It sure was nice to see my friends in the National Orchestra of Lille again. It had been two years since my last engagement and it felt like forever!

This past April I was supposed to conduct Liszt's great Faust Symphony and Haydn's wonderful 95th Symphony there but had to cancel because of the Icelandic Volcano! There were absolutely no flights from the States to anywhere near France for a whole week. It was the first time in my whole career that I had to cancel an engagement. At  least I had a good excuse–a volcano blowing up!!

It was a big disappointment for me. I was looking forward to the Liszt, which was a new piece for me and I had spent the better part of a year, off and on gradually digesting it. Man, was I ready to conduct it! Oh well. It is in my repertoire now and I'm sure it will figure into my future programming.

One good thing was that the conductor who replaced me, Paul Mann from England, and I became pen pals. Paul wrote me a warm email from Lille while he was there working and we have been corresponding ever since. 

It's funny, but just before I had to cancel on Lille, I was called to Barcelona at the last minute to replace Michelle Plasson. The program included Dutilleux's "Shadow of Time" for orchestra and children's choir, a tricky piece I had never heard. I wasn't able to even see the score until arrival at my hotel in Barcelona and only had a day and a half to learn it before rehearsals began! Fortunately I thrive under pressure and all went very well. 

Well, back to Lille. I've been guest conducting there for a decade now and have always had a wonderful rapport with the orchestra and staff. Founded and led by Jean-Claude Casadesus, it is a first-rate ensemble, one of France's "AA" orchestras and noted for its versatility and outreach to the many towns in its region in the north-east of France. There is Flemish influence in the architecture, food and drink there. Indeed, you can hop in a car and be in Brussels in 45 minutes!  

Over the years I have made many good friends there who are always so kind to invite me to their homes for dinner and lively conversation. And that was certainly true on this trip. It's a good thing I didn't stay too long or I might have put on more pounds than I would have liked!

One anecdote: after a rehearsal I was being driven back to my hotel, a trip that normally takes about 5 minutes (one could easily walk it). On this occasion, there was a big demonstration and march through the streets protesting the raising of the retirement age from 60 to 62. It took us 90 minutes to get back! The thing was that it gave Ugo Ponte, my English driver and me a chance to get to know one another and we found we had alot of common interests–philosophy, good books–many things. Ugo is a talented photographer and is now taking photos for the orchestra.

Well, I'm back home now and preparing myself for my debut in Japan–Handel's Messiah in Tokyo and Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Osaka! More on that another time!

All the best,

Paul

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