Last night we had dinner in a lovely fish restaurant on the sea front. We were served a drink which the waiter swore was milk, but which clearly wasn't as it tasted spicy and was at least 60% alcohol. Together with huge salads and lots of toast it was a fabulous meal.
Now I sit on my bed watching Tony Blair giving his evidence on Iraq with the sun shining on the sea outside my window. Pretty soon it'll be time for a club sandwich.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Turkey Club Sandwich
Today I am in the beautiful city of Ismir, Turkey.
There is a large cargo boat drifting past my window, and a thick mist on the horizon. Palm trees too, loads of them. There are so many places I've never been, each time I visit a new one I'm amazed at what I didn't know existed. (Obviously I knew palm trees existed, but there is still something very exotic about them.) This hotel has a view to compete with the best- picture to follow.
Everyone so far has been extremely friendly, and the concert hall is really fabulous. I'm here to play Britten concerto, which is one of my very favourites, but unbelievably difficult.
Since the concert is tomorrow, I shall prepare by having a huge feast tonight, as I consider eating and drinking an important part of my pre-concert build-up. It's like being a boxer, working towards a fight, training towards that one, crucial event. Except with perhaps more lying in bed eating club sandwiches. And no exercising.
I'm actually on a personal mission to find the most expensive club sandwich in the world. Monaco is currently in the lead at £28. Here it's only £16 which sounds like a bargain.
More soon.
There is a large cargo boat drifting past my window, and a thick mist on the horizon. Palm trees too, loads of them. There are so many places I've never been, each time I visit a new one I'm amazed at what I didn't know existed. (Obviously I knew palm trees existed, but there is still something very exotic about them.) This hotel has a view to compete with the best- picture to follow.
Everyone so far has been extremely friendly, and the concert hall is really fabulous. I'm here to play Britten concerto, which is one of my very favourites, but unbelievably difficult.
Since the concert is tomorrow, I shall prepare by having a huge feast tonight, as I consider eating and drinking an important part of my pre-concert build-up. It's like being a boxer, working towards a fight, training towards that one, crucial event. Except with perhaps more lying in bed eating club sandwiches. And no exercising.
I'm actually on a personal mission to find the most expensive club sandwich in the world. Monaco is currently in the lead at £28. Here it's only £16 which sounds like a bargain.
More soon.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
No soap
I am sitting in an airport hotel, having just boarded a plane, waited 2 hours, and got off it again. The French air traffic controllers are on strike, so we are stuck in Copenhagen. Tomorrow I was to be in Paris, now I will have to go straight to London. The ironic part of this is that I am in a hotel which has no soap. A Hilton hotel, with all kinds of shiny things dangling from the ceilings, and a room rate which made me cry real tears, but they have run out of soap. It's ironic because they ordered it from London, and the snow prevented it from arriving. So the weather is currently effecting my travel plans to the point that I am having to wash my hands with shower gel.
A word on travelling. I don't particularly like travelling, truth be told, in as much as the actual getting from one place to another. I'm convinced that it is bad for the body to be hurled forwards and backwards at such speeds but I can't prove that fact yet. I find it tiring, and I always feel travel sick. This means I'm not much good at reading while travelling so it's pretty boring too. I quite like train journeys as they are usually fairly straightforward. You can look out the window, (unless you're sitting backwards in which case you'd better keep your eyes shut) and there's no checkin, security control, passport check, shuttle to terminal, bus to plane, boarding, safety briefing, taxi to runway, take-off, landing, taxi to parking spot, bus to terminal, baggage collection, passport check….
With a train, you just get on, and then get off when you arrive.
I do like hotels though, in general. When they have soap.
A word on travelling. I don't particularly like travelling, truth be told, in as much as the actual getting from one place to another. I'm convinced that it is bad for the body to be hurled forwards and backwards at such speeds but I can't prove that fact yet. I find it tiring, and I always feel travel sick. This means I'm not much good at reading while travelling so it's pretty boring too. I quite like train journeys as they are usually fairly straightforward. You can look out the window, (unless you're sitting backwards in which case you'd better keep your eyes shut) and there's no checkin, security control, passport check, shuttle to terminal, bus to plane, boarding, safety briefing, taxi to runway, take-off, landing, taxi to parking spot, bus to terminal, baggage collection, passport check….
With a train, you just get on, and then get off when you arrive.
I do like hotels though, in general. When they have soap.
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Movie trailer
Here is a trailer for the French movie I recently played in the soundtrack for. That's me screeching around in the background.
Do not take your grandparents to see this film.....
click here
Do not take your grandparents to see this film.....
click here
New Year's Blog
As it is coming to that time of year again, I thought I'd write my very own 'review of the year blog'.
