FEBRUARY

Two one-liners I will never forget: arriving by train for a recent recital, I went through the usually amusing task of "guessing" who is there to pick me up.  Of course by the time just about everyone has come and gone, I know for sure the old gentleman who looks lost should me be my host: sure enough I see him approach an old lady who had actually sat across from me in the journey to this end-of-the-line location (incessantly checking her mobile for messages, plus called out with a "sooo looking forward to seeing you" type of conversation, with help from everyone withing ear reach as to her arrival on what-time? etc etc . 

Bemusedly I watched this from very near, only to ask: "you may be looking for me?" Following many apologies he explained: 1. well, she was a lady of the "right sort of age"!! Then after many laughters (the shocked lady was three times my size sideways, very short .. and had dyed blond hair!!!) we agreed that given it was already past 3pm, it would be better to go directly to the venue, for a couple of hours in which to go through my recital programme, and only then we would go to his house, where I had a room for the night. Then, to my dismay upon arriving at the barrier, he wound down the car window and announced to the microphone: I won't be long: I am here simply 2."to deliver a musician" ... 

We laughed a lot at these funniest of lines -- very amused by what I have been reduced to in the "third age" career of mine:  a lady past her "sell by date" and ...  an item of delivery! 

But I must admit I had a ball of a time: although having still not got rid of a nasty flu, I was most under-the-weather and in short supply of energy (unheard of, where I am concerned) I was presented to a "full up" venue with the most appreciative British-style audience for my new all-CHOPIN recital programme, then I proceeded to a needed time in which to play "for myself" -- plus a few of the lucky audience who had not left by the time I climbed once more to the Steinway on stage so that I played a selection of the encores I could have done -- if only they didn't understand that although I had given it all, a few minutes later I am ready to play.. Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto, if need be!!! 

So we had Brahms, Schubert, Villa-Lobos even someone who surprised me by asking for a bit of Bowen!! And a magical A major-Brahms Intermezzo to end the evening with sunny hope of better days! 

Thanks Roger, I so enjoyed staying at your 15 stars home plus that delicious dinner, in your company plus that of Jonathan's, a real "know-all musicologist/pianist/record-buff", if ever there was one!

Oh.. and thanks for the revelatory information on the "Aliquot System" in your treasured Blüthner -- fascinating. I must now find out where/how Fazioli adapted/used it in his pianos! 

NOVEMBER

The 1st event of "COPA's Afternoon Workshops" (new venture in my life) happened early this month and it was most enjoyable. My idea is simply to give a few invited/interested pianists, possibly once a month, intense sessions of ironing-out bad habits, musically shaping-up of different works, with needed coaching to open eyes and ears for what has gone blunt ... pear-shaped, so to speak.

Having found time in the morning to bake some of Delia's brownies, oh-so-simple but delicious  -- it was like going back as my girls used to "luv" that -- almost all the pieces disappeared in no time, whatever was left... wasn't there for long: yummm, it goes down like nectar!

More private coaching, incessantly solving technical problems, help with wrong hands positioning resulting in smudged arpeggios, messy scales, 'blocked' trills; pathetic coordination of hands.. But worst of all, that undiscerning use of pedal!!! everywhere!!! which prevents their untrained ears from hearing a legato less than perfect, the mixing of harmonies, smudges notes, inexistent nuances. Horrible. I feel more like a doctor or an ophtalmologist coming across ears blocked by wax ... or eyes suffering from virtual myopia!

Approaching the up-coming tour of recitals in Brazil: actually struggling to memorise York Bowen's Preludes: never had I had such trouble (apart from Schulhoff's "Jazz Etudes") - "too much information" as a young friend utters, every time he listens to those beauties... 

Although it is wonderful to go back home tonshare my Music with my people I would prefer going when the main public is aware that I am in town performng -- after all it's not as if still I lived in my home country therefore playing constantly -- but somehow, publicity went amiss, fact which was made worse by some kind of blockage of sales on the Internet, and so on..
plus a 'premature' reopening of our loved concert hall in Rio .. which also resulted in a bit of a depressing event in that hardly anyone from the street knew it was even happening.

Arriving back in Brazil always feels absolutely as if I never left, even my skin breathes in contact with the humid-ish atmosphere. Picked up from the airport to go to one of the nicest Hotels in SP started me off on my Brailian Journey. In the following days I was mainly going to practice, practice to get through with memorising Bowen's 24 Preludes which I had decided to "premiere" this time. 


