CD Countdown 7: In Tune! (hopefully)
Just one sleep left until the release of our CD!!! It has certainly been a busy 18 months touring the country with our Revolting Rhymes and Marvellous Music (RRMM) project, and we thought it would be fun to go back and reminisce about one of our more action-packed days from last autumn...
It is September 2016, and the week of Roald Dahl's centenary celebrations. We have been invited by BBC Radio 3 to perform works from the RRMM project live in their studio. How exciting! Only one slight problem; Cat (Magnard's bassoonist) is not in the U.K and her 'normal' bassoon is situated somewhere in West London... Fortunately, she is booked on a flight that just about enables her to get to the studio on time, but with only her baroque bassoon for company. Not sure even the amazing Cat can pull off the character of 'Grandma' on a period instrument (although I wouldn't put it past her to try!). A cunning plan is devised to reunite her with her modern bassoon, the aptly named Siegfried (Siegfried Bassoon...), outside BBC studios and we all pray that her flight back is not delayed (thank goodness it's not this year with a certain airline! Ahem). All goes to plan and we are finally safely assembled with the correct equipment and the wonderful Suzie Klein, surrounded by a sea of cables and microphones. Also, lots of clocks. Everyone must be able to easily see a clock from wherever they are sitting in the studio. I'm not sure I've ever paid so much attention to the second hand before... Between live snippets we have to sit in absolute silence, and the room is so well soundproofed that it feels like you can hear your own blood in circulation. I think we're all secretly a little worried that BBC Radio 3 and its listeners are not prepared for some of the ridiculousness we are about to unleash on them....
Fear not. Dahl's universally adored text is relatable to all ages, and the compositional brilliance and wit of Paul Patterson and Martin Butler effortlessly win over the entire studio, as we see the shaking shoulders of a giggling producer and his team of sound engineers behind the glass screen. Phew!
It has gone 6pm and we shuffle out of the studio and pack up all our things. Time to go home yet? No! No rest for the wicked, as we have to run to catch trains/car lifts up to Derbyshire so that we're ready and in position for a full day of workshops, followed by an evening recital at Repton School (Dahl's alma mater). It turns out Repton and its prep school, Foremarke Hall, certainly know how to put on a party. Fancy dress was compulsory throughout the day, and just look at all this Roald Dahl-themed cake!
Suling x
