February 2006

Dear music lover,

This Newsletter may give you an insight into the life of the Secretary of Inverness Chamber Music Society – its joys and tribulations.

Our last concert featured the Kungsbacka Piano Trio, who gave us a performance of Beethoven, Fauré and Rachmaninov trios, which, I thought, were simply thrilling to hear. The Kungsbackas have played for us on previous occasions and I wondered whether there was a risk that they would be stale. How wrong I was. The way in which they have grown as a trio, how their ensemble has matured, makes me feel privileged that we have encountered them at this rich stage of their development. As the page-turner (particularly in the Fauré and Rachmaninov trios, which I didn’t know) I turned each new page for Simon Crawford-Phillips and thought “How is he going to play all these notes?” But play them he did, and made them an integral part of a wonderful musical experience.

Incidentally, Simon (who is a Steinway artist) has agreed that, if the Town Council is successful in the Lottery application for a Steinway piano, he will (if asked) test the instruments available, and will be able to make a recommendation.

But that’s not all. After the concert, I was invited to join the trio for drink at the house of James Munro, our Treasurer, who was accommodating them. There Malin Broman, the violinist, ventured that she intended to go for a run in the morning, as their train to Perth wasn’t leaving until 2.40. I have done a bit of running, so I offered to show her a suitable route. So there was I, at 8.30 in the morning, running down Godsman's Brae, along the canal bank for a bit, and back through the Islands. As we got to the bottom of Godsman's Brae on the return, I casually mentioned that, as a final little burst, I liked to run from the bottom barrier to the top barrier in under 30 seconds. "OK" she said and when I set off, she moved into a different gear entirely. I pushed my hardest to retain the reputation of Scotland and the male gender, but she cruised along ahead and obviously could go faster. At the top barrier, I stopped my watch: 23.87 seconds - my fastest for years!

At 10.15, the front door bell went, and there were Simon, to do some practice on my piano and Jesper Svedberg, the cellist, who borrowed a bike, shoes and racket and we cycled to the Tennis Club, so that I could demonstrate the inherent superiority of Scottish tennis, especially as played by someone who practises regularly each week, against someone who hasn't played in years. I did not trouble the scorers, and, at 6-0, 6-0, Jesper kindly took pity on me, and I got the benefit of some good coaching. He's a natural teacher. A wonderful concert and three wonderful people. And the joys of Secretaryship.

I am hopeful of a good attendance at our next concert, on 16th March, when we will be delighted to welcome the return of the Katona Twins for a concert of guitar music. We are fortunate that we have, in Inverness, a strong following for the guitar with an inspiring local teacher in Alan Bolger. His influence was noticeable in the excellent attendance at the Katonas’ previous concert and, I am sure, in the record-breaking audience for the Aquarelle Quartet in January. I look forward to that concert immensely.

See you there,

Paul Crowe