I'm a happy man today. Happy with a gorgeous sunny Sunday. Happy to relax at home listening to Ivan Moravec' unbearably beautiful recording of Chopin's Nocturnes. Happy with yesterday night's opening of Magic Flute, happy with our stunning production (to hear from our public that it is the most beautiful production of the piece they've ever seen makes me very happy indeed), happy with our great COC Orchestra and Chorus, happy with our wonderful cast of truly great Mozart singers and happy with Johannes who is such a wonderful Mozart conductor.

Next week, we will get Nixon in China ready for its opening on Saturday, but before I'll attend the opening of Barrymore with Christopher Plummer at the Elgin tonight. How couldn't I be a happy man?

Please let me share with you how much I enjoy our rehearsals for Nixon in China. I'm just sitting in the second stage and orchestra rehearsal at the Four Seasons Centre and just can't believe how beautiful the piece sounds in our space with full orchestra. John Adams' score is so rich, colourful and surprising, with great momentum at all times, but also great tenderness und lyricism. Memories of Wagner (Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung), Strauss (Salome), Lehar (Das Land des Lächelns), Duke Ellington (Such Sweet Thunder) and a lot of popular dance music. And these are only my personal references. You will find your own when you come to see our production. It's an endlessly fascinating piece. I'm proud and glad we're doing it.

Yesterday's dress rehearsal of The Magic Flute was one of my most remarkable moments at the COC so far. As always, our dress rehearsal audience was mostly composed of students and their cheers at the end made the Four Seasons Centre feel like a stadium. It would be fair to say that by now our production has been successfully tried on children of all ages, starting with my three and a half year old daughter. The production opens on Saturday and runs until February 25.

Bring your kids!