Concert on Cunard's Queen Victoria

I told you it was sunny when Robin went through the Panama Canal.
Here's a view from the Queen Victoria yesterday, which gives you an idea of the beautiful terrain.



Apparently the odd crocodile was spotted basking on the banks as they glided by.
Today, they are at sea, the Pacific to be exact.
It is also the day of Robin's concert.
So, I imagine he is in his room, running through the programme, to limber up before his performance. Not to mention the numerous right and left hand exercises.
Some of the pieces he will be playing are, Asturias, Tango en Skai, Jota and Canarios, so it should be a very nice programme.
I let you know more about it as soon as I have news.

'Stay' for lunch With The Hollies, Barrios and Dyens...

Robin had a nostalgic moment at lunchtime today.
He suddenly recalled the memory of Saturday afternoons as a child, and one day in particular.
He was a small boy, just home from a shopping spree in his local town, where he had purchased the latest hit single, 'Stay' by 'The Hollies'.
The recollection he had was one of sheer pleasure.
Playing the freshly purchased single over and over again whilst eating spaghetti bolognese, with a feeling of pure happiness!
This was November 1963.
I wish my memory for past events was so clear.
Mind you, I wasn't born then...

I'm also full of admiration for Robin's parents. Not only did they allow the repeated playing of a song whilst they sat down to eat, (his mama and papa didn't mind...), but, they also prepared a main meal in the middle of the day.

I wonder if our two boys will have any similar memories in the future?
If I take this morning as the norm, then they could well be explaining to their children that Saturday morning was swimming, followed by beans on toast, accompanied by 'La Catedral' by Agustin Barrios, or, perhaps, 'Tango en Skai' by Roland Dyens, played by Robin of course.

Concerts, Autographs and Board Dusters

What a refreshing change.
Robin performed a lunchtime concert today, and, was home by mid afternoon.
The venue was full with a very appreciative audience and it was an eventful programme.
Robin introduced Roland Dyens piece, 'Tango en Skai', as, "Composed by a Parisian but very much an Argentinian tango, and if anyone wants to dance, then feel free."
He then went on to perform the piece with such gusto that his false nail flew off.
Robin continued playing, watched where it landed on the stage, and superglued it back in place whilst the applause rang out.

Flying nails aside, Robin had the chance to talk to a few members of the audience after the concert.
He was surprised to see his old geography teacher, and, very amused when he asked Robin to sign a CD.
The teacher obviously had no idea 40 years ago, when he threw a board duster at the unruly schoolboy, Robin, that today he would be asking for his autograph!
At least Robin was able to tell him that his knowledge of geography has been greatly improved with the extensive travelling he has undertaken.

For all of us at Hillhouse, it's certainly a rare treat, to have Robin home the same day as a concert.
It's a sad reflection on Arts funding in the UK that so much of Robin's work is undertaken abroad.

Second Concert Success for Robin Hill

This is Robin, ready with his guitar, about to leave his room and go on stage for the second, and last, concert of this trip on the QM2.



This is Robin just after the performance:



There appears to be a certain amount of relief, and release of tension, in this image.
I can now report that the second concert was as successful as the first. The theatre was full, balconies included, and once again, he received a standing ovation.

Robin was particularly pleased, as he had decided to play two pieces for the first time in concert, which is always a nerve wracking experience. Not only that, but he told the audience during the introductions, which must have cranked up the tension even further.
You can just imagine them waiting for a mistake.
However, there weren't any, the audience loved the pieces, and, in fact, he was told later by one couple, that they were privileged to hear him play.
That's very nice.
The two new pieces were, 'Tango en skai' by Roland Dyens, and 'Un Dia de Noviembre' by Brouwer.

Later that evening, Robin had been invited out to dinner, and by huge coincidence, found himself sitting next to a gentlemen that went to the same school, was one year above Robin, but they had many mutual friends, and knew all the same teachers.
It really is a small world after all.

One thing Robin has enjoyed on this trip, is what he calls, 'sleep utopia'.
You gain one extra hour in bed every day that you are on board.
What he fails to have remembered, is that he's going to lose all those hours, in one huge serotonin rush, tonight, when he flies home.
That, coupled with two small children very keen to see him, and waking early due to the light mornings, could all feel a very long way off soon.

Meanwhile, David Juritz has arrived in France and has a pretty hectic busking schedule around Paris. If you go to 'Round the World and Bach' you will see his itinerary for the day, and also a link to his blog.

From 'Tango en skai' to the 'Enigma Variations'.

I can now reveal to you one of the pieces that Robin started working on yesterday.
It's 'Tango en skai', composed by Roland Dyens in 1978, and published in 1985.
Coincidentally, a comment was left on our YouTube site, by someone calling themselves, 'EnSkai', from Singapore, only yesterday.
I know that Robin has made huge progress with the piece, as he is now playing it right the way through, and, in fact, is doing so from memory.
This I can prove, as I have the music in front of me, in order to read the composer's notes, and Robin, continues to play in the music room.

The piece is a Tango, and as Dyens states, "The tango is a sensual, even erotic dance of the underworld, whose rhythm, by definition, must be constant from the opening harmonic to the final chord".

One criticism Dyen's has of the many performances and recordings that he has heard, is that they are, "dominated by an extremely classical, 'bow tie and tails' approach, accompanied by streams of misplaced rubatos and, all too often, strategically positioned rallentandos".

He helpfully suggests that, "instead of the elegant, manicured approach, it would be more appropriate to lose one's soul in the rough criminal suburbs of Buenos Aires".
Dyens also, generously states, that if some extra, unwritten notes should stray uninvited into this tango, that he would welcome them with open arms.

With all this in mind, Robin picked up his guitar, and set to work.
This type of piece is an excellent example of the benefits of not coming solely from a classical background.
Having played electric guitar for many years, with some incredible bands, and as a well respected session musician, Robin has the advantage of being a very 'loose', and relaxed player.
It's certainly helping him here, especially as it isn't an easy piece to play.
I think it may even find its way onto the next CD if we ever resolve the microphone issue.

For the last in the series of 'Elgar week', Geoffrey Norris examines the mystery of the 'Enigma Variations', with this fascinating article, 'Puzzle or publicity stunt?'
It makes you want to don your deerstalker and try to unravel the mystery...