First we spent a couple of days in an amazing new (at least to me) studio in Chiswick, Metropolis, recording music for a new film by the brilliant Andrew Steggall. So nice when a film has a particular sound - this one will be so well suited to just the quartet soundtrack as it's so intimate. Can't wait to see the finished product.
A few days later we were in Durham University in the hallowed Cathedral Green music school, where we go once a year to workshop and perform string quartets written by the second year music students. It was a really impressive selection and, I'm happy to say, most of the composers were young women!
Back in London we had our crazy Zemlinsky Day at Kings Place, performing all the string quartets including the early recently-discovered E Minor and accompanied by a talk/discussion session with BBC presenter and musicologist Stephen Johnson. What a fabulous collection of pieces and really powerful to hear them all side by side. That day ended with some well-deserved beers in the Rotunda Bar!
Straight from there we went to Zaragoza in northern Spain, one of our favourite concert halls and lovely people who invite us regularly. There were lots of kids in the audience who all came backstage afterwards in search of autographs and group photos. Cello did get into the group, but I don't have a copy to show… Perhaps one of the parents could send one?? It's so great when we can enthuse young people to the extent they seemed to be enthused - if my Spanish is any good!
Cellfies - just a small selection of me and a few male admirers...
He carried me to the tapas bar in Zaragoza and
pretended to play me…what a thrill!
These are old shots from Mexico in November. I was a little nervous on the back of that truck, but he held me tight and I felt ….aahh!
