February 2007

Dear music lover,

On Tuesday, 14th February, we welcomed back the Kungsbacka Trio. They are old friends and they brought a new friend - Maya, the 4-month daughter of Simon (piano) and Malin (violin). One of the pleasures of hearing them again is that we can identify their musical development and maturity. Having watched them rehearse in the afternoon and being on stage as page-turner, I could appreciate some of the subtleties behind their phraseology and the communication among all three. I also appreciated Simon's deftness of touch, as he turned the music back a page - I had completely missed a repeat!

The Town Hall was full: a comment on the performers, who are well-loved here; on the music, with the Beethoven completing their cycle of Opus 1 trios, with the Shostakovich illustrating the composer's prodigious talent at an early age and with the Mendelssohn Trio showing the richness of expression available to a mature composer - but perhaps also a reflection of the pleasure of the audience on hearing wonderful chamber music, wonderfully played, in wonderful surroundings. It was unfortunate that Alison and Joan, being on baby-sitting duties, each missed one half of the concert. For (I think), the first time, the audience demanded an encore and were rewarded with the second movement of the Mendelssohn D minor trio.

At James' house afterwards, they insisted on presenting me with a signed copy of their Naxos CD of the Schubert Piano Trio No. 2 , with an inscription, housed in a stave, "We love playing in Inverness" - with a repeat sign at the end! (in case I missed it?). I am hoping that they'll play the Schubert for us next year.

Next day, when I brought round tennis gear and greeted them just after breakfast, I found that my prayers to the weather god had been answered - Jesper reckoned that it was too windy to play tennis. Perhaps I was over-hasty in agreeing bearing in mind last year's performance, but I hope I maintained a degree of dignity.

Our next concert, on March 12th features the return of the Academia Wind Quintet of Prague, who were enthusiastically received here some years ago, and whose programme includes an arrangement of Tchaikowsky's "Nutcracker Suite".

See you there,

Paul