This month started with a bit of madness, which I hoped I could get away with: following that nearly 15 hr long plane-journey from the south of Brazil back to Europe, I had to fly to Milan the next morning, go almost straight upon arrival to the Teatro di Varese where the Rtsi Orchestra from Radio Lugano, was waiting to rehearse the programme done a couple of weeks previously-- Storgårds the conductor-violinist arrived late from Paris where he had been the soloist the night before-- but since we had already played a concert 2 weeks previously, it was OK. And the players really only needed to be reminded of a few corners so we just about went through it...

I must say the concert was a blissful confirmation - I had not 'imagined' it: Music will triumph given the right circumstances! During the performance I was in seventh heaven - John watching me (for once the right way around!) like a hawk, from the corner of his eye, in total communion with any momentary impulses of mine or one's idiosyncrasies which can surface in concerts... I can say it was my most inspired and the freest of Schumanns, ever - a most moving musical moment to me. It all goes to show that even the worst experiences will serve a purpose, and good will come of it. Let's not despair!

In time: for once there was a very perceptive critic who somehow captured all I had lived through, in his review... somehow it felt as if he was writing a book on me, and knew me inside out ... scary ... I have no idea who he is either!

It's a pleasure to play in a hall like the Turner Simms of Southampton; its warm and attentive audience is most responsive, that always makes a difference to the performer. I had quite a demanding programme which included both Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit and Rachmaninov's 2nd Sonata -- only after I started the latter, did I remember I had given a Master Class for TV in Southampton, on that very work, oops!! And yes, there was one little man who had indeed been there; he came to remind me of it but also to congratulate me on having had the courage to do it, almost as if to show how's it's supposed to be done... it would be sad if he came to say: rubbish! Phew!

Well, a long story-cut-short: some of you may remember (My Journal's November entry) the Mercedes I bought at Ebay's ...? I drove that from London and ... fiddling with parking permits and temporary explanatory notes, I forgot the key in the ignition, turned as far as the electrics ... when time came to go to my lovely hosts the Garfields' for a delicious post-recital dinner -- thanks, Agnès -- the battery was... as dead as a dodo!! I managed to convince Kevin, the hall manager, to try and get a security guard: "surely someone is bound to have a charger!" YES. and it happenned again after dinner: it had not been enough of a drive to charge it properly! This time we needed the AA guy to come by!

One positive thing in all this .. no-one took the car away before the battery went flat ... a Mer 500 sitting there with the key in the ignition: duh !!! That would have been a disaster!

I got back home around 4 am. !

At least, I had the company of Gemma, a charming aspiring pianist who comes from Ireland to have lessons with me! How keen can one be?

Oh, and as a matter of information to my dinner-companions: the battery was perfectly all-right and I did not need to buy a new one!

By the way thanks Kevin, for .. all the rest!

Any of you had similar mishaps? Worrying distraction, though, so unlike me... !