What brings together flutes, mandolins, a South London comprehensive school, poetry, and the Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich Village? For one night only, courtesy of the Dulwich Festival, it’s Captain Corelli author Louis de Bernieres and his musical partner, flautist Ilone Antonius-Jones. Anna Sayburn popped some questions.
How did the two of you meet and start performing together?
Louis and I first met about 20 years ago in a South London comprehensive school, we were both supply teachers and occasionally sneaked off to the practice rooms to play some music. [Louis de Bernieres plays mandolin, banjo, guitar and clarinet.] Then we lost touch for many years ( I was abroad for a while) but met again about 6 years ago when Louis was doing an event in a little theatre near where I live.
Has Louis always written poetry as well as fiction? What decides whether an idea will develop as one or the other?
Yes , Louis has writen quite a bit of poetry, we are both constantly looking for new material and bring our ideas together when we meet.
Which poets do you both enjoy? Can you tell us some of the poems we can look forward to hearing at the Dulwich Festival performance?
There will be poems by Louis’ father [the poet Piers Alexander] as well as by Louis and there will be some others but I cannot tell you since Louis will probably turn up with some new favourites just a few days before the event.
Writing is such a solitary thing, and performing so public – is one an antidote to the other, or are both good?
Louis loves music and probably enjoys doing music in public more than talking about his own writing in public. Combining the two is just perfect.
The music you play is very diverse, taking in medieval folk and classical pieces. What’s your musical inspiration?
As I said before we are constantly looking for new material, as a group [the Antonius Players, a quartet they both play with], as a duo, as individuals. We arrange some of our music and find suitable pieces to match the readings or vice versa. It is an ongoing process and therefore we are not too keen to be pinned down to a fixed programme a long time in advance.
Louis de Bernieres and Ilone Antonius-Jones will perform an evening of music and poetry for the Dulwich Festival at the Crown and Greyhound pub in Dulwich Village on Tuesday 13 May, 8pm. Over-18s only. For more about the Dulwich Festival see www.dulwichfestival.co.uk.
Photo: Thanks to Katie@! on Flickr (CCL)
