The Secret Life of Eric

Maria Callas - one of Eric's thunderbolts

Eric is my father-in-law. He is nearly eighty years old now and still fairly ebullient and good-humoured mostly, but at times rather cantankerous. There are bits of his life that I do know about – his career in the Royal Navy, service during Suez and later tracking Russian trawlers in British water – and other bits that he’s kept quiet, not because he doesn’t want anybody to know about them but because he’s just a quiet bloke.

I get the impression that, although he spent 32 years in the navy, the sea isn’t really in his blood. He is a man of the arts. Other than Eric’s study I can’t remember where I’ve seen as many art books in one place. His collection of art slides, reproductions of painting from galleries he’s visitied all over the world, total about four thousand in number. He has lectured on art history too and his mind is nothing less than a mental archive of art facts. But what I have only just found out about him is his love of music.

I know he likes music of course, but on the occasions when I see him we tend to talk about other things, practical matters, family stuff and the like; music doesn’t really figure. Only in the last couple of months have I discovered another facet of his character. He mentioned in passing something about opera and his favourite singers – top of the list is, and always has been, Maria Callas. But almost as an afterthought he talked about a whole series of concerts that he’d been to featuring top-notch singers, conductors and soloists: Jussi Bjorling, Gigli, Kathleen Ferrier and Nicolai Gedda. I wanted to know everything about those concerts and I questioned him until until he was sick of talking to me.

I’m too young to have seen those singers, but what an experience it must have been! If you’ve got older relatives who are in any way keen on the arts, find out what they’ve done and who they’ve seen. You might be surprised.