The concert last night was in Frankfurt. Because of the Book Fair there, the publishers and book sellers of the world were using every available hotel room and so at the end of our four hour bus trip from Luxembourg, we found ourselves in a brand new hotel in Darmstadt. You...
Pairing up the four symphonies of Szymanowski and Brahms has provoked some discussion within the band and the press. Why put these two composers together? Does the performance of the two composers bring anything to the other, is there some illumination provided by hearing the...
“Is there a park nearby?” I enquire in faultless French. “I want to go running.” “Yes of course, sir.” The man on the desk spins around and produces a map which he marks a series of lines, circles and arrows on. I study the map because that is what one does when...
When the ghosts of music past are looking over your shoulder, the steely glare of silence falls upon the orchestra and the conductor makes a minute gesture for you alone begin the concert, this is the moment when the men are sorted from the boys. This time however, I am far from...
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...
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...
After a relaxing break for a couple of weeks in the summer it would be nice to gradually ease myself back into work with something low pressure and easy. Of course in the music business this simply doesn't happen and so this week we were thrown straight back into the whirlwind...
If you are reading this in England, you might want to go and check your email for a moment and come back in five minutes. We left a very wet Stansted Airport at 9am this morning, and landed 3 hours later at Palermo airport. If you are enjoying the English summer of rain, I...
