It was with much anticipation that we all arrived in Granada early in July for the second part of our Manuel de Falla project with Pablo Heras-Casado.
It was like coming home for me as I have lived on the Canary Islands for many years and play this repertoire very often being part of a Spanish symphony orchestra. I had, however, already been in nearby Malaga for a few days teaching before arriving. This gave me a chance to get used to the intense Summer heat in Andalucia. It’s quite different to the Canaries; where we enjoy a moderate and constant climate the whole year round. Andalucia on the other hand is a real furnace, we were lucky that the Summer heat “only” got to 40 degrees this year. I have experienced more extreme temperatures, but this never fails to surprise. A walk down the street where our hotel was situated in the midday sun was a withering affair, and even the most north European of my colleagues quickly took on the Spanish siesta tradition.