As you know I am off this week, but I just wanted to tell you about a few things I've been doing lately.
 
Yesterday was Johannes's last day (for this visit only), and before he had to leave for the airport we went for lunch at a place I had never been to before (thanks to Eloise and Kate for the recommendation!). Rodney's By Bay turned out to be tiny, crowded, noisy (the background music!), but the food was absolutely divine. Between the two of us we had a good share of oysters, lobster roll and bisque, sea scallops with delicious pasta and local white wines. It certainly isn't a place for a formal occasion, but I will be back for sure—and on top of all it's just a few minutes walk from the Four Seasons Centre. It might well become Johannes's post-performance place.
 
If you bargain hunt on iTunes (like me), don't miss out on their latest offering of Beethoven's Complete Piano Sonatas with the wonderful Vladimir Ashkenazy. At $9.99 for 32 sonatas it's a worthwhile investment, even if you already own a complete recording. For the same price you can get another complete recording from the 1930s with the legendary Artur Schnabel, a milestone of recorded music with deep insights into Beethoven's piano universe.
 
My last recommendation for today goes to a brand-new recording of Piano Trios by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky with Lang Lang, Vadim Repin and Mischa Maisky. I've been listening to this for a few days now, but the quality and beauty of the music-making continues to amaze me. Without diminishing the merits of his distinguished colleagues Vadim Repin's playing strikes me as truly exceptional. As with his recording of the Brahms' Violin and Double Concerto (conducted by Riccardo Chailly) earlier this year he makes me think whether there might finally be a worthy successor to the legendary Jascha Heifetz. There's no higher praise.