These works need airing so that young pianists the world over get to hear them. 

MY JOURNAL

OCTOBER 2014


The recital in Aberdeen, part of a small but intense Festival run by charming and hard working people, was a very enjoyable occasion.

The wooden hall and its very high ceiling, reminded me of the 'charpente' in my own Music Room in France, but unfortunately the piano is 'propped up' on a very high stage (which reminded me of school halls) and left me panting for .. air and space --  most importantly preventing any proximity to the sparse but attentive and endearing audience.

I felt as if  "banished": "there is where you belong.."...  I had to do something..  So coming back for the 2nd half and on the spur of the moment (I never plan anything, in my life) I announced to the surprised but tickled audience that now that "we had done with the serious stuff" -- ie Mendelssohn, Brahms and Chopin -- "we can let our imagination fly". Immediately as if by magic, the atmosphere became much warmer and human, so the 2nd half of the programme, delightfully filled with Spanish, French and Brazilian flair, went down a treat! By the end they were making a racket of a noise by tapping their feet continuously shouting for more!
Sweet, really;  I felt I had somehow virtually 'come down' to their level so that we could enjoy the magic of Music, together!

Yes, I would love to play there an even more fun programme but then -- as discussed -- totally surrounded by the audience as if inter-communicating one and the same experience.

Thanks to all, but mostly to Cathy for looking after me: I so enjoyed our car journeys back and forth from hotel, Hall and/or airport, chatting through a myriad of the most surprising subjects be it ethnic behaviour, accents, languages, experiences or the irrevocably lost history of one's families.

MY JOURNAL


FEBRUARY


And so it was that for a while I had been looking forward to going to California: having received a message from Marcelo Lehninger a few months beforehand through my website email - inviting me to perform Villa-Lobos with him and his New West Symphony Orchestra. The son of Sonia Goulart, a pianist also from Bahia (same town where I was born) -- she and I have known each other for ever. Funny, come to think of it, this realisation leaves me a tinge of envy or perhaps it's regret not to have had a son (only two girls), one who might grow to be a conductor (and Marcelo is truly most talented) with whom I could enjoy music-making .. oh well.

Back in California where, everything was blissful! Marcelo is the sweetest person and easiest colleague to work with -- his choice of Concerto was Villa-Lobos' Momoprecoce Fantasia -- what a difficult piece for any orchestra to understand that the massive scale on their parts doesn't correspond to accompanying a rather thin piano part of a few sparsely written vignettes, originally for piano solo with the orchestral accompaniment added at a later stage..

We had a blast of a time, Marcelo being one of the most relaxed conductors I have ever encountered -- he was preparing a last minute cancellation which he was taking over to happen immediately following our three performances, with the Berlin Rias think, as if it was the 
easiest programme he ever had to bother about... and it included a most complex work, totally new to him! There he was, 'taking care" of his soloist for lunch and dinner, with the occasional caipirinha, just before he'd slip out to do a bit of his own studying before the evening performance. Already so composed a young man ... and to imagine that I 'met' him ... before he was born!

Another breath of fresh air was Natalia, the young manager of the New West Symphony: actually when she appeared, I thought I was meeting ... Cameron Diaz!!

Thanks Marcelo, I so enjoyed working with you: the slow "A gaita de um precoce fantasiado" 
was extra-flexible and our "sambão" in the finale of Momo was grrreat! 
Keep just as unspoiled as you are, riding all the success you deserve and when no doubt, even 
more of it will hit you! Do your mother Sonia proud! And me, too! Big hug!

MY JOURNAL



JULY


Early in the month, I went back to playing a short recital outdoors, in the courtyard of the unique Vigeland Museum in Oslo, for my friend Ole B. (since the frustrating experience of the OSB a few years ago, when I had to take sides with some 40 musicians eventually fired, by an unfortunately misguided conductor). 
Since the centenarian mother of my 'ex' comes from Trondheim, my two daughters have Norwegian blood in them -- good enough reason for Norway always to be close to my heart.

The next day, a Masterclass had been arranged by John L. , friend pianist who's now Répétiteur at the Oslo Opera house and a most capable organiser. A few weeks later he was to join me for another date (v. August).

Some time ago, out of the blue, I had been invited by lovely Katya L. to participate in her 1st "Musical Odyssey", in Greece which was most brilliantly managed with the help of Dimitri, her amazingly clever and gentle husband. Congratulations and I hope that many more will happen. 

