It is quite hard to believe that I have been away from home for over a week - in some ways it feels like I've been away for ever, on the other hand this tour is flying by, literally!
 
Now I am in Perth and have finally got a few moments to write about this trip.  It all started 8 days ago when I flew to Kuala Lumpur to play with the orchestra there, which was my first trip to the city.  There is something in me that simply adores being in the "Far East". The merest mention of the three words "South China Sea" makes me smile with happy anticipation of warm, humid weather and exotic flora and scents - not to mention the food.This first visit to KL was every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be, made even more enjoyable by the visit of two friends who had flown in from Spain especially to hear me play the Elgar there.
 
My beautiful hotel was so luxurious that it was a pleasure to feel jet-lagged and exhausted in such gorgeous surroundings, and it gave me a good excuse to spend as much time as I could lying by the pool, gazing at the palm trees and listening to the birds singing away.  But, hold on, there was definitely some work to be done!  Not only that, but the ELGAR concerto, the most taxing and monumentally difficult of all violin concertos, save the Ligeti.  The piece is such a test of stamina and the sheer volume of notes in the last movement is quite breath-taking.  For those of you who are interested, I have written a chapter about the concerto in a book which has just been published in honour of the special 150th anniversary of Elgar - an Anniversary portrait.
 
Anyway, back to Malaysia.  My first rehearsal with the orchestra was on Friday afternoon - thank goodness that it was in the afternoon, as most of the morning was spent drinking coffee and trying to wake up and pretend it didn't feel like the middle of the night.  I really enjoyed the spirit in the orchestra - they are a young orchestra, formed less than 10 years ago and they have the great luck to play in the beautiful Petronas concert hall which is, as the title suggests, the hall which lies between the massive Petronus towers for which Kuala Lumpur is so famous.  These towers really are awesome and they look even better at night when they are beautifully lit.  I have taken some photos so when I get home they will be able to find their way on to the site.  The concert hall is magnificent and the backstage area is the most sumptuous that I have ever experienced anywhere.  I have seen quite a variety of dressing rooms in my time but never have I had a suite of rooms as palatial as the ones in the Petronus concert hall!
 
My conductor in KL was Adrian Leaper and he is a most sensitive of accompanists in a concerto which is as much a test of the conductor and orchestra as for the soloist.  He carefully guided the orchestra in the first rehearsal as there were very few of them who knew the piece.  But soon it began to take shape and I could feel the excitement of the players as they got to know this great work.
 
Dinner that night was spent very entertainingly with my friends and Adrian and we negotiated our way through a delicious Chinese meal and enjoyed some nice wine.  Adrian made me laugh as he was on a mission to find some Chinese or Malaysian wine but whenever he asked the waiters for some wine "from the region", they only ever brought him a list of Australian wine!  After a little while, it dawned on us all that Australia WAS to all intents and purposes, "the region"!!
 
The next morning we were rehearsing once more and the afternoon was spent quietly, as I still needed to conserve energy after the long flight and subsequent jet-lag.  The first concert went very well indeed and we received a very enthusiastic reception from the audience, many of whom would never have heard the piece before.  Afterwards, a tiny little girl came up to me and asked for my autograph - she had been learning violin for a year and had clearly enjoyed the concerto.  The management then took my friends, Adrian and me out for a lovely meal to celebrate and before long it was the early hours of the morning, as the concert had not finished until past 10pm.
 
However, there was no time for a lazy morning the next day, as the second concert was due to begin at 3pm - so there was more practice to be done, in addition to a small technicality of finding a cobbler to repair the heel on my only pair of concert shoes that I have brought with me!  As I had been walking off stage the previous night, I noticed that the soles were coming loose and thank heavens that there was a repair shop open on a Sunday, otherwise I would have been in trouble for the whole tour!
 
The second concert went even better than the first which was quite unexpected as I always believe that I play better in the evening than in the daytime. The audience gave us a tremendous ovation and I was given yet more beautiful flowers.  Once more, the tiny little violinist appeared at my dressing room, this time bearing an eighth-sized violin which she wanted me to autograph!  With some unease at putting graffiti on a musical instrument I did as she asked, and then asked her if she would play to me.  With shining eyes and great poise, she played her little piece and I was most impressed by her bow-arm and her strong sense of rhythm.  You can often sense "star quality" in a child and this little girl has it in bucket loads!
 
Then it was time to go back to the hotel, say goodbye to Adrian (who just had enough time to enjoy a full cream tea before his flight!) and then spend a delightful final evening with my friends.  The next day was the first of only two free days on this three and a half week trip, so I took full advantage of it by enjoying the pool and also a Thai massage which made me feel very relaxed and soothed my muscles after the strenuous hours of rehearsal and performance.
 
Early on Tuesday morning I was driven to the airport where I flew to Perth.  For the last two days I have been in rehearsal with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and one of my favourite conductors, Yan Pascal Tortelier.  Our first concert is tomorrow night - but in the meantime, I will finish this letter as I have a nice social engagement tonight with my dear friend Piers Lane, who has just arrived here in Perth.  He is staying with a musical friend of his and we are both invited to a dinner party at his friends' house.....
 
So more anon!
 
Tasmin