Oh blimey. I hadn't realised how long it was since I was last here! Probably that's a fair reflection on how busy the last few weeks have been.
So in summary!
I've just got back from battling the British winter, getting back up to the Bate Collection, Oxford, which VERY kindly lent me their Raoux cor solo for the last few weeks. A wonderful instrument and I'm very sad to give it back.
Just before I left Paris I got the opportunity to visit the Cite de la Musique and see the Raoux cor solo that belonged to Gallay and play it a little. It was great to have the chance to compare the Bate Collection instrument with this instrument and reassured me that I had made the right decision in using the Bate Collection instrument for this project.
I've been back in the UK for the last week. The final week in France was taken up with recording not only the 12 Caprices, but also 12 of the unmeasured Preludes AND 12 of the Fantasias - a real bonus. The recording was probably one of the most enjoyable I've done. Though not un-stressful from the point of view of the mountain of music I had in front of me working with Claude Maury (producing) and Hannelore Guittet (engineer) was a joy. It was incredibly cold in the countryside (La Salle Glazier at the Musee national de Port-Royal des Champs) but beautiful. Photos of the sessions can be found here.
