are more influenced by looks than women, was that 91% of the men surveyed rated a sense of humour as the most important trait they were looking for in a woman and 85% rated intelligence equal second most important, along with attractiveness. Women rated not just sense of humour and intelligence, but also shared values and sexual compatibility as being more important than attractiveness in men.
The survey also found that, despite the fact that women these days are more likely earn as much if not more than men, 92% of women said that the man paid for their last date. So it would seem that when it comes to dating the old fashioned rules of chivalry still apply: women like the man to pay and men are happy to do so.
Also perhaps surprisingly, given the current economic recession, 79% of men said they would expect to spend more or the same amount on a date now as this time last year (October 2008), only 9% saying they would spend less.
Although this particular survey was a relatively small scale one, here at Classical Partners we are seeing that men and women of all ages are keen to explore different ways of meeting new people, and we try to help our clients to do this by way of regular and varied social events and carefully arranged introductions. See Events.
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November 23rd, 2009
I was lucky enough to attend Nikolai Demidenko’s recital at the Wimbledon music festival last Saturday.
The Great Hall of King’s College School is a great venue for a piano recital, with a lovely atmosphere and good acoustic. A haven on what was a horrible damp evening. Since it was the first year of the festival I am prepared to forgive the confusion over seating. When our group of twelve arrived to take up our reserved seats in row 3, there were only six seats available in that row. I hope in future they will number the seats.
Demidenko’s playing was superb! He plays with great colour and range and his sense of rhythm and pace are flawless. At times during the Schubert Sonata in D I was sure that he had other instruments at his disposal, such was the variety of sound he produced.
The performance should have ended with Mussorgsky’s masterpiece “Pictures at an Exhibition.” I say should have, because after Demidenko had transported the audience around that famous exhibition and left us transfixed in wonder, he returned to play two short encore pieces which, nice though they were, left me feeling somewhat downbeat. Is it just me or does anyone else agree, that these encores often add nothing to the entertainment? By their very nature they tend to be short un-substantial pieces that detract from the crescendo of the programmed pieces. There are bound to be exceptions but in this case they were superfluous.
To find out more about our music events for singles see Events.
Posted in Live Music, Social events, classical music | No Comments »
November 18th, 2009
Later this month sixteen members of Classical Partners will meet up to enjoy Glyndebourne on Tour’s production of Verdi’s great comic opera Falstaff, at Milton Keynes Theatre.
This production, part of Glyndebourne’s 75th season, is set in Windsor, in the years immediately after the Second World War, and in the opening scene we meet Falstaff in the Garter Inn, with it’s mock Tudor interior. The main parallel from the 1940s to Shakespeare’s England is that both were periods of growth from austerity. The set designs by Ultz are apparently very clever and critics have described the show as a visual delight, as we have come to expect from Glyndebourne’s productions in recent years.
As part of our programme of events based on the arts, we at Classical Partners regularly arrange opera evenings for our unattached, cultured members wishing to meet like-minded others. These may be at provincial venues such as Milton Keynes Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre, the Birmingham Hippodrome and Manchester Opera House, or traditional London venues such as the Holland Park open air summer season. Our nights at the opera always include drinks and a meal – before curtain up, as operas tend to go on a bit – giving members have the opportunity to meet and strike up new friendships.
Also popular have been our opera weekends abroad, in lovely European cities such as Paris, Florence and Munich, where we combine sightseeing and socialising with a visit to some of Europe’s finest opera houses.
To find out more about our arts events for singles see Events.
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November 13th, 2009
This week The Times reported that despite the recession the UK theatre industry is doing surprisingly well. The Ambassador Theatre Group is in the process of more than doubling its London and regional playhouses and box office and audience figures for 2008-09 are expected to have risen for the fourth successive year. Musicals, although expensive to stage, can make millions and seem to be thriving in the West End, eg Mamma Mia which is still playing to 95% capacity some ten years after its opening. Not only musicals, but thought provoking plays such as Enron, which enjoyed sell out runs in Chichester before transferring to the Royal Court.
However it’s not all good news. The subsidised sector, which accounts for almost all new and cutting edge drama, is struggling to maintain private donations and corporate sponsorship and it seems likely, under current budgetary pressures, that Arts Council grants will be cut when the present agreement expires in 2011. This is bound to have a detrimental effect on the West End which relies on the National and other subsidised theatres for much of its upmarket drama.
But why is the British stage by and large doing so well in the middle of an economic downturn? One theory is that in hard times, such as war or recession, people want to gather together and hear stories. Dominic Cooke, of the Royal Court, which recently celebrated packed-out productions of the plays Enron and Jerusalem, suggests that in difficult times there is a demand for work that brings people together to question received values… “to help them to make sense of the mess we’re in”. Interesting.
Whatever the reasons, it’s good to see live theatre continuing in the West End and around the provinces and let’s hope that the Arts Council and other bodies continue to support theatre and the arts in general.
Our cultured members at Classical Partners have enjoyed some truly memorable theatre events in the past couple of years – Ian McKellan as King Lear, Never So Good at the National, and Waiting for Godot, to name but a few. Our next theatre outing is The Misanthrope, featuring Keira Knightley’s West End debut. Can’t wait for that!
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November 11th, 2009
Last Friday we held the second of our now regular informal meet and mingle events. Around thirty members of Classical Partners met up for drinks and nibbles after work and of course to take the opportunity to meet other like minded people both for the first time and to catch up with old friends.
The informality of these events is proving very popular and will be continued in January.
As I left, I noticed that one couple who had met for the first time, were obviously enjoying each others company. Have they found romance? We will keep you updated.
If you would like to meet other music lovers have a look at our website.
Posted in Find Love, meet others, music | No Comments »
