Moving around the North Island plus more cello selfies (or Cellfies as they're now known!)

We've completed the first week of the tour and had a great time so far. Arriving into Auckland on St Patrick's Day really reinforced that feeling I always get on arriving down under. You travel half way across the world, as far as you can go, and emerge into a world which feels just like home! There were plenty of Irish pubs to choose from (though we were unlucky as the one we chose had run out of Guinness by 6pm!) Plenty of live music and "Craic" all over town. Also lovely to feel the warmth of the sun after a long European winter.
The first concert was in a lovely university concert hall in Hamilton, passing Hobbiton on the way though sadly no time to call in and see it for ourselves. This was the country's oldest music society and they were rightly proud of their great new auditorium, Gallagher Academy, which we heard all about with nibbles and drinks after the concert, audience and committee alike chatting like old friends.
Next day was Auckland, in the fabulous Town Hall, as part of the Auckland Festival. Had a great walk down to the bay with the committee then dined in the open under a spectacular sky, Jupiter and Venus vying for supremacy amongst millions of (unfamiliar) stars! And the next morning the Queen Mary sailed into port - what a sight!

Flying down to Napier, I was aware of its name from wine labels, entering as we were the famous Hawkes Bay region, but I didn't know about its Art Deco architecture, a silver lining on the cloud that was a terrible earthquake in the '30s. Re-building at the height of the style's popularity, the townsfolk decided to make their mark. It is truly wonderful - feels like walking through a Hollywood film set, old cars and quaint shops lining the streets. As it's one of my favourite periods of architecture I was delighted to wander the streets taking snap shots.

We had a short chat-show appearance on TV Hawkes Bay, which was great fun. Lovely audience for the concert later in the MTG Theatre and gorgeous after-show nibbles and chat again - well into the night with plenty of great wine!
We drove the next leg, across the North Island to New Plymouth. A seven and a half hour drive…. see next instalment!


More cello selfies - or "Cellfies" ;)

I must say, at my age (230) a transcontinental flight is somewhat challenging, but I made it. And look what was waiting to greet me on arrival at Auckland! I am a fan of Lord of the Rings so this is one of my most treasured cellfies yet! Drove past Hobbiton the next day too, but they wouldn't let me out of the car…meanies.

The view from my room (sea-view obvs) getting ready to hit the town on St Paddy's Day!

Cello travel-blog and selfies - Kuala Lumpur en route for NZ!

Just landed in Kuala Lumpur…flight this far was great. The humans got to lie down as the flight was so empty, so for once my 'cello seat' was peaceful and secluded. They usually insist on my being accompanied but why? … I'm not exactly going to get up and walk around the aircraft causing blockages or disruption. Just kicked back and watched a couple of movies… One day they'll actually remember to give me a meal or even a drink.
So here I am in KL International. As they thoughtfully provide airside trolleys (unlike UK airports  which inexplicably don't) I was able to put on my best tropical scarf and do a bit of exploring. Check out my selfies…
First had to wait while the humans got their coffee and wifi fix.. then I was off!

Getting a feel for this iconic airport.

If only...

Posing with local celebs.

Banstead with a spring in its step

Just came from lovely Banstead in Surrey, where spring had truly begun. The sun was beaming down on this pretty village as we arrived and we enjoyed a stunning sunset from the dressing room window as we prepared for the concert. Wonderful Katya Apekisheva joined us for the Brahms Piano Quintet - how lucky we are to have so many such fabulous works in our repertoire. She was particularly magnificent in the long theme with which she opens the slow movement. Sublime!

Great audience. We gave them a little encore - the Shostakovich Waltz from Jazz Suite no.2...with a twist - quotes from the composer's works for cello solo make unexpected  appearances throughout - guess who made the arrangement! (Look for our Petits Fours cd to hear it...) We were delighted to have some very enthusiastic youngsters in the audience who came backstage afterwards looking for autographs and perhaps to get their hands on that arrangement!

A warm reception in Leamington Spa.

We had a very nice time in Leamington Spa, performing the Beethoven/Zemlinsky programme to rapt attention and enthusiastic applause. Such a great audience - seemed to take in every nuance and emotion and would have been open to any amount of challenging repertoire.
The dressing room was a first for me - in the Pump Rooms (beautiful building by the way) the ladies' changing room is shared with the caterers, so I had an ice-cream freezer as my companion. Warming up literally as the heat pumped out by the air exchange from the motor ensured true spa treatment temperatures! However, the charming caterers provided a lovely tea with excellent home-made cakes. Mmmm…

Trees, Walls and Cities to be set in stone!

Spent the weekend in Oxford at the Jacqueline du Pre concert hall performing and then recording the song cycle we commissioned in 2013 from almost 20 collaborators - composers and poets - for the Derry-Londonderry City of Culture and the City of London Festival. Ian Richie, who was one of the brains behind the whole concept and materialisation of the work, came to hear the performance so there was a real spirit of reunion. Lore Lixenburg is such a hoot and a fantastic artist, to sing in so many languages and be able to sound like a medieval chanter one minute and a mid-European peasant the next! On returning home I was delighted to receive this email from a family who attended the concert:

Dear Brodsky Quartet

Thank you for the amazing concert you gave in Oxford last Friday. I keep thinking about it. We were there with our two children. My daughter summed it up when said that you "played better than I thought it was possible to play!"

Warm regards,

Jane

This kind of feedback makes our work more even meaningful and satisfying.

On the banks of the beautiful Danube

Just returned from beautiful Budapest and its glorious Liszt Academy Solti Hall. We got a great response to a challenging programme - including Beethoven 131 and Zemlinsky 2 - from an audience which seemed well able to handle the challenge. Their rhythmic hand clapping which seems to go through a series of complicated pattern changes, like a Kodaly Method training exercise, is wonderful to be on the receiving end of! What an amazingly vibrant cultural tradition this city holds. Sight-seeing the morning after the concert, up the funicular to the incredible views from the castle and a warming coffee and apple tart in the ramparts cafe to escape the icy wind, I was inspired by the sense of history at this crossroad of central Europe… And yet, speaking to locals, I got a real sense of loss that entry into the new Europe has somehow taken a little of the identity and heart out of this place, and certainly many of its young people seeking jobs elsewhere, leaving it somehow feeling empty and tired. Hopefully as the dust settles it will recover and rediscover its national identity and pride.

Leiden Shostakovich weekend

We’re still glowing from the fantastic weekend in Leiden - the stunning new chamber hall of the Almarktzaal - for the complete Shostakovich cycle. The audience was great, so enthusiastic and engaged throughout. Susanne Lammers is the perfect host: full of great energy and love for the music as well as her knowing her audience and trusting them with imaginative programming and innovative themes. Great plans for the future... 

This has really added to our sense of growing excitement in anticipation of the cycle this time next year at the Musiekgebouw, Amsterdam, which will be recorded live for release through Chandos the soon afterwards. It’s wonderful to have another chance to put these giants of the repertoire into our catalogue, 25 years after we first recorded them.