Brussels. The centre of European bureaucracy and, if you read the right newspapers, the enemy of our proud British traditions. Leaving the Euro debate alone for the moment, Brussels has been accused at various points in the last decade of trying to force UHT milk on us, dilute...
If an alien life form were to land unannounced backstage at a concert in 2012, they would make some basic assumptions about human behaviour which I once would have thought unfounded. Now I'm not so sure. One of the many changes I have seen in my time on the world touring...
Preparations had begun months ago, not the least of which was the commissioning of an interesting new work by rising star composer, Christian Mason. The Gamelan room at LSO St Luke's is not a kind acoustic but Christian seemed pleased with our final run through of his Isolarian...
Hi Blogfans Just in case you hadn't seen it, today is the day exactly 100 years ago that the LSO left Euston station and went to America. They avoided going on the Titanic because of a change in schedule and spent weeks touring America and Canada. We were sent a diary which was...
I remember walking down the Nanjing Road in Shanghai a couple of years ago and being offered goods aplenty. This week however it seems worse than ever. As I get further down the road, I can always see people suddenly step out from beside the shops and walk alongside me asking me...
Walking around Beijing, I find it hard to tell whether my lips are numb because of the cold, snow-laden wind blowing in my face, or the Szechuan peppers which were liberally sprinkled on my lunch. If you've never had them before, their effect on your mouth is an exciting...
The cultural differences between nations are never more pronounced that when in transit. The British, being a nation of enthusiastic queuers, are left apoplectic with rage when confronted with a country full of people who do not understand this basic concept. I am told that...
From the comfort of the train speeding through the Spanish countryside, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is summer. The sun is high and the deep blue stretches far into the distance, the only clouds visible on the horizon look like chalk cliffs. But the thermometer...
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="75" caption="Kurt Weill"] I could find no glamour in running for a train at 5.45am and catching it by the skin of my teeth, arriving at Stansted at 7.30am, landing in Madrid and going straight to the hall to rehearse in the knowledge...
There was a distinctly end of term feeling in Munich last night. We may not have been playing any carols but the spirit was there, and it wasn't just the Gluhwein from the snow covered Christmas market. The orchestra, as always, has been working incredibly hard and the break...
