A sudden wave of nostalgia came over me as I remembered my first foreign excursion. I don’t suppose it could happen today; the idea of transporting a group of early teenage boys from the North of England to Belgium and depositing them on the unsuspecting people of Blankenberge would be ruled out of “Health & Safety” laws. We were accompanied by three masters from our boy’s school and could hardly contain our excitement at the thought of this new found liberation. Our accommodation was a small sea front hotel in the centre of the town. We loved it;  I tasted real coffee for the first time and (as most of the boys hated it), I was able to consume huge quantities and so begin a lifelong dependence.  I adored the food, the trains, trams, buses, cigarettes and girls.  We did not dare drink alcohol in those days, perhaps just as well!

Today I can still enjoy some of these things and can be amused by the way Belgians tend to put their country down. I am moved to remind them of the good things they have.  They don’t, for example, have the national shame of starting a recent war and fabricating the reasons for doing so.

This brings us to Iphigenie at La Monnaie – De Munt. You will know the link by now to get all performance details etc. We are using a fine French double from Ducornet. Unusually, the orchestra, chorus and part of the audience are placed on stage. The stage is over where the orchestra pit would be. I think the orchestra are enjoying the ability of seeing some of the action, but, you can imagine if you have to be counting bars, it is also a distraction.

I was very pleased to join with directors and the administration of the orchestra for a Christmas lunch this week. During seventeen years here at The National Opera, I have had unparalleled help and service. It would be very difficult to do my job without this and it has helped to make my time here a pleasure rather than a chore.

This is probably my last blog before the holidays and so I would like to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas.