It's been a while since I wrote anything here.  That's not to say I've not been busy - I've been overseeing the design and printing of the brochure for the November concerts, and putting together the notation (I can never bring myself to call a pile of printed paper 'music').  I've just spent two hours printing out parts, which is much more satisfying than it sounds.  And I've done some practice.  But not much.

There was a great review of the CD in Early Music Review, which flopped onto my doorstep this morning, and a more reflective (and lengthy) review of The Gentle Shepherd which was very complimentary about the music if less so about other aspects of the show.  I spoke to Liz Kenny on the phone tonight: she thought it was a bit miserable how many reviews have complained about the basis of the production (it wasn't staged), when that was clearly a given with the budget available.  I don't mind really: they're just reflecting what it felt like to be in the audience, which is the whole point.  The CD review is on the press page.

I spent some of last week writing a grant application for the Scottish Arts Council: not for a baroque project, but a contemporary music one.  The problem I have with these sorts of applications is that to look good they have to have a theme, and unlike theatre or literature, music isn't about anything other than itself - try and describe what it's about and you get as many descriptions are there are listeners.  So short of adding on a section involving community fart-lighting in Shetland or the majesty of wave power or something, it's difficult to sell a project that just involves making interesting music.

On Monday morning I went to Edinburgh to deliver the application (having sat up until 3am writing the thing) with the intention of visiting the National Library of Scotland while I was there.  For once I didn't phone first, and I arrived in the foyer to be met with a notice telling me it was closed for the week.  Oops.