The Saturday evening concert unfortunately attracts only a small audience, probably because of the cold and rain. Nobody feels like changing into our flimsy white concert clothes. We begin with two movements from the Bolling Suite, which suddenly seem more tedious than they did in the last performance. Then the Bach Flute Suite is introduced by Robin in a 10-minute speech laden with deprecatory remarks. 'We've had a huge amount of trouble rehearsing this ... with our different backgrounds we all have different ideas on authentic Bach playing... in this movement we can never agree whether to use this bow stroke, or this one... the overture isn't really meant to be listened to...' and the like. The players are all consumed with amusement, but I wonder how wise it is to reveal to the audience the dissent amongst the players. It seems significant that, having alerted the audience to the number of compromises that had to be made, the performance sounds a bit like that. Nevertheless it's delightful to see the two Ireland faces (two brothers) and the two Wurman faces (brother and sister) next to each other on the platform, each with their characteristic family facial expressions as they play. Robin and I begin the second half with the Rachmaninov Vocalise arranged for viola and piano. I insist on introducing it, so that he doesn't have a chance to say that we found it difficult, and the performance is far more relaxed than it was the other day. Then come the Shostakovich piano quintet, which is also much quirkier and more spacious than before. I have a curious synaesthetic sensation while playing it that each phrase is like a trench that one can walk along, scattering things or picking them out of the earth. << less