Thanks, guys!


Going back to the country where, 'million' of years ago, I had had such special times when first married, hit me with such strength that it had me in tears for most of the way from the airport     to Nafplio, first capital city of Greece, where the Festival was to take place. Looking out of my  side of the car onto the indescribable eery sharpness of diminishing light above the mountains, brought me flash-backs of much happiness and young love, I let tears roll down my face, 
washing away memories I knew not still existed, cleansing me of 'débris' painfully hanging in my existence.

Ministering so many hours of classes that week, felt like the best medicine, putting into perspective how much stronger Music makes me -- and slowly but surely, teaching is also becoming more important than ever, in my life.

One unforgettable moment which quickly became hillarious conversation subject: when I was  called out of a lesson (Chopin 1st Ballade) to speak .. to a Policeman, who came in to admonish       me for disturbing the 'sacred' siesta time, from 3-5 pm!!                  
I was sooo furious and shocked at the way I was being told off, that I said: "I do NOT 'make noise', don't blame me, I am being paid to do a job, all I care about is carrying out what I was brought here to do, don't be so rude as to blame me for doing it etc etc... "

Of course I had to be the only one teaching at a music school, between two neighbour buildings -- but after the schedule was rearranged, there were no further incidents! 

-- Funny or what?! 


AUGUST 

On the way to a long stay in my 'haven' in the Sud-Ouest of France, I was to play a recital at a new friend's festival in St Lizier's Cathedral, near Toulouse. It went so well and delighted I was to meet not only David L. (Festival director) and his hostess Annie, but also Gilles O. -- capable young festival administrator - and delightful wife.
John L. (from Norway) combined going back home from his holidays in France, to attending the recital in order to drive me home near Bordeaux, but also to play 2nd piano = orchestra part for the Concertos prepared by some of the yound participants in the Worshop, starting a couple of days later.

The"Atélier 2014" went rather well > this year they were all Brazilians. Somehow, each group of pianists becomes closer and closer each day that passes. Funnily for some reason I "renamed" them: every time I looked at each of them a different name came to me. So it was that Leonardo became Roberto, André = Daniel, Silvia = Sonia. etc etc -- Clovis had the ability to 'knock off' any left over quantity of food = "aspirador" ... Giancarlo = GC who's so clever! Apart from very intensive but enjoyable work, we have such fun that by the time they leave.. I really miss their bubbly presence! 

-- Saudades mil, gente! 

Then came M. my youngest daughter's wedding -- such a success! She is so happy with her beau, P.  > happiness for Mums! 


SEPTEMBER


Well, believe it or not, gorgeous Brahms 2 had been scheduled a while back before the wedding had been planned. I had quite a scare when she announced their upcoming chosen date... oops, only a couple of days before I was to start rehearsing that "easy little piece", in Gotha! Of course, as the wedding (and upcoming Concert date) approached more and more, I needed to .. play through the Brahms, at different times of the day, building up resistence, like an athlete for a Marathon! Honestly it is a fabulous work, one which given a chance I'd like to play as often as possible, keeping up all the work that goes into re-preparing that gem!

Conductor Michel Tilkin with whom I had performed a few years ago Beethoven's Emperor in Antwerp had got in touch -- well Gunther, his new Orchestra (but leaving) manager, directly negotiated with me through the website -- 1st time ever. 
We had such a good time and although he had never done the Brahms - not really 'common' repertoire - he had consciously made sure we had plenty of preparation time. It was a most enjoyable experience, the guys in the Orchestra also worked very hard and all ended really well. 
Such a pity Gunther is gone but I do hope we'll work again together. 

-- Thanks, Michel, our collaboration gets better each time, huh?!

As if I hadn't done enough, after local friends kept asking when I was playing this summer... which i hadn't planned on doing .. I decided to do a recital... Which later became a Chamber Music evening with the presence of lovely artists met in Greece at the end of July, who accepted to join me for a Soirée Musicale. Very late nights ensued, a lot of hard work but plenty of round-the-table-ping-pong: we had such great time combining beautiful music with easy going passtime!

Thanks Christine, Özcan, Antonio; and Sílvia and Rodolfo - the young Brazilians who couldn't stay away from the occasion.

