Well January just raced by and I still have the horrendous man-cold that started before Xmas and with January gone, the diary for the rest of the year is filling up at a rate of knots.
A pretty short GORR this month as this year is very much still mapping itself out.
February is a real mix of a month with a lot of writing and recording to do as well as other events.
On the 7th, Erik Jordan and I will be recording bits and pieces to send over to Trevor and Jon as part and parcel of the new music we have been putting together and sending each other. It’s a good way of working when you all live so far apart!
On the 8th I am taking part in a memorial service for Philip Cannon, who was a professor and a great influence on me when I was at the Royal College of Music. He taught orchestration and composition and introduced me to my music “bible”, Principles of Orchestration by Rimsky Korsakov. If you have ever heard my version of Eleanor Rigby, then I can tell you that without my one to one lectures with him, that would never have happened.
On the 9th I will be interviewing someone extremely famous for an upcoming video. I honestly can’t tell anyone who it is but in the next GORR, all will be revealed.
On the 11th I will be attending a lunch to remember Diana Dors who I knew well. There is a blue plaque going up for her in London and then the commemorative lunch. She was great fun and everybody who knew her loved her. I got to know her through TVAM where she and I were regulars along with Jimmy Greaves....great days and great memories.
On the 21st I will be in London doing an interview for Japanese television. I am not sure what it’s for, but I’ll find out on the day!!!
On the 26th I fly to Buenos Aires for three piano concerts with an orchestra and choir with Guy Protheroe conducting. I love doing these and I have been titivating some of the scores already and will be doing some more titivating throughout this month as well.
I get back on the 4th and then it gives me a few days to prepare for Lincoln Cathedral on the 7th which should be a wonderful day.
All the allotted seats have been sold and we have now been allocated some more which is great. There’s so much preparation involved and should make for a really special filmed concert.
I’m also spending quite a bit of time deciding on what pieces of music will be on the new piano and strings album, Piano Portraits Plus, to give it its working title. I already have half a dozen pretty firm choices and it’s just a matter of sifting through the shortlist of others.
There is so much I want to do this year and trying to cram it all in is not going to be easy. Everyone around me says I need to get fit in order to even attempt it all which means serious weight loss, an exercise regime and sensible eating.
It’s not going to be easy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Rick