I promised I would be writing more on this blog this summer, instead of which I'm in the middle of writing another book. And there have been other very pleasant interruptions, such as being asked to speak at one of the Proms Extra talks - this was in conjunction with a performance of some of Ravel's most gorgeous fairy-tale inspired music: Contes de ma mère l'Oye, Scheherezade, and L'Enfant et les Sortileges, under the baton of Simon Rattle. In the photo above, there's myself on the right and the composer Kerry Andrew in the middle, doing sound checks with presenter Rana Mitter before the talk in Imperial College Student Union Hall, close to the Albert Hall. Kerry's debut novel 'Swansong' is based on a Scottish fairy ballad, and here she is performing outdoors, live, a wonderful version of the folksong 'The Cutty Wren'.
It was lovely to meet her, and once we got started up there on the platform we could probably have gone on talking all night... If you'd like to hear us, click the BBC iplayer link, here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/p06j2938
I will posting more regularly again, now autumn's here.
