by Tristan Latchford

 

A few reflections on a fantastic premiére series of 'Yearnings for Home'

Date added: 29/05/2024

I’ve sat down to write this in a flurry, as the premiere series of ‘Yearnings for Home’ comes to an end. The audiences were wonderful, and since the concerts my inbox has been filled with all manner of nice messages and hearty encouragement. This includes one particular listener who inquired after the piano technique used when the pianist ‘reached inside the bowels of the piano to energise the strings’, which is known as a flageolet.¹

The major takeaway though, has been just how fun the series was to put on, and how well we came together as a group despite the musical equivalent of a ‘scot schedule’. The recordings we have yielded are very good, and I’m looking forward to their publication later this year as a part of our ongoing work on the Harmonicham label. Indeed, after the Chesterton concert, I met James Eisner who asked for a copy of the score of the Libera Me (commissioned by Bryce Zimmerman) that he might adapt for his playing. If any performances of this are coming, I’ll be sure write updates as they come.

The series has left me with a new group of compatriots to play music with in Cambridge, whose company, musicality, and humour I thoroughly enjoy. Whilst it may be a while before I can next play in Cambridge, I shall endeavour to find an occasion to bring ourselves together again for 2025. In the meantime however, these professional musicians are hard at work at their own concerts and projects, which you can find linked below (for those who have online presences).

Solo Violin: Claire Hebeisen
Violoncello: Jon Fistein

In the meantime, I look forward to reflecting on this series, and preparing for its U.S. return in November.