Just arrived in Warsaw to play Walton Cello Concerto for the opening night of the Witold Lutoslawski Forum in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. Very happy to be playing Walton again. Last time I was here was 1989 as I passed through by train on my way from Moscow to Berlin having finished my studies in Moscow. It was only a few months before the wall came down.

It’s been much too busy – so much so that I came down with pneumonia a while ago! But fully recovered and had a very enjoyable trip to Rumania to play the Walton concerto with the Philharmonic in the really wonderful Philharmonic Hall in Bucharest – visually stunning, and a perfect cello acoustic. Off tomorrow to play and record Walton again, this time with the BBC Scottish Orchestra, for Radio 3. Anyone out there love this piece as much as I do? It’s amazing! I’ve been reading lots of Walton biographies as well, and he was such a fascinating man – very enigmatic, very talented, and the cello concerto is one of his best. The performance on Monday will be 50 years and a day after the European premiere given by Piatigorsky.

I’ll put a post up when I know when it is going to be broadcast on Radio 3.