A couple of years ago I accompanied an A'level student who was playing the Merle Hogg Sonatina for his assessment. Unfortunately, it didn't go well. Having insisted that he'd run through it at home successfully, the candidate left it far too late to practise with the accompaniment and subsequently found out that he couldn't count rests!

The only consolation it seems, is that I found yet another piece of music that I liked. As a consequence, I bought the sheet music, but the trouble is, I've never heard the two parts played properly.

I have yet to find a recording anywhere. Is there one out there at all?


A couple of years before that, again for A'level assessment, I'd accompanied a complete performance of Bryan Kelly's Concert Suite for Horn. I played a note or two just for the candidate to tune up and then lo and behold he was off like a greyhound launching into the first movement!

I dived in to follow and thought there was something odd; I was playing at double speed! I'm not sure anyone noticed at the time and we did get back on track at the start of the second page. Another fun piece, just going h*ll-for-leather in the final movement and praying that we ended up together. Thankfully we did!

Accompanied the Gregson Tuba Concerto (1st mvt) at our Prize Giving this year. I'm not sure the first row of the audience knew what hit them!

Does anyone else think the first few notes of the intro reminds them of the start of Thunderbirds?!!