168. Poster Art

You come through the front door of my apartment and you are in a hall, the walls hung with art. The most noticeable pieces, the largest, are the posters. There are only three. Posters take a lot of wall space, especially in the one-bedroom flat.



The nearest one tells of a performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales that was titled "Heroes and Heartache". It has an image similar to Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" superimposed upon the inside of a piano's raised lid. That night featured Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Grieg's Piano Concerto, followed by Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 ‘Pathétique’. The poster is held by Blu Tack to the door of the loo to help my guests find it.

There are two more posters as you make your way a short distance along the hall. These are special and mounted in wood frames. "Beethoven: The 1808 Concert", a reconstruction of the historic Beethoven Concert in Vienna in 1808. The next poster, "Voices of Ukraine" was a performance of opera singers raising money for the beleaguered nation. The remaining posters, more than two dozen, are tucked away in an oversized art portfolio behind a chair in the living room.

Seven years ago, I began collecting posters from Saint David’s Hall. I had asked about the posters. When the performances were over, the posters were being discarded. I was shocked. In New York City, there is competition for posters. They can be acquired only through connections or a bribe. There are stores in New York City that specialize in the sale of posters, both current and vintage. Not just shows and concerts, but for films and antique advertisements.

All I did was ask and the staff at Saint David’s Hall obliged me. After a performance of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, they would leave a poster on a corner table, out of the way in the lobby, for me to retrieve. It seemed I was the only one in Cardiff interested in acquiring posters from the performances I enjoyed. In time, they would lay out all the posters for that night on a lobby table at the bottom of the escalators for anybody to take. I didn’t have to rush. Until I came down and selected one, no one would think to take a poster. It isn’t as if they put up a placard saying “Take One – Free”. There would even be people gathered around the table admiring them. It was only after I had made my selection and began to walk away with it, that others realized they could too. Sometimes someone would ask me if it was okay.

Saint David’s Hall has now been closed since 2023. They discovered RAAC (Reinforced Autoclave Aerated Concrete) had been used in the roof. They expect to reopen in 2027. The Orchestra of Wales now makes their new home in the Hoddinott Hall of the Wales Millennium Centre. I have not yet found a way to collect posters from the performances I attend, and they have to be - can only be - performances I have seen.

James lives down the hall from me. James works at the New Theatre. I was last at the New Theatre 25th March to hear Nigel Kennedy.



As is my way, I did not rush out when the rest of the audience left their seats. I waited for the crowd to disperse before I moseyed out the doors. Before I left the auditorium, James appeared. He was helping to clear the stray plastic wine goblets and beer pints. I was carrying two goblets myself, neither belonging to me. The two women who sat on my right were unsure what to do with them. They had befriended me during the performance. I took their goblets away from them saying I would take responsibility for them. The elder of the two was using a cane and the younger was assisting. James took them away from me, saying the same thing I had said to them.

James and I spoke briefly. I could see that he was busy. Still, I decided to ask a favor from him. I explained how I collected posters. He probably remembered seeing them on the wall of my hall on the one occasion he visited. I asked if he could acquire a poster of the Kennedy concert for me. He hesitantly expressed doubt and could not promise, but said he would try. I replied I wouldn't hold him to a commitment. Trying was enough.

A month later and James and I happened to meet in the approach to the lift, both of us heading out. He saw me and a broad smile spread across his face. He secured the poster, he informed me. I followed him back to his apartment and waited outside his door as he went in to collect them, not one poster, but two. One for himself. Not only that, he got Nigel Kennedy to sign them both. He allowed me to choose the one I wanted. He insisted he would be content with either.

Mr Bentzman will continue to report here regularly about the events and concerns of his life. If you've any comments or suggestions, he would be pleased to hear from you. 

You can find his several books at www.Bentzman.com. Enshrined Inside Me, his second collection of essays, is now available to purchase.