Arrival of Michael Bonaventure

Michael Bonaventure, the Scottish organist, arrives on Tuesday to stay for about a week. Am looking forward to it muchly. I have composed for him more than for any other performer. And I have to say – candidly – that if it weren’t for him, I might not have written so often for this instrument.What is exceptional about him? Well, first of all, he has a phenomenal memory. After practising a new work for just a few days, he has it practically by heart. That’s very handy, because he can work fast – a very useful ability for a performer. They tend not to have the luxury of hanging about. They mostly have to come up with results pretty quickly.Then, with him, you don’t have to “translate”. He is fully aware of the world of a composer and you don’t have to explain it to him. He is a composer himself anyway.Finally, he is one of the lads. The least pretentious person you could ever meet. And he’s worldly (more so than I). It’s all very handy for a good working relationship. Well he is one of my best friends actually.I don’t know what we will do here. Last time we just talked for days and days and didn’t go anywhere (he-he).Today I had the joy of hearing from another performer that it is planned to record myWhite Rose for harpsichord. I think it’s one of my best pieces.