(photo: Ian Gillett)


LSSO

Last night was one of the most enjoyable concerts I've played in for a long time, with the LSSO at the Barbican, playing Mendelssohn.
To all the brilliant young people in the LSSO- thank you for having me, and I can't wait to come back for another one.

If you want to read something a little bit crazy, choose one of these:

http://news.google.co.uk/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn&q=matthew%20trusler

I would like to say, from my point of view, that when I played them I had no idea which of the modern violins were treated with the special fungus and which weren't. My favourite one apparently wasn't I'm afraid.....
And honestly, a Strad is a Strad. At least, that's what I think.

Deauville

This weekend we are having the first holiday we have taken for a ridiculously long time. We have come for 2 days to Deauville for the American Film Festival. There are a million films showing every day, and last night was a special tribute to Harrison Ford who showed up and cried a lot which was brilliant. I was totally and completely star struck just being in the same room.
This is the view from our hotel room- we are in heaven!

We are finally settled into our beautiful new apartment in Paris, and we couldn't be happier. Up on the fifth floor, with no lift, moving in was an amusing experience. 50 boxes, 5 flights of stairs, no help from my wife. Let's just say I don't plan to move out anytime soon.
Only here for a few days now though- we are going to have a 24 hour holiday, in Deauville, where the film festival is taking place, which I can't wait for. Then back to Malmo to make sure my students are practising their scales.....

Summer has finally finished.
So much has happened over the last 2 months I can hardly remember any of it. I wouldn't say I feel rested, but I'm ready to get on with the next season. There are many things I'm looking forward to- for instance moving back to Paris, as we've been homeless and travelling since June. My new album which is about to come out- it's been a long process and I can't wait to see it finished. Teaching in Malmo, Sweden, where I started earlier this week, with my class of fabulous and enthusiastic students. All the new albums coming out on my record label- there will be 4 next month.

I would really like to say a special hello to everyone in the LSSO- a group of amazing young musicians that I went on tour in Holland and Belgium with last month- they, and their chief Peter Ash who is a great, great person, musician and advisor on all things, are an inspiration. I can't wait to see everyone for our reunion at the Barbican on 23rd September.

Some strange guy turned up at my mum's 60th birthday party and started offering my niece cigarettes.
OK, it was me, and they aren't real cigarettes.
The theme was 'what you wanted to be when you grew up' and I wanted to be a policeman. Since it was the early eighties at the time, that would have meant an afro, tash, and frilly shirt.
Maya went as an astronaut. Difficult to say which of us failed more spectacularly to achieve our dreams- I like to think my work incorporates an element of policeman-style danger, whereas Maya's has very little indeed to do with space travel.



Here we are with our one year old daughter, Lily, who went as a fairy, and my sister who apparently wanted to be a tennis player.

See how happy we look...

NEVER WORK WITH YOUR WIFE
One should under normal circumstances never work with one's wife. However, Maya and I have stared logic in the face and played together on many occasions. Actually, it works very well, and we annoy each other suprisingly little when we rehearse.
For this concert in Beaminster last week, we were joined by Maya's sister, Sara, who is a fabulous pianist.