An evening of culture with my mates, Henry, Georg Friedrich, Joseph and Felix

And so to Brunswick Square for the launch of the 2009 Radio 3 Composers of the Year. It is:

• the 350th anniversary of the birth of Henry Purcell;
• the 250th anniversary of the death of Georg Friedrich Handel;
• the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn; and,
• the 200th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn

It is a very rich year for musical anniversaries, especially given the connections that all four had with music making in this country.

Handel, in particular, has an unexpected link to this otherwise anonymous part of North West London in which I live. His Chandos Anthems were written for the 1st Duke of Chandos, whose palatial mansion in what is now Canons Park, was one of the finest houses in the country when it was rebuilt in the years 1713-1720. They were performed in the Church of St Lawrence which, unlike Canons, still stands today.

The problem with events like these is that we don't really know many of our fellow attendees. The artistic set and politicians don't often come into contact so people mill about, talking to the people that they know, so we didn't stay too long, before heading for dinner at a restaurant in the Brunswick Centre nearby, and a relatively early night.