CRISTINA ORTIZ INTERNATIONAL PIANO ACADEMY

ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL CRISTINA ORTIZ para PIANISTAS


Re-living Tagliaferro career and her foresight in developing pianists' abilities at well as enhancing listeners' interest in music, and emulating Dirce Bauer - my beloved "1st teacher" - who dedicated her life almost entirely to teaching, has strengthened my recent idea of possibly starting my own institution for coaching pianists-on-the-make here in London. I wonder if there would be a demand from young players around the world? Needless to say I would really appreciate suggestions from  experienced people who believe this as potentially interesting.

The whole thing actually sprouted recently from a growing realisation during competitions, that piano teaching around us has lost in deep knowledge of the instrument, from a disinterested attitude towards variety or even beauty of sound, young performers lacking in the differenciation among the various composer's languages.

I would love to hear from as many of you as possible: as being a performer who so far and still "breathes" from live playing, this more settled life style scares me. But passing on to the
younger generation my experience as a professional performer with a career spanning the last 45 years also, indeed, my passion and feeling when sitting at a piano, gives me such pleasure. I would like to help to extend this love to as many budding pianists as possible!

What do you all think? Let me know please.

I would prefer that you write personally to me at: cristina.ortiz.name@gmail.com

Thank you kindly.

Adventures .. of Charlie Brown .. in Colombia?!

The trip all the way to South America was as expected, so long -- especially having to go first from LHR to Frankfurt in order to connect on LH flights. More often than not, promoters have "permutas" (deals) with specific airlines, complicating what could otherwise be simply direct flights to and from one location! Looking at the video map and seeing locations in Brazil, my own country... made me a bit homesick and wish that that's where I going... . So near.. yet, so far!

After what felt like some 30 hours of travels, finally I arrived at the hotel. As usual, my very first concern, after making sure the room is quiet... is to check my "sacred" bathtub: the blissful thought of a full bath of bubbly hot water after such a marathon of a trip, is enough to disperse any tiredness which I may feel in my body. Well... as I shut the door behind the porter, I went into the bathroom which only contained a shower, no way!
Back downstairs like a rocket, incensed at the "mistake"; the receptionist from her notes saw there had never been any such request; anyway the room paid for by the promoter was of a lesser price, only suites contained complete bathrooms ...
Cutting the whole story short, the request made by the young/unexperienced agent for a private room with bath, in coloquial English -- would translate in Spanish simply into 'sala de baño' = bathroom -- nothing specifical about a "tina" or "bañera"! Later on, both the promoters and I laughed at their puzzlement at my agent request's for a private bath: every room in hotels these days will include a private "bathroom"! 

Of course after calls to the promoter -- he had booked a driver to pick me up coming from Europe! -  to explain the artist absolutely required a more expensive suite, and following credit details required by emails etc-etc, things were sorted but by then, it was close to midnight, in Colombia -- 6 hours behind Grenwich!!! Zzzzzzz

Because of the same issue, the promoter decided that I should stay the next day in Bogota rather then going to the smaller town where the 1st of my 2 recitals was to take place: they told me that in Sincelejo, there were absolutely no hotels with 'tinas'!!  Okay... ! When Finally I arrived at the airport (about 38° of heat).. I saw everyone on my flight leaving with family and friends.. I was left for about 10 minutes looking only at taxi drivers calling out the names of various locations to where they would  transfer, for some unimaginable amount of pesos.. but I started to despair: I just wanted to get to a hotel where I might have a shower and relax?? I hadn't bothered even to have a contact number easily on me, assuming that for an artist coming all the way from London to play in a god-forsaken-tiny Colombian town, there should have been but "oh, no": where was MY welcoming committee?!
The two of them were somewhere inside the air-conditionned terminal while I was sweating away, frettingly starting to negotiate with taxi-drivers a little man with a face full of warts, plus who looked as if he had either leprocy, vitiligo or both...kept shouting the name of the location I was was
supposed to play that same evening "Sincelejo, Sincelejo..."..
You have NO IDEA how much I wanted to disappear or if anything, just turn around and take the next flight back .. to Europe!!
Finally they showed up. Then we got to a car park where they motioned to a small yellow cab -- there were three of us (they had tought of sending a man who spoke european languages... geez: I am Brazilian, guys to whom Spanish is like a diallect of Portuguese!!) plus the driver. My reaction was of SHOCK (it was a battered old-Ford or something of the sort) and I exclaimed: "is THAT the car which is to take us on the two-hour drive to Sincelejo?? From its looks, "it won't make it!! "
Without air-conditionning, in this heat?!!! I begged? "Oh no, there is air-conditionning, the driver said... "Oh wow, at least that" said I, with my knees almost touching my face from lack of comfort, sitting behind the front passenger seat, where sat the smiling and shy (of foreigners) coordinator from the Concert series. ..

