But Charles may be right about the acoustics of the hall – I was lucky to be sitting almost right in front of you, so I didn’t have that problem, but some seats in the hall tend to have pretty poor sound.

Thanks for the autographed CD – the Volkmann Concerto was lovely! Come to Portland again soon!

thanks for your consoling words! Yes, a hall can make a big difference in perception. If you hear something very far away, it is hard to be touched by it, especially in times of recordings, when you hear the solo instrument very, very near, too close for taste in most recordings (including my own!). This is obviously not healthy, because we spoil our audiences, and in concerts they are easily disappointed because we don’t get the same kind of balance.

It was a pleasure playing with your orchestra, thank you for the support and best wishes for the future,
Alban

I am a violist in the orchestra in Portland and I found the review to be odd – I wondered if he had been at the same performance or performances that you and I had performed that weekend. I think that the amount of movement has something to do with it – look at the attention that Lang Lang is getting, and I don’t think that he’s that special compared to some other more “stationary” performers. The other aspect is that the hall in Portland is notoriously bad for cello soloists – even Lynn Harrell didn’t sound as loud as usual the last time he was here! I personally think that restraint and honesty with regards to what the composer asked for and intended in interpretation is best, call me a “strict constructionist” for musical interpretation.