Robin Hill & Izzy Cooper Recording & Concerts on the QM2

The onset of 2010 has been a busy one.
After a snowy start, and precarious journey to Dewsbury, for a highly successful lunchtime concert, Robin set off for a week in London recording with soprano Izzy Cooper.
I'm listening to the recording as I write and I know you will all love it.
Robin and Izzy have performed many times together, and due to high demand this classical guitar/vocal album will be released in 2010.
With everything from the sweetness of Rodrigo's 'En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor', the raunchy flamenco of de Falla and a Robin Hill original, 'Cancion', there really is an eclectic mix.
It was an intense week, recording all day with the evenings spent preparing for the next session.
This was made all the more difficult by the death of my Grandmother. She and Robin had a very special relationship, as can be seen by this post, 'A Professor Calls and Lunar Bianco'. But professional as ever, the recording went on, and when you hear the words to 'Cancion', you will hear how difficult this must have been.
So it was a very tired guitarist that arrived home in the early hours of Saturday 23rd of January. This didn't prevent us spending an hour or so listening to his weeks work accompanied by the dawn chorus.
But by the 26th Robin was off once again.
This time flying to Dubai to join the Queen Mary 2, for an extensive trip visiting Cochin, Phuket, Penang, Port Kelang, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Vung Tau and finally Hong Kong.
Four concerts were performed in the beautiful Royal Court Theatre and with four different programmes Robin was kept very busy.
However, it wasn't all work.
Over the 2 1/2 weeks he met up with some old friends.
First there was the fabulous and extremely talented magician, Brett Sherwood.
The two get on very well and discovered they had a mutual interest in table tennis.
During one of their games some passing passengers stopped to watch.
They couldn't resist asking Brett if he could make the ball disappear. Sure enough, quick as a flash, the said ball disappeared before their eyes, only to to reappear a few seconds later.
This was a virtuoso performance by Brett and made Robin's task of beating him at table tennis all the more difficult.
The next time I'm in a pub with Brett I shall be plying him with drinks until he tells me how he does it!
I'm also very grateful to Simeon Wood, another old friend who was also on the QM2, and in fact left the same day as Robin. After completing his own gruelling 13 hour flight from Hong Kong he took the time to 'phone me and make sure I was aware that Robin's flight had been delayed and that he had therefore missed his connection.
All the more ironic as a few weeks previously he had been laughing about the fact that travelling with Robin always seem to result in some form of disruption.
Believe me, I know.
But now he is home, for a while anyway, and the house is once again filled with the sound of the guitar.

First Day at Sea - First Concert

Yesterday Robin performed the first of two guitar concerts on board the QM2.
It took place in the 'Royal Court Theatre', which seats 1000, and on this occasion the theatre was full.
It isn't often that Robin is enthusiastic about his own performance, he's usually highly critical of his playing, but he was pleased yesterday.

There was one 'nail' incident, which regular readers will know happens from time to time, and is always a guitarists nightmare.
It was severe enough to actually stop playing, the nail literally became unstuck, and if Robin had continued, it would probably have flown off into the audience.
He was playing 'Zapateado' by Sabicas at the time.
He felt the nail give way.
Stopped.
Explained what had happened, and generally chatted to the audience, whilst he re-glued it.
Then started again, completed the piece, and was rewarded with a standing ovation.
He actually received another one at the end of the concert, so I think we can assume that the audience enjoyed it.

Later on he met a gentleman who thanked him for a "great" concert and went on to say, "I wanted to shout, quick, is there a manicurist in the house??!!"

As the concert was held at 2.30 in the afternoon, Robin went off and celebrated with a large bottle of Perrier, followed swiftly by a strong coffee.
At least that's what he told me...

Canarios and Cunard's 'Queen Victoria'

Canarios is a lively and optimistic piece of music which, as the title suggests, hails from the Canary Islands.
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710) was a dominant figure of Spanish baroque music, and Canarios is taken from Sanz's 'Suite Espagnole'.

Many people will recognise the theme from Joaquin Rodrigo's, 'Fantasia Para Una Gentilhombre', which was composed for Andres Segovia in 1953.

Canarios is such a happy piece that Robin frequently performs it as an encore, which is always very popular.
You can hear Robin playing it here, track 10.

There was an interesting article in the paper today, for anyone of a nautical persuasion, 'Cunard adds 'Queen Victoria' to its fleet', by Richard Grey.
Judging by the pictures and the descriptions on Cunard's site, the Queen Victoria is certainly luxurious.
The Royal Court Theatre looks incredible, with three levels to create a grand auditorium, including private boxes.
The theatre seats over 800, and in early January Robin will be performing a couple of concerts on board.
Still, one of the 352,000 bottles of champagne that are expected to be drunk next year, should help to calm any post concert nerves....