A million “Graçias’s” to the wonderful, wonderful public in Valladolid – and an apology: as it was kindly pointed out to me, it was NOT my debut in that beautiful city as I announced from the stage, instead, it was the city of my one-off concert of “Giulio Cesare” a number of years ago with Mark Minkowski! How could I forget that? (Well, I suppose I forgot because it was a very last minute replacement, and I think it was too hectic to think too much on the name of the city!) But I can say with all honesty, it was wonderful to be back!

It was a small, but mighty crowd, and I was so happy to be a part of a concert series that is in the process of building up – from the enthusiasm in the hall, I think you are all off to a wonderful start! Starting a concert series must be an arduous task, and one that involves much risk, so my hat is off to the people with vision and fortitude to make it happen! I hope to be back often!

That’s the good news.

The very bad news is that I woke up the next morning chilly, achy and NOT feeling well. I am going to assume this is the same bug that I was fighting off at the start of this tour, but one which I thought I had kicked to the door. Well, it came back, the damn thing! Happily, I’m in great hands here in Bilbao – the wonderful theater supplied a doctor, and I was accompanied to get the prognosis that, indeed, this is some sort of viral thing. No matter how much you rest, or try preventative measures, sometimes it just gets the better of you.

What to do tonight? I will try and sing … I would hate to lose the chance to sing in this wonderful hall for the first time (I’m certain I’ve never stepped foot in Bilbao before!), and want to try everything I can to sing. But it will undoubtedly be unpredictable. Sometimes I wish my voice was a cello – outside of myself that wasn’t easily put off-form by a little bug, but this is not the case. I’m drowning in hot tea, medication, and lots of crossing of my fingers – now all that is left is to do my best!

(And yes, if I could play any other instrument (other than piano, which I would have a hard time giving up!) it would be the cello. Then Yo Yo Ma and I could play duets together…..!)