A little while went by, I queried if they knew this famous hotel... "Oh no, we have found a hotel where some rooms have a bathtub". They happily told me. Wow, success!

Fiiteen minutes later, the car heated up, blew a "manguera" (pipe) and .. we broke down by the side of the road!

The surroundings looked like the end-of-the-world, I had seen nothing like it since travelling in Brazil in the early seventies, in the "interior", either in the state of Minas, Bahia or around the Amazon; here any "house" or shop alongside the road looked like the crudest of favelas in Rio's hills. The only asphalted road is the main one .. there are donkeys ... and means of transport you imagine are no longer used!!!

It took forever the driver, burning his hand by trying to repair the broken bit of plastic tube into the radiator (or wherever: sorry, my brothers might know what I mean, but I myself didn't learn about car engines, as I grew up) but also tipping half a plastic bottle of warm water he happened to have in the boot of the car, into the smoking hole.... while I despaired seeing time fly, the heat becoming unbearable, the distance growing by the second, with the discomfort caused by all this... and imagining still what Inhad ahead of me, if ever we made it to the end destination! I needed to check piano, the seat, lighting plus go through the program, all this before the evening. And I so needed to lie down to rest a bit!

A small foot note here: having cut a finger in my right hand, about a week before while cleaning a glass window at home, my timing for preparing the programme was totally destroyed/reduced (6 days without touching the piano in order to allow the finger to heal properly) which meant I never had the chance to re-memorise the F minor Brahms Sonata I had wanted to offer as the main work in the recital. Plus the 1st half which consisted of all the 24 Preludes in all major and minor keys, by York Bowen, had also desperately suffered from little preparation...

Anyway, somehow we managed to crawl away after a while, but without air-conditionning and because all windows were wide open.... I let you imagine what I looked like after one hour and a half of warm wind blowing, hurricane style, into my hair ... !! NOOOoooooo!

The hotel, was situated in the corner of a very busy round-about, so sleeping would be impossible (I have withdrawal symptoms when thinking of it) the suite had indeed a small bañera and as I opened the tap to fill a much needed bath... the water never warmed up!!!!!!
Later on, the lady at the reption simply announced: "oh no, there is/we have NO hot water in Sincelejo" -- as if HW is a comfort, only in the rest of the world!! Never mind this bit: there is worse to come, read on!

The concert hall had a bouncing-wall in the middle of where a balcony should be, when looking from the piano on stage. Where, shock-horror was the smallest (an oldish Yamaha) baby-grand I have EVER seen in my life on a so-called stage! It must have been less than a meter long -- how small is the smallest Of the Steinway models, an "S",  I think?!

Then, not only there no adjustable piano benches but, not a chair was to be found anywhere in the whole theater to come even closer to a height where I could actually sit in it, to perform! It's hard to believe that although different people were sent out to look for possibilities, anywhere in town, after going through as little as I could manage with doing -- when I finally got back to the hall, half an hour before the recital .. they had not found any other seats and expected me to sit down and perform on the already far too bigh the one-and-only-existing stiff and flat piano stool which to my utter amazement they had "kindly" to make it less uncomfortably hard.. by raising it with some ornamented cushion ,secured in place by amazing ways of securing it to the bench with cloths/tapes or-whatever.. I only looked at this mountain of a stool and despaired even more!

Look, this is not a joke, and looking back it's hilarious but still,

there is so much that happened before, during and after that evening's eventual performance that I think I will cut this narrative short, right here, but promise to continue the unbelieveable moments still to come, which led to my entitling this "Adventures of Charlie Brown": watch out for the next chapter a bit later!

By the way, I had given in to going for a most enjoyable lunch, before venturing or practicing at the theater. All four of us including the charming director of the festival, the shy coordinator plus the dispensable but fun interpreter (who wore an unique white hat) laughed our heads off at all that had happened on the way from the airport to .. "unforgettable Sincelejo" as it will remain for all the wrong reasons!

The whole of 2011 went through and somehow I couldn't find it in me to sit and write about anything much. So I have decided not to: on with life!