Much has happened for me in 2009. For one, a move to a new country- meant as a brief change of scenery originally but, as the cliche so often goes, when the time came to leave we just didn't want to. We seem quite comfortably installed in Paris now, my taste for nutella and banana crepes not diminishing, and with still a huge appetite for this beautiful city. I'm definitely becoming a little more blaze about the Eurostar than is tasteful- I went to London today just for lunch which was great fun but completely unreasonable.
This year was also notable personally for the relaunch of my record label, with a major worldwide distribution deal and four new albums, one of which was my own first concerto recording. Each of the albums was incredibly well received, thank goodness, and over the coming year we are working on recordings with a whole list of world class artists, from Joan Rodgers to Guy Johnston.
I also started my first teaching post, at the brilliant Malmo academy in Sweden, which has quickly become one of the most important parts of my musical life. The academy is extremely dynamic and forward thinking, and I'm thrilled to be part of it. I have also found a sadistic pleasure in making my students play scales in octaves in front of each other.
Concert highlights have been many but have included some really special ones. Taking part in a wonderful concert at Cadogen Hall, to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK, was one. The evening was promoted by my good friend and partner in Orchid Classics, James Brown, who made the whole thing look easy (which it isn't) and raised £40,000 in one night.
Another was touring Holland with the LSSO, an experience which on the one hand reminded me how glad I am not to be 17 anymore, but on the other made me wish I was. The disco on the last night had to be seen to be believed, and was worth the trip alone. Highlight of that tour- my suitcase getting lost by the airline on the way out, and having 2 hours in which to spend £700 insurance money on 'emergency' clothes, racing round the shops with natural born shopper (and conductor) Peter Ash.
And now I sit with my family, discussing my new year's resolutions, which I never keep any of.
Happy new year to everyone out there.
Much has happened for me in 2009. For one, a move to a new country- meant as a brief change of scenery originally but, as the cliche so often goes, when the time came to leave we just didn't want to. We seem quite comfortably installed in Paris now, my taste for nutella and banana crepes not diminishing, and with still a huge appetite for this beautiful city. I'm definitely becoming a little more blaze about the Eurostar than is tasteful- I went to London today just for lunch which was great fun but completely unreasonable.
This year was also notable personally for the relaunch of my record label, with a major worldwide distribution deal and four new albums, one of which was my own first concerto recording. Each of the albums was incredibly well received, thank goodness, and over the coming year we are working on recordings with a whole list of world class artists, from Joan Rodgers to Guy Johnston.
I also started my first teaching post, at the brilliant Malmo academy in Sweden, which has quickly become one of the most important parts of my musical life. The academy is extremely dynamic and forward thinking, and I'm thrilled to be part of it. I have also found a sadistic pleasure in making my students play scales in octaves in front of each other.
Concert highlights have been many but have included some really special ones. Taking part in a wonderful concert at Cadogen Hall, to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK, was one. The evening was promoted by my good friend and partner in Orchid Classics, James Brown, who made the whole thing look easy (which it isn't) and raised £40,000 in one night.
Another was touring Holland with the LSSO, an experience which on the one hand reminded me how glad I am not to be 17 anymore, but on the other made me wish I was. The disco on the last night had to be seen to be believed, and was worth the trip alone. Highlight of that tour- my suitcase getting lost by the airline on the way out, and having 2 hours in which to spend £700 insurance money on 'emergency' clothes, racing round the shops with natural born shopper (and conductor) Peter Ash.
And now I sit with my family, discussing my new year's resolutions, which I never keep any of.
Happy new year to everyone out there.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Recording
Last week I spent a really enjoyable, if totaly exhausting few days recording a new album with two amazing musicians- violist Lawrence Power and pianist Simon Crawford-Philips. The repertoire included Brahms horn trio (with Lawrence on the horn) and Bax trio.
There were times when it seemed we weren't going to make it out alive, as 3 neurotic musicians in a room with microphones can make for a stressful situation, but we were all pretty happy by the end.
Working title for the album is 'Bax Against The Wall' but that might have to change if the grown-ups don't like it.
You can see pictures from the sessions here:
http://www.orchidclassics.blogspot.com/
There were times when it seemed we weren't going to make it out alive, as 3 neurotic musicians in a room with microphones can make for a stressful situation, but we were all pretty happy by the end.
Working title for the album is 'Bax Against The Wall' but that might have to change if the grown-ups don't like it.
You can see pictures from the sessions here:
http://www.orchidclassics.blogspot.com/
Monday, 30 November 2009
Last view, I promise
From my room in Kuala Lumpur.
Back in Paris at last, enjoying a few days before heading off again. While I've been away my daughter has learnt German, and forgotten English. She also seems to have learnt the violin which is curious, as when I left she was a pianist.
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