One of the most exciting evenings of my life by far was on Thursday when I made my debut in Carnegie Hall. I performed in their new hall, Zankel Hall, which is a wonderful recital venue directly underneath the large auditorium. We had a very full house, and the audience's concentration and reaction were terrific. The piano I was playing was a Fazioli 308 that was specially brought in for the occasion and beautifully prepared by Klavierhaus in New York. And yes: you can hear the subway trains in the hall, but it's only a distant rumble, and after all, it's New York! The photo was taken during rehearsal earlier in the day.

My double-CD of the Bach English Suites was awarded a Juno last night for the Best Instrumental or Chamber CD of 2004! The Junos are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies. I couldn't be at the ceremony in Winnipeg as I was performing in Minneapolis for the Chopin Society. There I played on a beautiful 1881 Steinway, lovingly restored by Joel Lidstrom.

My recital in Salt Lake City which was supposed to have been tonight, March 31st, has been postponed until Monday, April 4th. Having played my concert in Palermo with a fever, not wanting to cancel at the last minute, I then spent a week in bed fighting some awful stomach bug. I am now much better but am trying to regain lost weight (something most women wouldn't complain about!). So rather than cancelling Salt Lake City, we have fortunately been able to re-schedule it for April 4th.

You can't play in Pisa without visiting the famous Leaning Tower of....especially if you've never seen it before (as was the case with me)! There was no time to walk to the top, and I needed my energy in any case to play the Goldberg Variations a few hours later in the Teatro Verdi to a very attentive audience.

After three exciting concerts in England, I am now in Germany completing the editing of the Bach Concertos with my record producer and engineer. They will be released by Hyperion on June 1st--so watch out! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have written to me via my guestbook and contact forms. I read every one and answer when I can. Many friends have told me recently about the favourable mention I get in Ian McEwan's new novel, "Saturday", where the main character, a neurosurgeon, likes to work in the operating room with Bach playing--in particular my recording of the Goldberg Variations! I must buy the book....!

Returning to winter in Europe was a terrible shock after a month of Australian sun, but what better way to immerse oneself in it than to go to the fabulous resort of Gstaad in Switzerland--not to ski, I'm afraid (although I made it up Wasserngrat in the cable car!), but to give a concert in the 5th Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad. Along with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, I played and conducted three Bach Concertos in the beautiful church at Saanen. The wonderful hospitality of the Palace Hotel was an extra bonus!

Today is a much-needed day off after five concerts five days in a row in different parts of Australia. Only the four concerts in Sydney remain. For me it is great fun to tour with a group like the ACO, as I am so often on the road alone. Our CD recordings of the nine Bach Concertos are finished and I will do the editing in March along with my producer. We are very happy with the results! This photo was taken at intermission of the Perth concert on February 16th.

My schedule is showing empty for this week, I know, but that doesn't mean I'm sunning myself on Bondi Beach here in Sydney! In fact, I'm working terribly long hours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, committing nine Bach Concertos to disc in six days. You will be able to enjoy the fruits of our labours in July when they will be released in time for our North American tour together. We are all enjoying our collaboration tremendously. My record producer, piano technician, and all the equipment have come especially from Germany for the occasion. The piano is a Fazioli--normally resident here in Sydney but worked on for the recording by my technician, Gerd Finkenstein. And yes, I did have one afternoon on the beach!

It gives me enormous pleasure to launch my own website today. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I know that many of you have been eagerly awaiting its arrival. I will do my best to keep it constantly updated during my travels, and to inform you of the latest news, concerts, and recordings. Please feel free to sign my guestbook and to send a message if you wish. I can't promise to answer every single one (I still have to practise a lot!), but I will certainly read them. I just arrived in Australia where I will be for the next month, recording and performing nine Bach Concertos with the wonderful Australian Chamber Orchestra. Enjoy your visit!

On January 18th, I gave a recital in the Great Performers Series at the NAC in Ottawa, my home town. The programme was devoted solely to the Goldberg Variations--a complete performance with all repeats lasting some 80 minutes. In front of a capacity audience of almost 2000, I gave a brief lecture on the work as part of the concert, so that all could benefit from learning something about it at the same time.