The conductor’s main job was to be a reliable timekeeper for everyone, which was very important to keep everyone on track. It is a difficult piece to play rhythmically and so it was quite normal to lose one’s place. The knack was to learn how to get back on again as soon as possible.

We had 2 days of rehearsals together, apart from that I think everyone practised quite a lot before that. The players who were really on top were the ones who had played it before, either at WTC in 2001 or at Montclair in February of this year.

There was a lovely feeling when we played through the more difficult movements the day before the show, where many of us felt we played it best. The raw live sound of the rehearsal space was much louder than the WDCH. I think it was that point in the rehearsal when Glenn said that was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life.

I think Glenn was also very happy with the actual performance too.

My overall impression was that this gathering of musicians had produced the best performance of the symphony so far. And it is bound to improve further still as more guitarists become familiar with the piece and play repeat performances of it.

I’d like to hear more from you about how the rehersals went … how did everyone stay in sync?? I saw a lot of counting going on during the performance, but some looked a bit lost.

Was Glenn happy with the performance?