Well, it's been such an embarrassingly long time since I last wrote, that I think I'll make this entry into a retrospective cumulative one, taking the patient reader through the last few weeks since I last had the time to write.

17-18 September 2003

I was attending the course in the mornings, as usual, and practising for the solo recording (and teaching a bit) in the afternoons and evenings.

Friday, 19 September 2003

After �school�, I went to Charlbury by train, where I met up with Adrian Hunter, my friend and master producer. We drove to Great Tew, to the wonderful church of St. Michael and All Angels, where I'd never recorded before. The most interesting feature is the surviving medieval wall-paintings, on one of the walls. That is well worth a visit! We set up to record, and managed to get a significant chunk of music done by 10 pm or so. Here's the view from where I was sitting and playing. (But with the microphones missing from this picture, since it's just a postcard, but happens to be taken from roughly the spot where I sat and played � so just imagine the microphones as part of the picture!)

Saturday, 20 September 2003

We had a very hard-working day, in which we recorded more music, but with many more interruptions than we'd had the night before. There were engine noises, both cars and planes from the nearby airfield, though they had agreed to ask their recreational pilots to avoid the area around Great Tew Church while we were recording (otherwise it probably would have been worse). We got a total of half an hour of music done, so the CD is well over a third recorded. Speaking of being disturbed by engine noise, I want to set out briefly the reason for my new way of recording, which is to do it over three separate days with at least three or four weeks off in between each of the three days, rather than, as before, doing a solo CD over three consecutive days.

For many reasons, making a solo CD is an entirely different kettle of fish from doing a live solo performance. This is true generally, but perhaps even more for for lute players than for most people. Because tiny imperfections, which are perfectly acceptable in a live performance, are not acceptable on a CD (partly, in the case of lute music, because people turn up the volume unnaturally high, which exaggerates the need for an ultra squeaky clean performance on CD), there have to be many retakes, and numerous edits later on. Among these imperfections are of course the player's technical ones. But also, there are outside noises (engines, rain, wind, shouting, lawn-mowing, etc. -- even insects near the microphones!) which frequently interrupt the recording process and necessitate retakes. This is more the case for lute recordings than for almost any others, because the lute is so quiet that it doesn't mask many outside noises. As a result of the many retakes and interruptions, the player becomes fatigued, and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep any sense of joy and spontaneity in the performance which makes it onto the CD. To minimize this fatigue, and to encourage myself to keep freshness and spontaneity in my recordings as much as possible, I've opted to break it up as described above, recording about a third of the disc at a time, and focussing in my practice and preparation on about a third of the disc at a time. This is much less overwhelming than the old way of doing things. Of course I learn � and perform as much as possible -- all the music long before I do the recording, so that it's not a case of learning the music a third of a disc at a time. It's more a case of learning, and living with, all of the music, and then putting two thirds of it aside for a time, as I focus on the other third.

I felt, by the end of Saturday, some of the old tiredness and lack of inspiration creeping back into my playing by the end of the day (I get demoralized by the interruptions and consequent lack of depth of focus in our work � it makes an absolutely HUGE difference to be able to work without interruptions!), and may re-record one or two pieces next time. But next time (on the 8th of November), it's going to be even better, because we've decided not to work by day at all, but to do it all overnight, when it's quiet. I'm sure I'll play better. And I'm sure it'll get done faster.

Sunday, 21 September 2003

I returned home, and had a lovely evening with Zan, during which we celebrated her birthday early, knowing we'd be apart on the day itself.

Monday, 22 September 2003

Rehearsal with Musca Secreta.

23 Sept.

Teaching at Trinity College of Music (for the first time as an official member of the professorial staff).

24-25 Sept.

Uneventful time of school and preparation for upcoming things. Also a very nice lunch with Matt.

26 Sept.

Concert in Brighton with Music Secreta. Nice to see everyone again. Particularly nice to catch up and have lunch with Catherine. It had beent too long. But it was a rather fraught day in other respects. Various things went wrong.

27 Sept.

I flew to Chicago, for my third North American trip in two months. Reunited with Mary Springfels! Hurrah!

28 Sept.

A day to recover and to practise.

29-30 Sept., 1 Oct.

Rehearsals, catching up with old friends, including David and Ellen, who kindly put me up, and offered splendid hospitality, despite having only just returned from France themselves. Nice dinner at Adobo with Gail.

2 Oct.

Public rehearsal, and reunited with Gerald and Sheila. Wonderfuller and wonderfuller. Great meal with them at (you guessed it) Adobo.

3 Oct.

Lute lesson for Gail, and Concert Newberry Library (G and S in attendance again), and reunion with old friend from College, not seen in 17 years! That was a great thing.

4 Oct.

Taught two more lute lessons, and gave concert at Oak Park. G and S in attendance. That was very nice. The concert at the Newbs the night before had been marred by very loud music coming in the windows from a street party immediately outside.

5 Oct.

Final concert, 3 pm, Northwestern University, followed by exhausted collapse onto flight back to London.

This account will be continued.......