January 26, 2012 Interview on CTV, Saskatoon - visit to Mendel Gallery with Margaret Cugnet - Rehearsal with Amati Quartet at Convocation Hall, University of Saskatchewan
Up early for another beautiful meal, this time breakfast - carefully made oatmeal, fruit, cheeses, delicate tiny cheese biscuits, muffins and “breakfast biscotti” along with orange juice and capuccino.
Then we headed downtown for our noon interview on Saskatoon CTV. We were met by the leader of the Amati Quartet, Marla Cole. I was glad to meet her after our many email exchanges and she briefed us on concertAlso on the interview were actors from Persephone Theatre’s new production, 39 Steps (James and Jeff?) along with their publicist, Cat. They were a bit bleary-eyed since the opening preview had been the previous night and they were up until the wee hours. But the good news was that the run had already been extended.
We were greeted by CTV’s host, Jeff Rogstad who took us on set. We plopped into leather chairs and waited for him to finish news and weather. I really hoped that my new Yeti boots would make it into the television picture... I plotted how to strategically raise my leg at the right moment ... Jeff sat down to interview us, starting with one of our YouTube clips that Larry Kryski had made for us in the fall of our performance of the Shostakovich Fast Dance at University of Waterloo. The questions came and went very quickly --- what kind of music, why is my hair blue and then it was over and we popped out into the bright prairie day.
We drove through the riverside streets, the sun striking the beautiful bridges. Margaret Cugnet was waiting for us at the Mendel Gallery for lunch --- she runs the Yorkton Concert Association and she had made the journey to hear us in Regina at the start of the tour. She was also planning to hear our concert with the Amati Quartet. Margaret was genuinely interested in hearing about our tour and had also brought along programmes from the start of Guy’s career.
It has been very fortifying to meet people who are so supportive. Marla had to leave early as she had a student waiting but we planned to meet for lunch the next day. After lunch we toured the gallery and got to see the artist installing the next show Kai Chan: a spider’s logic.
First rehearsals with Amati Quartet--- amazing to see the instruments up close and in particular the painting on the back of viola.
Guy’s bashed-up corno was still playing well... my reeds continued to make the adjustments from the previous days in the mountains. We read through all of our works, just taking the time to go through everything --- the new arrangements of Flight of the Bumble Bee (trumpet & bassoon), Oblivion (corno & bassoon) then reading through the Bacchanale, Lachner Concertino, Bassango (I forgot my music but managed to remember it), Trumpet in the Night and the two Shostakovich dances. After we finished the reading, the quartet continued rehearsing their Piazzola piece (Tango Ballet), the lovely Schnittke Polka, Arvo Pärt’s Summa and a very cool Shostakovich. Guy and I went home and found cookies waiting for us on the table, along with the big spread that was in the newspaper about our concert and a sweet note from Guy’s mother... the best tour stop ever.
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