Being in Flow…
I’ve spent my life trying to recapture synesthesia’s unique flow. Imagine vibrant, billowing waves, wisps of smoke, silk, liquid, and oil. Shiny, sheer walls stretch and grow to a pinpoint peak, where achieving balance—even for a second—brings an unmatched exhilaration. Like looking into the abyss. Now, picture a brilliant sunset, complete with soul-stirring music—then, in […]
Switching to Elgar | The Power of Synesthesia in a Time of Need
A quintessentially English cup of tea… the precursor to this tale! Like many English expats, I’m affected by Elgar’s distinctive symphonic and chamber music. It gives my synesthesia a real workout! Harps and percussion tingling, strings like soft wool blankets, starry woodwind moments, and brass like the noblest, warm gold. Such fun! Synesthetes often link […]
Colours of Home | Finding Harmony in Hues
“Hungarian conductor with a formidable European training, Bela de Csillery, was one of the most important music teachers to emerge from Britain during the post-war years … ” When I was nine or ten, on Saturday mornings at the superb Kent Junior Music School, two expert violin teachers would attend my lesson—Gillian Sansom and her […]
Endless Song | A Homage to Britten
My preoccupation with a new Artaria album, featuring the Oboe Concerto by Judith Weir CBE, Master of the King’s Music, has lingered for years now. The Concerto—recorded in 2018 with co-commissioners Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and conductor Douglas Boyd in Adelaide Town Hall—is a fabulously lyrical work. And a significant addition to our repertoire! All oboists—including […]
Adelaide and Aldeburgh: Tracing Britten’s Legacy
Commissioning composer, Anne Cawrse, has played an important role in my work over the past few months. Her brilliant work, Carmen Perpetuum, serves as a fantastic sequel to Benjamin Britten’s famous Six Metamorphoses after Ovid. It’s a work close to the heart of every English oboist—and I’m no exception. My personal history with Britten’s music […]
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