Final week before my trip to UK

Milton Hinsbis, Carlos Paredes, myself and TessyTrujillo - Reflecting!

I go to UK on Friday, no packing done, plan to be nomadic and take minimal luggage, but need a big bag to bring ”stuff” back – music, books, clothes, digital-piano?

Last Saturday had the great pleasure to invite, my “Doctor” for Dinner – much nicer way to recompense for a consultation than mere money!  A very delightful man from one of the great Trujillo families, we talked of many things travel, food, and art and so nice to make a new friend from outside the music world.

Yesterday saw the fruition of 6 months meticulous preparation for the debut recital of Tessy Trujillo my student in CEIM (The centre for the execution and interpretation of music) of which I am the Director.

She sang a programme of 15 songs, 5 classical pieces, 5 opera arias and 5 Spanish/Peruvian songs. To give such a demanding recital was quite a feat and I hope she is justly proud of herself.  

 

Tessy with her profesor Martha Perez - interpreting "El Condor Pasa"

 I accompanied the best I could - despite the fact that I hate the piano in the “Teatrin” with a passion: It is a crime that the Ministry of Culture has allowed a fine Yamaha grand to deteriorate into such a condition, the action is faulty and the piano has not been tuned in years, the strings are rusty and the sound is metallic, it is impossible to play the piano softly and some idiot cleaned the keys with something that has removed the coating leaving the keys rough to the fingers. A disgrace! I was just wishing I was playing my upright Yamaha from my teaching studio!

I also wish I could afford the £600 for a wonderful Korg SP280 digital piano to have in the flat and to use for recitals all over the place – the students need to be giving recitals much more frequently and in different locations and to different audiences. But there are so few playable/usable piano here.  (All contributions gratefully accepted!)

 In the meantime, after a tortuous process have finally encouraged the Conservatoire to repair a old digital piano made by Roland, which has lain unplayed for years!  So far it has cost just S.120 (£30) for repairs and is almost playable,except for the fact that four keys do not work so I am traking down the relevant spare parts from Roland UK. A recent fund raising event by Otra Cosa may well supply the necessary "dosh" for these parts!

 Anyways back to the recital, it was also a pleasure to accompany Daniel Balser a young cellist from Germany who is here volunteering for Otra Cosa and working as visiting cello professor in the Conservatoire. 

I hope to form a piano trio in August (Piano, Cello and Violin)to do more chamber music.  It is such a joy to play. Another reason to have the digital piano is that I can then do daily piano practice in the flat rather than just 2 - 3 hours a week at the conservatoire.

Anyways back to recital….. we had a good audience of around 50- 60 people and I hope  to continue with a CEIM recital every month.

Casona Desa

Another development is that my pupil Flavio has made an arrangement with a lovely cafe restaurant “Casona Desa”  for music nights and a few students and I will provide music every two weeks on a Saturday ….. the Casona is an old 18^th century colonial villa and just a perfect location for small concerts and recitals.  Very excited about this!

So, now I have two more concerts on Thursday and then out for dinner with Nick and start my journey on Friday.  Rather arduous, as I have  a 7 hour wait in Lima airport and 4 hours in Madrid then on arrival in Heathrow have to take the tube to Victoria and then a train to Hove, where I am staying with Andy for a few days before my “progress”  north to be with friends and back in Birmingham.
( 32 hours door to door  :-((( )   the joy of cheap travel!

Postscript: I am preparing a ton and a half of bolognese sauce to go in the freezer so that Nick will not starve whilst I am away, I am sure he will be Ok,but I need to assuage my guilty conscience especially if I enjoy myself too much in the UK!  He is fine about me going but I know that we will miss each other.

Busy and very satisfying week

Wednesday saw the first concert of the newly reformed Youth Orchestra and the Junior String Group.   

 Some 42 youngsters took part, playing a varied programme including traditional music of Peru and Bulgaria as well as well as classical music by Vivaldi and Massenet.  I also arranged the Vivaldi concerto for two cellos for two euphoniums and was very happy with the result as it was redesigned to work antiphonally between the two soloists.  Fredy and Rafa (two of my students gave a great performance and the strings accompanied beautifully. Nicolle the leader of the youth orchestra also acted as violin soloist in the Meditation from Thais by Massenet.

The youngsters had a great time and were very excited and happy with the fact that the hall was full to bursting and the audience very appreciative. 

Parents took the trouble to phone the Conservatoire Director to tell him how pleased they were – which is good for my credibility.

Vivaldi meets the Euphoniums!

Today (July6)  is the “Day of the Maestro” and in recognition of that I was presented with a gift and am to be given lunch today.

The bar!

Disco disco!

The other big event was the PARTY.   The first party Nick has had to celebrate his birthday since his 1^st birthday!  He Invited friends and work colleagues and we had around 30 people dancing drinking and eating - well actually: drinking, drinking, drinking, eating and dancing. 

The posh flood lighting was turned on in the front of the house and along with the lighting it was pretty obvious that a party was going on – especially as half of Trujillo probably enjoyed the music.   So glad we wrote to the neighbours. 

 The music started at 10:00pm and finished around 6:30am: I went to bed at 5:00 having consumed vast quantities of “tequila shots” – there was a mountain of food most of which was consumed along with around 12 bottles of spirits and 72 bottles of beer!  

Dancing......here's a "nice little mover" in action!

Nick and two of his admirers!

 Amazingly the fish swam aroung their tank oblivious to the mayhem going on, on the other side of the glass!

Birthday boy!

The group foto

The flat is a perfect party venue and it only took 6 hours to clear the mess up on Saturday – he says sarcastically!  Still Nick had the party he always wanted. [Only blots on the landscape were very inferior helium balloons and the disco guys left taking with them a full bottle of Absolute Vodka!]

Me, Nick and his Mum

The countdown has begun for my trip to the UK, students are presenting me with lists  of “wants and needs” and my diary is slowly but surely filling up- it is going to be a fun three weeks a catching up with friends and enjoying the English summer (I booked sun!) my last two weeks here are very busy leading up to three recitals in 3 days and I will be ready for a break.  Will miss Nick of course – but maybe next year we will travel together.

Looking forward to a walk along the seafront in Hove .....