Having said all that, however stressful the imminent move is, what’s keeping me awake at night is the trumpet cake I’ve been commissioned to make for Anna’s birthday party next weekend. Now that’s stressful!

This is the time of year that small children get vomiting bugs, siblings pick fights over who left the lid off the  mayonnaise, you spend a months salary on food and another month being surgically attached to the sink or cooker, you feel compelled to eat the contents of your fridge over the course of 3 days (and lets not start on the drink), elderly relatives become incontinent on your sofa, you get a cold that lasts for the entire break and to top it all,  when it’s all over you have to go back to work and face the daunting pile of admin awaiting your return.

But yes, despite it all, we had a lovely Christmas. High points have to include seeing Joe McElderry at the O2 singing some Christmas songs to introduce The Nutcracker performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet and of course,  Christmas lunch with a turkey raised by my Mum. The lowest point was sitting in the bath half the night with the twins and the vomiting bug for company whilst James was away on Alfie Boe’s tour – he has never been so missed!

Happy 2012 to all.

xxx

James has just got back from the icy north on tour with Alfie. He flew down to conduct me, the Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir yesterday at the Brighton Dome – a lovely family Christmas concert. Meanwhile, I’m providing arrangements etc to the O2 for Joe McElderry’s appearances after Christmas with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, whilst redecorating the Christmas Tree every night with all the baubles my 2 year olds have removed during the day. Which reminds me, great review for Joe’s Christmas album in The Times last weekend:

“ Until Nancy Dell’Olio brings out a range of personalized crotcheted pink toilet-roll holders in pink, this album is currently the most camp thing in existence.” Wish I’d written that.

To watch Jedward Tweets, The Musical, tune into ITV’s The Commedy Annual on December 20^th.

A request came in last week. Could we write a Bond medley using 4 theme tunes for Alfie to sing on Strictly Come Dancing? Of course we could, we are both massive fans of so many of the Bond themes. But then comes the tricky part of our job, to arrange  something to please the television company, the record company and of course, most importantly, Alfie has to be 100% happy with what he is being asked to sing in front of millions of people. Oh, and did I mention it needed to last exactly 3 minutes and 1 second.

We were all crowded around the telly on Sunday night and Alfie was fantastic. He added in a top B flat at the end which was thrilling and exhilarating. A talented guy.

Alfie’s tour begins tonight in Bristol so James is down there conducting.  You can see him in a cinema near you tomorrow in a live broadcast from the Royal Festival Hall. So for those of you who didn’t manage to buy your tickets before the tour sold out, here is your chance to hear the man in action and you even get to ogle James backside in the process. It is a jolly nice backside (of course I’m biased) which is just as well as it is regularly on show – due to being a conductor of course!

I must just mention the perfromance of the Messiah I did on Saturday in Nottingham City Hall. I wasn’t asked to sing a Messiah last year, and I have to say, it was something of a relief in many ways. I must have sung more Messiahs than any other oratorio in my career. BUT, I sat there and remembered why it is a fantastic piece of music (and I do get 100 pages off after the interval to really listen!). Go on, remind yourself.

We are all keeping everything crossed that the album  is a huge hit, everyone at his launch party yesterday certainly seemed very excited about the buzz surrounding it. Go on, buy it to accompany your Christmas turkey. It will appeal to old and young so you can have it loud enough to avoid the need to make conversation with Aunty Pat over the brussel sprouts…you all know the relative I’m talking about!

But, standing in for someone else at the last minute is a marvellous way to perform. If you can let go of the fact that you weren’t chosen to sing in the 1^st place, you are onto a total winner. Everyone is so delighted you’ve turned up and saved the day before you even open your mouth. The audience love the drama. If you sing well you are amazing and if you sing badly, well, it’s only to be expected at such short notice and you still remain a trooper.

I had a ball, fantastic musicians from the orchestra to the chorus, wonderful music and still got home for dinner and most importantly of all, got out of bathtime 2 nights in a row.

On another note, just watched on video Alfie Boe and Joe McElderry on the Remembrance Day service. Very moving indeed.

James did a concert with the BBC Singers last week featuring the pianola. The what? It’s basically a piano that plays itself but needs a pianola player to pump the pedals which makes the whole thing operate. The player can control the dynamics and the speed but there is still no getting away from the fact that the pianola player does seem more like a pianola operator.

No one writes for the instrument anymore with the exception of Gabriel Jackson’s new work which was premiered at the concert. Why is it no longer written for? I’d guess that with the advent of midi who needs a pianola? As I was listening to the live broadcast with Anna, she commented on how brilliant the piano player was, but of course, the piano was pre-programmed so with the best will in the world, a pianola operator only has a limited input in the music being produced.

The presenter, Catherine Bott was clutching at straws when she said,“his hands are operating levers most artistically”.

Mixing the record this week so rather sleep deprived and mastering on Monday which means we deliver by the Tuesday of half term week which will keep my daughter happy. It also gives us time to get excited about Alfie Boe’s new release on October 31^st.

To produce a successful album is something we never take for granted. We recently got our royalty statement through the post and were reminded of the Classic Rock album we recorded a couple of years ago. Big rock numbers with rock band and full symphony orchestra. However, sadly, despite our best efforts, the world was not ready for Classic Rock. It didn’t even chart, and ever since I have averted my gaze whenever I pass those wire baskets full of cut price CDs in garages just incase.

But, glancing through the royalty statement it would seem that some of the world is ready for Classic Rock…

We sold a whole 24 copies in Costa Rica (now there’s a country with taste),  8 in Peru, 10 in Venezuela and minus 4 in Colombia. How can we sell a negative number? It’s too boring to explain but as you can imagine, it’s not good.

C’mon Alfie !!!

Sarah Brightman, who stars in the film looks so ridiculously young in the flesh she simply has to have had some help although she is also naturally teeny tiny and that is natural (she told James she simply doesn’t eat). I think she used to be a dancer which must help.

The film is released next Friday 14^th October so do go and see it. It is funny, entertaining with lots of lovely opera to listen to and set in a beautiful country house in Scotland- what more do you want! If you like the music which is mostly all Mozart’s best tunes, the soundtrack is out next week on Sony. I think Classic FM will be playing some of it next week too so you can listen before you buy.

There, hard sell over. Taking the kids to Mums now as we fly to Prague tomorrow to record the orchestra for lots of Christmas songs. Had such a lovely morning choosing my favourite top B flats sung by Rolando Villazón who is duetting on this Christmas album – pretty easy to guess the artist now!!! It’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it.

In full flight

I’m sitting in a café near Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, the sun is shining and I’m about to record the world famous tenor Rolando Villazón. WOW!  The day is only marred by the bag-inducingly early start I had this morning and the soggy fried potatoes which were swimming in oil next to my overcooked pork schnitzel for lunch. Tried to explain to the waitress why I had left most of it but had to give up in the end as my German is too poor and it was getting slightly ridiculous when the two of us resorted to our equally dismal French  in an attempt to communicate with each other.

Sounds good eh, but there is the ever present bizarre edge to my life which involves me sitting here with my headphones doing a full symphonic arrangement of an 80s Christmas pop song on my laptop!  Off to Prague in a couple of weeks to record the orchestra for it.

“Who could it possibly be for “, you may wonder. Of course I couldn’t possibly say but there is certainly a link to Rolando…

Still, if it means I can take the day off tomorrow….