Too many issues are at stake in my private life; so much so that these days,  I tend to grab on to each of the meagre number of concerts which come my way, as if it were the very last one...

In the past I have been described as a rather 'intense' person .. Oh well... then I seem to have become even more so, each time I find myself on that most-favourite and friendly seat anywhere in the world: the piano bench. That's where I find solace for my pain or happiness; familiarity or ground for musical discovery, comfort or the need to work.
Intense, did I say? ... imagine now!

The thought of re-starting to write "My Journal", will in fact be quite a challenge, if only because I managed to lose my friendly and all-encomnpassing agenda! It's almost as if I can't live properly without it! My memory for past concerts .. is almost just like that agenda: nowhere to be found!

But the other problem about writing about myself has gone out of the window with this new idea of... writing a Blog -- that loathed word! When it was My Journal .. people read it constantly and wrote to me about everything I mentioned as memories of an evening during the time leading up to a Concert engagement... but .. that isn't so any more, no doubt because my 'faithful' buddies.. must have lost patience in checking my website: it has been too long I'm afraid.

I wonder if I should even bother? Anyone out there interested any longer in what 'little me' has to say? It would be nice if I would have a few comments... but of that.. I have no hope, really!


I did enjoy so much while it lasted. Going back to a lonely hotel room following a performance, I would certainly find quite a few personal messages of lovely people, who, having heard my coincert that evening amazed me by taking the time and trouble to write the most amazing things, feelings, reactions.. It was really too great for words and fed my momentary need or doubts that I was appreciated by anyone, out there...

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all those who cared and thanks for surprising me!
A big hug in each of you!

The crisis of my OSB

Is there no hope for the 40-or-so unjustly 'discarded' professional musicians of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira?

It's dragged on too long and people are starting to forget the injustice and madness of it all. Others tell them to 'move on'...

By reading their posts in F-bk one learns how caring as human-beings these guys are, special by their worrying of one another; prevented from rehearsing and going about their daily  dose of friendship within-and-for Music's sake, trapped for their refusal to be put through the insanely satanical manoeuvre of tyrannical behaviour by one misguided soul and the orchestra's slippery foundation! 

As so often in life one obviously does not realize what one has, until it's taken away from you: Peace, Security, Love, all in their chosen job within the arms of the beloved muse of Music.

For 6 months they, their families and some astounded followers, have waited, battled hoping that Justice and Common-sense would prevail .. so far it looks as if the world will keep going round .. without them!

I, for one, am sick to the stomach reading about all the shenanigans from the 'other front', where it looks as if life's resuming its normal course with a different 'cast' under the same director but worst still ... with the same sacrilegious management?!

These maligned musicians can't forever play protest - concerts, though a few more of these soul-enriching manifestations, with the help of influential pop-artists like E. L. will bring occasional cash for their immediate needs that is not what they are striving for. 

I dread to think what the Future will bring these brave smitten .. if nothing else, having to swallow their pride and go find another way of paying for their bills, to put it crudely. 

Is there a Being who looks after unjustly crushed helpless souls? For how long will this aberration continue?


My heart aches and cancerous cells seem to gnaw at my flesh .. like leprosy when I reflect on this 'surreality'!

Caracas x Villa-Lobos' Momo Precoce

Waiting for my departure from Prague, I reminisce over the last months. Due to yet another period without any concerts, I busied myself with keeping fit afraid of that bit-of-a-scare I had had only a little over an hour before a performance in Caracas: as I got ready, backstage, for that afternoon concert in November, I noticed that my face was unduly red and hot; so I asked for a doctor. Even though apparently you shouldn't fall ill on Sundays in Venezuela, one was found after a while.

The conductor of the concert, my good friend Roberto Tibiriçá, upon seeing me half-dressed in concert outfit stretched out on the table, cleverly changed the order of the program so I would play in the 2nd half and have more time to recover/relax... it depends how one sees it.

At one point I even wondered whether I should call each of my two daughters to hear their voices once more?!

Never mind:  things went back to normal and the concert went very well after a slightly nervy start: for something like 2 minutes I was careful not to exert myself too much, as if  ''threading on eggshells".. feeling/gauging how I was coping and/or playing... The doctor did say that she would call the ambulance if my blood pressure didn't creep down! 

By the time I finished the third encore, I was happy: the scare was over. 

Now I must try to keep all emotions under control; oh a glass of red wine a day helps keep one's heart ticking away happily!