From Brazil to Barcelona with a Classical Guitar

Since my last post a lot has been happening.
The life of this musician is certainly varied and thankfully very busy.
In the last month alone Robin has performed 5 concerts and shared his music with in excess of 2500 people. Not to mention travelling to Brazil, Spain and Portugal.
This is an incredible achievement.
The time away spent away from home can be difficult, but this is eased by the reaction to all the concerts performed.
Both audience and organisers have been equally positive and enthusiastic.

Returning to Brazil was a real treat for Robin. Although the journey there is long and exhausting, the rewards on arrival are incredible.
Lovely people and amazing scenery.
To wake up to this sort of view is really something special:



There's one village in particular that Robin always loves visiting, and in fact this was the second time he'd been there in just a few months.
The village is, 'Boca de Valeria', and the local people are keen to talk to any visitors and show them around their homes.
The children all get very excited and Robin has decided that on his next visit he will offer to play for them in their small church:



You can read more about Robin's previous trips to Brazil and see some lovely pictures, here, 'Arrival in The Amazon, Caruso and Fitzcarraldo' and here, 'Back to The Amazon'.

Robin managed to get home before the disruption of the volcano in Iceland and spent a whole 10 days with the family!

It wasn't without its difficulties though.
A lunchtime concert in Doncaster Museum had to be cancelled as Robin broke down on the way there.
He was devastated by this.
In the whole of his career he has never had to cancel a concert. (Even when extremely ill on a two week tour in Ireland some years ago he managed to complete every single performance. Although on the last concert he was unable to go on stage for an encore as he physically couldn't face the bright lights. The next morning we found out he had measles.....medical advice was to stay in a darkened room....)
However, a new date has been found for the concert in Doncaster so put it in your diaries now: 9th March 2011.

After another week away, travelling to Spain and Portugal, and 3 further concerts Robin returned home for a quick visit.
In just two days he managed to catch up with all the family news and start memorising some new pieces.
This is an essential process when performing so frequently.
New pieces have to be learnt and rehearsed until ready for public performance.

Now Robin is off again.
He is back in Spain and preparing for his concert in 2 days time.
There are so many exciting things being planned at the moment that I sometimes wonder when I will find the dates to fit them in.
However I usually manage it. Somehow.
So keep checking in to find out what happens next...

Back to the Amazon

As you know, prior to Christmas, Robin was in South America.
It's actually the second time this year that he has ventured up the Amazon, here's the post I wrote last time:
'Arrival in the Amazon, Caruso and Fitzcarraldo'

Before Crystal Symphony set sail there was a couple of days to enjoy Manaus, Brazil, especially as Robin had 9 days before his first concert...

Here you can see the famous Opera House and beautifully decorated tree:





A trip to the fish market highlighted the many different fish available when shopping in the Amazon, Robin was however quite pleased to be recovering from a cold and therefore had a reduced sense of smell...




It was in the tiny village of Boca de Valeria that one really sensed they had arrived in the Amazon:



This is a typical village house:



A local tradition for recycling involves old Kayaks. Put to good use growing flowers and herbs:




It was a particularly long trip, especially for 2 concerts, but both were received enthusiastically with standing ovations.
Appropriately Robin played lots of South American music, featuring composers such as Federico Bustamente, Dilermando Reis, Pernambuco and Heitor Villa-Lobos.



Robin kept busy though with lots of practice and plenty of table tennis although he declined to try piranha fishing.
Not being a fisherman, I think it was a wise choice, his fingers are rather important to him....

There were plenty of concerns about getting home for Christmas.
First British Airways threatening to strike. And as soon as this situation resolved, the weather changed.
Severe snow hit the UK.
Robin left Buenos Aires, Argentina, for Heathrow without any problems, and 15 hours later arrived to find his connecting flight cancelled.
Eventually a coach was supplied and a travel weary musician slowly made his way home.

At least it gave the rest of us time to make this little fellow for him:

'Musical Bar'

As Robin makes his way up the Amazon on Crystal Symphony, it became obvious that Christmas preparations were underway in Manaus, Brazil:



He has already visited some incredible places and I'm hoping for photographs soon.
However sending them is proving a problem just at the moment.
But regardless of the fantastic sights he is seeing Robin has two concerts to prepare for, so he is keeping busy.

Meanwhile I thought I would share this joke with you.

It was sent to me by our wonderful friend Paul Griffin.

So at this busy time of year, take a few minutes to sit back, relax and release the inner musician...

Musical Bar

C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "sorry,
but we don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G
have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the
fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries
to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.

D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me.
I'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender
is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor.
Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the
bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've found
in this bar tonight."

E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with
nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "you're looking
sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major
development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit
and everything else, and is au natural.

Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's
under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of
contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced
to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional
facility.


AXJ66SAEE4BT

Escape from Devil's Island

Robin has been home for a few days now and had time to reflect on his latest trip.
From a musical point of view it was a huge success.
Two concerts, both very well attended, were enjoyed by audience and musician alike.

