Monday 27th June 2011

What a weekend!
Saturday's concert was wonderful with some lovely Debussy from the Emersons followed by the extraordinary Korngold 2 from the Gildas Quartet, some Giuliani from our flute & guitar duo and the wonderful Franck sonata from Lisa and Daniele.
Dinner was late and delicious as ever.
Sunday always feels like an early start after two long evenings but the concert at 11.30 was again full of wonderful performances: Janacek's Mladi, Snow Dreams for flute and guitar, Pierne Variations from the Renard and to round off the official programmes the little matter of Beethoven's op. 135 from the Gildas.
Now on to the afternoon.....!
After a very damp 'picnic' lunch indoors we returned to Lude Drawing Room for well, we were about to find out.... Half way through the week I ask groups to mix themselves into new combinations, think of solos or to perform any novelty items they can think of. We are never disappointed. This year we had Brahms Horn Trio from the Tutors, Bartok Violin Duos, Beethoven Sextet with 2 horns, Haydn Trio, some Chopin from Daniele and the most extraordinary improvisation from Party Piece Peter! On requesting two melodies from the audience - Star Wars Theme and 'On yon bonny banks' he improvised a 'sonata form' movement of huge proportions. We all fell over backwards when he actually managed to combine both tunes simultaneously towards the end. A tour de force!
Not only that but in 3 days Peter managed to compose a 'Lude Fantasy'! This was a fugue based on L (la) U (Ut or C) D & E. It was orchestrated for the exact combination of the 15 instruments present + Peter conducting. It was a fitting end to a great week of music making for all.

Thank you to all the young and older musicians at Lude this week. Thank you to Lavinia and Andrew and thank to Charlie, Henrietta and Bas too.
Roll on the next one!

Saturday 25th JUne 2011

What a concert last night!
Everyone excelled themselves!
Well done!
Unaccustomed as I am to reviewing a concert, especially one which I have organised, suffice it to say: incisive Janacek, joyous Francaix, rhythmically vibrant Villa Lobos and ravishing Rachmaninov!
JT

Friday 24th June 2011

Six hours a day appears not to be enough, there is practising right down to the wire for many - 2 hours until the first concert...........
A dedicated and hard working crowd.

Friday 24th June 2011

Not quite sure what Howard was up to yesterday evening but maybe it was just clearing up!

Thursday 23rd June 2011

Lovely walk with everyone this afternoon to give everyone a bit of fresh air and a break from the hard work. Bruar Falls!

Thursday 23rd June 2011

In the past two days we have had three wonderful workshops with local schools. Blair Atholl and Logierait Primary Schools and the New School at Butterstone who visited us at Lude. Not only did the Emerson Quintet give a wonderful rendition of Hansel and Gretel to the students from the New School but the students themselves gave us a great wee concert of their own.

There can be few more extraordinary views from a school hall than from the one at Blair Atholl!

Thursday 23rd June 2011

The sun is showing through occasional heavy showers and the 'Compulsory Walk' is to be had at Bruar Falls this afternoon.
It is always great to observe everyone settling in as the week goes on. Coffee time was full of very loud laughter which is always a good sign.
Everyone has been working extremely hard and we are all looking forward to hearing the fruits of all the labour at the first public concert tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow we will hear Janacek violin & piano sonata, a wind quintet by Francaix, the wind trio by Villa Lobos and Rachmaninov's sonata for cello and piano. I am sure there is something there for everyone....
Gearing up for the concert weekend Lavinia and I have been moving furniture around, finding tables and chairs in hitherto unexplored corners (for me at any rate) of the Steading at Lude. As usual, dinner for 40 is not proving a daunting prospect for Henrietta and Charlie tomorrow. Don't however ask Herietta about the dogs over the last 2 nights!
The cultural extravaganza was further enhanced for a small group yesterday evening with a visit to Pitlochry Theatre for a much enjoyed performance of My Fair Lady.

Wednesday 22nd June 2011

Good morning!!! It is a very sunny start up here in Blair Atholl - almost as if it is making up for the endless showers from the day before... It made the usual walk up the hill a very pleasant one! I am here by the "best windowsill for wifi reception" at the top of the staircase, typing away as I catch my breath before picking up my fiddle for a good morning's practice. There are wafts of breakfast-y scents coming from the kitchen below (yummy bacon, toast, fresh coffee) and distant happy voices of our artistic directors enjoying a nice conversation over the table.

Last night, we all raised a glass to Midsummer's Day over an incredibly delicious plate of venison (thank you, Henrietta!). It is fascinating how long it stays light up here, the girls in Room 2 (Emily, Bex and I) found it difficult to even begin to get ready for bed last night. We also noticed how quiet it is... Not a car, partying Londoners, or sirens to be heard!

