Nasty surprise and the end of the weekend

Surprises come in many forms, as I once again realised today when I was on my way to the Musica Nova performance, going through my plan over and over again ("Nobody will have a clue about what the piece is supposed to sound like, so I'll just keep really busy with the strings and hit the keyboard when the notes say so, and then it will be over"). When I arrived at the Conservatory, I was told the composer of the piece was just being picked up from the airport, so he'd just make it to the three-hour long marathon concert.
First, I panicked, picturing his expression when I got to the part in the piece where I had to actually play something. Then I got angry, because apparently, what was a surprise to me was yesterday's news for everyone else. "You didn't know he's coming to the concert? Oh, come on!" Then, I decided the performance would be a total knockout, and I think it was! I put all my theatricality into the glissandi of the bass strings, and made a real show of putting the scotch on the keys. The violinisit (Sebastian) really knew his microintervals and produced a very nice sound. The scotch was a real bore to get off the keys, actually. While all the other performers gave an elegant bow and got out of the stage, I stayed scraping scotch off the piano together with the violinist, who realised we weren't going anywhere in a while. But I coudln't just leave them there for the next pianist to deal with! I just hope her fingers didn't stick to the keys because of our performance.
The three-hour marathon of British new music scretched to a whole four hours, with the audience running out every now and then to empty their bladder or to take a break from all the cacophony going on inside. I have to say I admire the ones who sat through the whole concert. I myself listened to the first four or five performances, played a piece on the celesta, and then headed for lunch in Museokatu.
The evening was spent at the Richters' place, where almost all London-bound musicians performed their program. It's always nice to be invited to the Richters, with their healty attitude towards young musicians and fantastic home. As I know Martin will soon read this, I'm expecting to read a full report on my heavenly apartment in his next blog entry.
Four days left to the trip. My various to do-lists include entries like "Sort out paper: EVERYTHING unnecessary goes into the trash!" and "Dust". This is because I believe it's much nicer to be on a trip when you know your home sweet home is waiting for you in perfect shape. However, as I said, I still have four days, so I'll allow it to get as messy as it wants before Friday.