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2005年08月31日
En route
Well I am already packed and ready to go!! I'm very excited to be coming to Japan again. It's quite funny as the last couple of times I've travelled a "long way" I've been to Australia - and each trip has been for about a month. So this time as I packed for Japan I was thinking about what I'd need to take and basically what I'd do after the flight. On my way to Australia, after 12 hours of flying, I'd prepare myself for the next 12 hours but this time I realized that after the flight I'd already be in Tokyo. So it's just a matter of getting from Narita to the centre which is in fact a ridiculously long way...
I'm very excited to be playing Grieg with the NHK and also very excited to be going to Hamamatsu. I played a small recital there a few years ago but haven't been in the main hall since the piano competition. So it will really bring back memories to be back there again even though I suspect I'll be going back to Tokyo the same night after the concert.
I'm also looking foward to my routine visit to Kyushu - to Kagoshima. Something exciting about that smoking Mt. Sakura...
Looking forward to seeing everybody soon.
投稿者 Freddy : 01:44 | コメント (4) | トラックバック
2005年08月19日
Raining in London
Seems like the summer's over for now - yesterday life went back to normal with a bang... Had a day of non-musical things - i.e. fixing the car, meeting my lovely agent, oh yes - eating good old British food again.
Today I will try to practise again and also go to the gym. I'm basically getting ready for Japan now - trying to sort the visa out, trying to get repertoire ready, trying to get my hair cut! Hope it's still warm in Japan.
投稿者 Freddy : 19:36 | コメント (0) | トラックバック
2005年08月16日
tempus fugit...
It is already the last day of my holiday... I suppose it's good that I don't want to go home - i.e. this trip wasn't too long! Yesterday the lifeguard put up his red-flag for the first time which meant many people, including myself, were argueing with Angelo about whether or not we could go into the water. I, typically, was determined to have a swim (mainly for exercise) and have to say that Angelo was probably right! Although the waves were tiny compared to the surf in Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast, they were small and inconsistent which made breathing very difficult.
There was a concert here last night and tonight arrives an old acquaintance of mine, a pianist, to give a few concerts over the next few days - I wonder if we shall remember each other as we met almost 10 years ago.
So I will try to enjoy my last day - beach/swim, Foccacia, more beach, Beethoven Hammerklavier, WoW & dinner...
投稿者 Freddy : 17:43 | コメント (5) | トラックバック
2005年08月12日
To my surprise I can connect to the internet here! I hope it's a legal connection as I'm not sure who's internet it is - however no-one's tried to throw me off this network!
I think I'm the kind of person that always finds it hard in the beginning to "enjoy" a holiday as when I work I'm always travelling anyway and so often I wish of a holiday where I simply sit at home all day. However this time, partially due to my time in the Gold Coast in Australia, I'm really have fun here. The sea is beautiful and the village is really charming. I am forced to practise my Italian as very few people speak English plus I get the impression that the people here are not so thrilled to find an English person here either!
I still practise piano a bit as I brought my holiday piano - a Yamaha P60 - with me. It works really well plus I can play it silently if I want. I hear from a friend that it is really, really hot in Japan and that everybody is melting!
投稿者 Freddy : 23:06 | コメント (0) | トラックバック
2005年08月09日
...of on holiday
I have done ABSOLUTELY no practise at all this week and... ...I was going to say, ".. and I feel great" but actually I don't. I've spent most of my time in front of my computer generally wasting time.
Tomorrow I'm off on holiday finally so will hopefully be able to relax and enjoy travelling for once. I hope everyone reading this is having or has had or will have a fantastic holiday too. I suppose the only down-side to my holiday is that I'm almost 100% sure there won't be any sushi there but there will be many of my other loves - great wine and wonderful Italian seafood.
I now have to start packing and try to find out where this hotel is - I wiped the e-mail with the address details so I have no idea where to start looking. Google maybe...
投稿者 Freddy : 05:00 | コメント (0) | トラックバック
2005年08月05日
Gym day
...well... I decided not to bother with the 5km but to stick to 3km but to add back the rowing and cycling which usually crops up whenever my gym does one of their "competitions". As it turns out I had a concert last night which was the last concert of my trio with its current set-up. In the future it will have a new violinist and a new 'cellist so yesterday was a both sad and happy day for me.
A friend of the trio gave a very generous gift of a 1976 Echezeaux, Romanee Conti as a goodbye gift.
Anyway this concert meant that I got home late, I had to get up early for a haircut (as 9 o'clock was the only time he could do) which meant I haven't slept enough which basically didn't help me out in the gym. So I ran 3km and felt tired, cycled 5km and felt very, very tired and then tried to row 2km and gave up after 1km... Well I suppose it's not so bad.
I'm meant to be practising Beethoven's Hammerklavier but find it much more fun to practise World of Warcraft... Shame on me!
投稿者 Freddy : 23:26 | コメント (2) | トラックバック
2005年08月02日
August
I have finally finished this season - I feel exhausted! My last concert was in an old English town at their festival. I played Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto with a new conductor and a friendly, familiar orchestra with many friends playing. I wasn't expecting much from myself as I was tired but the concert seemed to go so well - everything seemed to work and it was really fun to play.
So I am now on holiday. I'm still here in London but will soon go off to the sea and the sun and the sand. I am determined to improve my hopeless running this summer and I've decided to run 5km instead of the pathetic 3km I usually do. We'll see what happens...
So the next concert I see in my diary is Japan!! I can't wait actually - Grieg concerto in Tokyo. I'm looking forward to seeing many old friends again, my uncle too, and eating lots of tasty Japanese food! You know you can't really find Ramen here in London...
Hope everyone has a great summer.