We've got another busy day ahead of us - Lots of individual practicing, rehearsing, coachings, and today we have a New School Concert&Workshop after lunch!! I am excited to meet the students, and to hear the Emersons today; I feel I'm really getting to know them through this week, but it's a funny feeling as I still haven't heard them perform! Knowing the kind of people they are, I am sure they will be fantastic with the students, too!

We are so blessed to have the coachings, time, space and environment to really get dug into our music - It is a bit of a dreamworld, really... and we all wish that this week will not end. Oops - I mustn't keep Daniele waiting now...!! Have a good day!! LU

Tuesday 21st June 2011

The final trip to Edinburgh Airport has been made and Mr Dussek is now present!
All musicians are now assembled at Lude!
The full work schedule is under way with great sounds emanating from 5 rooms at Lude House and 1 at the Steading.
JT 

Monday 20th June 2011, 8pm

The late afternoon practice session over, a hotly-contested discussion emerges from the disparate threads of drawing-room conversation: Pete, seeing Howard’s epic walking boots, proposes the seemingly innocent hypothesis that his own feet have decreased in size over the previous ten years. Emily (M.A. Maths, Cantab.), swift to the rebuttal, taking Pete alone as a sufficiently large representative sample (and dismissing Dave’s contrary experience as anomalous), declares that when one is younger, one always buys larger shoes, but, upon getting older and finding oneself ‘always falling over things’, one eventually starts buying smaller shoes.

Bex is practising Prokofiev and eating an apple. Howard attempts to sit down at Katy’s feet, resting his back on her chair, which promptly makes a bid for freedom in the direction of the bookcase. Outside, oodles of rain drench the techni-green trees and the new lambs. Half of Orkestra del Sol arrive, have tea, and drive off in the direction of Glastonbury. Jonathan and the Gildas Quartet are coming up the drive.

Dinner time.

PF

Monday 20th June 2011

Our third day in Blair Atholl, to slow the approach of our big fat bellies, began with a short run alongside the River Tilt. About 3 minutes later we were tucking into the second cooked breakfast of the week, mine was a very creamy scrambled egg. The first coaching session for the wind group began with a positive start on the Mladi with Neil, followed by an even more positive break for lunch; Lentil soup, salad, Cheese board and Spanish Tortilla. After which the wind quintet started to plan their education session; I'm told all the children come with subtitles so all the early fears vanished quickly.

The final group to arrive were the Gildas Quartet a string quartet who had left Tuscany that morning. Their worries of being left hungry after 12(!) hours of travelling was unsurprisingly not long lasting as we had some tasty balls for dinner.

After a tiring first (proper) day it is time for the short walk to the B&B and the comfortable beds waiting us. I'm sure we'll be ready for more hard work tomorrow.

DH

Sunday 19th June 2011, Blair Atholl

The day started with a hearty breakfast a la Kirstie to set us up for a morning of music making; be it black pudding, prunes or porridge! The sun was shining which surprised us all (Scotland!) so we donned the sunglasses and had a lovely stroll up to Lude.
After a few hours of work we were treated to a fabulous Kedgeree (which you must dress in butter by the way, it's AMAZING) from the wonderful in-house cook Henrietta, followed by an array of interesting cheeses.
The sun still shining and our tummys full, we made our way back to our practise session only to be treated a few hours later to more treats in the form of rocky road AND carrot cake. (totally forgot the running gear, oops)!
We welcomed the new arrivals and set more places around the dinner table for some new and familiar faces who arrived at tea time, (just in time for rocky road and carrot cake)!
Mladi was the late afternoon's music for 6 of us which preceded a delightful dinner of gammon, lots of laughter, Emily's wide mouthed tree-frog, chatter, and most importantly, Henrietta-made honeycomb ice-cream..
Anyone spotting a theme yet?

K.A.

Sunday 19th June 2011

May this be the start of a sunny week - we don't believe the forecast!
Quiet start  but sounds of practising can be heard......
JT

Saturday 18th June at Lude, Blair Atholl

An unusually quiet Highland Chieftain left this year's advance guard (Bex, Kate, Howard, Lizzy, Peter) standing in a welcome drizzle on Pitlochry station. The Firs B&B successfully located, we set about the business of unpacking, and gazing at the scenery; Bex began the journey up the hill to Lude, where we found her an hour or so later. Budweiser and Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc made themselves known, followed swiftly by seemingly endless lasagne, Charlie's mystery crumble (yum), and a brief discussion of the merits of petrol in a diesel tank. Nicola's arrival from Edinburgh Airport prompted a revisiting of dinner; at the time of writing, coffee has just appeared.

Day 1
Hours of rehearsal: 0
Scottish accents affected: 3

This year's Blair Atholl Showcase for Young Musicians starts tomorrow at Lude, Blair Atholl. You can keep up to date with our daily postings here!