The day started at sunrise. Stanley Park is a truly gorgeous spot in Vancouver and running around the sea wall is fabulous 10 mile run. It would be too easy on these trips to eat, work and sleep so you have to squeeze in exercise whenever possible. Golf's my thing but the courses were too far and too expensive so running was the alternative. This really is a great city and the backdrop of mountains is special. That said, it wasn't long before I was back on the computer doing the endless stream of emails and then into the cinema for the second of the Vancouver International Film Festival screenings of Haydn...
Another busy show. Only about 3900 years to go if I want to reach the entire North American population at this rate. At least I know there will always be a huge pool of folk who haven't seen the film and, with encouragement and access, would like to. Compare that to the US Presidential Debate last night between Romney & Obama.
Guess how many folk in the US are said to have watched that? Go on, guess.....67 million! A good figure for a show in the UK (and a rare figure too) is 10 million - it just shows what a vast continent this is.
I left Vancouver today and had a stunning left-side window seat all the way down the Pacific Coast to LA...Snow-peaked mountains, endless hills and valleys. Then if there is a city that illustrates size, it's LA! Flying over its endless suburbs, you marvel at how they bring water to every household, how those millions eat every day, commute, entertain themselves and so on. Simply boggling. My trip to LA allowed me to escape this craziness within the LA Philharmonic and the ceaseless wonders of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto (played by Leif Ove Andsnes and the LA Phil, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel). Even though I was filming it and thus busy, I wasn't so distracted that I failed to appreciate the genius of the composer and the expertise of these performers. Outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, late on a Saturday night, the streets were full of revellers, flashing police cars and the homeless bedding down where-ever warmth could be found. What a city. I didn't have much time to explore though as an early flight next day took me to NY and then a speedy train to Washington DC the day after that. It was an endless movie out of the windows. There is so much to admire in this country, not least the landscapes which tend to get ignored a little in favour of cityscapes. I'm looking forward to my tour in March when I'll get to drive to 10 or 20 cities. And then there will only be another 3899 years left before as many people have watched In Search of Beethoven / Mozart / Haydn as watched Mitt Romney threaten to kill Big Bird.
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