But this particular trip took Robin to some incredible places.
He has returned with hundreds of photographs and many memories that shall remain with him always.

As this is all about the life of a musician, I thought I'd share some of the photographs with you.
I think the first is so evocative of the whole region.
To look out of your window and see the muddy waters of the Amazon against the backdrop of the lush rain forest is an amazing sight in itself.
But then to have a brief snapshot of life on the Amazon takes it to another level.





The local people, of all ages, from the very young to the old, paddled up in their canoes to wave and say hello:




All this against the exotic sounds of the jungle that were all around.
It was a heady experience.

But the fascinating tour continued.
After a few days they arrived here:



Devil's Island is an extraordinary place and one that, generally, is only enjoyed vicariously through travel programmes, history classes or through books such as Henri Charriere's, 'Papillon'.

Whilst the wildlife is certainly exotic and plentiful:



The accommodation for the prisoners was far from attractive:




It must have been an horrendous experience for all those poor souls interned in such a place.
The humidity and heat is intense, and solitary confinement and torture were rife at the time.
To add to the inmates' joys the coast of Venezuela can clearly been seen from the small islands but any thoughts of escape had to be carefully planned as the surrounding waters were, and still are, shark infested, which is not exactly conducive to an exhilarating swim for freedom.

But even on the island great care is needed when walking around.
Can you discern a rather 'snappy' friend which Robin, luckily, spotted before it spotted him....



But the advantage of visiting Devil's Island as a tourist, (or in this case musician having a few hours off...) rather than a prisoner, is that you get to leave at the end of the day and return to the luxury of your room:



Robin only spent a short time on the Island as his concert was that evening.
But he was there long enough to realise how desperate and difficult it must have been for the inmates.
Somehow his guitar concert that night felt slightly easier...

First Performance and a pair of Pink Dolphins

Robin has been having quite an adventure, and seen some fabulous sights, over the last few days.
Unfortunately internet access is painfully slow, if working at all, so he has been unable to send any photographs.

However, after one conversation, which was constantly interrupted by shouts of, "Wow, a pair of pink dolphins," I have found you a picture:



These are incredible, beautiful creatures, which are now at risk due to the rapid changes in the area. You can read more about them here.
The need to preserve this fabulous part of the world is something that Robin has been involved in previously. Here's the post, 'Help Save the Brazilian Rainforest'.

Robin also really enjoyed watching as groups of very small children paddled up to the ship in their canoes, waving and smiling, and generally having a wonderful time.

But there has also been work to do.
During this trip Robin has had two concerts to perform, the first of which was on Friday.
It was an easy job for the sound man on this occasion as all that was required were two microphones and a chair with no arms!
So after a simple sound check the concert got underway and went very well indeed.
Since then Robin has had the opportunity to speak to many of the audience and received excellent feedback.
No comment yet from the pink dolphins...
I do hope they manged to pick up a few sound waves and enjoyed the experience.

Today is concert day once again.
Preparations will have started, and luckily they are now heading towards Devil's Island, and the sea has calmed down a little.
That's a relief as it isn't much fun practicing scales and arpeggios whilst trying to remain upright in ones chair.

Arrival in the Amazon, Caruso and Fitzcarraldo

Finally, after a very frustrating and tedious journey, Robin has arrived at his destination and joined Seabourn Pride.
All started off well, in that he arrived at Manchester airport on time, but things deteriorated from there.

A delay in take off resulting in a missed connection and a 10 hour wait in Paris....

Those following Twitter will have read about events as they unfolded, and the support and advice on, 'ways to amuse oneself during long delays at airports', were much appreciated.
Special thanks must go to one of my Twitter friends, missmussell, over on, 'The Omniscient Mussel', for providing games and advice during this time!

On reaching Sao Paulo, and once more 'waiting', Robin was rather amused to hear someone calling his name.
It was a magician, who had appeared from nowhere, and was accompanying Robin on the final leg of his journey.
He was pleased to have the distraction of some much needed company by this point.

But after 38 hours Robin arrived in Manaus, Brazil, and was able to recover from his journey in luxury.
Incidentally, Robin made it with only about 3 hours to spare...no wonder we were all getting a little tense here.

Manaus is an incredible place, situated in the middle of the Amazon forest. But it isn't as one would imagine. Having become very wealthy in the early 20th Century, Manaus is a bustling city.
The Opera House, built during the heyday of the rubber trade was once visited by all the most famous Opera Divas and Maestros.

Thankfully Robin has a few days to recover and acclimatise before his concerts, the first one not being until Friday and the second a few days later.
When Robin joined Seabourn Pride she was actually docked on the Rio Negro, but within a few hours set off to cover the 4 miles to the Amazon.

He's ready for it though.
Last time I spoke to him he was heading up to the top deck armed with an old 78 of Caruso, which he was going to play at high volume.
If you are unsure what I'm talking about, then you are probably unfamiliar with Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, a rather eccentric character. His story was told in the film, Fitzcarraldo.