Magic Flute underway

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This is the first week of production rehearsals for RAO's The Magic Flute, directed by Stephen Barlow. As assistant conductor it is a rare privilege to get to conduct the first week-and-a-bit of production, but as Jane Glover is in America, that's how it works this time! It's a fascinating stage in the procedure, as we unpick the music and characters, and lay the foundation stones for the show. Stephen's 1980s New York setting is brilliant and is going to make this a lot of fun!

Venues old and new

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Looking forward to returning to two familiar concert haunts in the next week – another house concert hosted by Emile Woolf, featuring the epic Brahms Piano Quintet (with the Hampden Quartet), and then a Valentine's concert at the Garrick Club, including Brahms' adorable Liebeslieder Waltzer (with Aoife Miskelly, Katie Bray, Rupert Charlesworth and Johnny Herford, and sharing the piano duet with Will Vann). Two very different sides of Brahms, and two delightful groups to be playing with! Then a totally unfamiliar venue next week, with a concert of French oboe music in Monmouth. Variety is the spice of life!

Recording preparation

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Just been rehearsing down at the beautiful Champs Hill Music Room in Sussex for a recording there in March with James Turnbull. The disc of oboe music will survey English music of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty first centuries. Looking forward to it!

New year, new programmes

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Back into the swing of recitals in the new year with a couple of instrumental programmes: french horn music in Esher with Paul Cott from the Berkeley Ensemble (including Beethoven's lovely early horn sonata, which is more of a piano sonata really!), and then cello music in Somerset with Cara Berridge from the Sacconi Quartet (Schumann's scrumptious Adagio and Allegro, and various pieces by Bloch and Fauré).