If one pattern has defined my life in music, it is movement. I have never been very good at standing still. I have not taken what most people would call a sabbatical, and even my vacations have tended to come in pieces—days borrowed between engagements, or longer trips planned with the hope of disappearing, briefly, into someplace unfamiliar.

June felt unusual from the start. For the first time in a very long while, an entire month stretched before me without a single concert. After seven weeks in Asia at the end of 2025 and another nine in Europe earlier this year, I could no longer pretend that rest was optional. I was tired in the way travel and performance can make one tired—not only in body but in mind and spirit as well.

It is that time of year when concert seasons are winding down, and we take a bit of time to get ready for summer activities. May was one of the most exhilarating months I could have ever imagined, and not all the events were about conducting.

The last two weeks of the very long European tour finally arrived. In Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, I was not quite sure what to expect with a truly difficult program. Since we had six rehearsals, Music Director Karel Mark Chichon and I had decided to really challenge the orchestra.

Seven countries, seven languages, and ten cities. This nine-week European concert tour has been both exhausting and exhilarating.

April came right in the middle of the trip. With Glasgow up first, I was going to see an orchestra I first conducted in 1975. It was an all-French affair with the concertmaster Michael Davis playing Chausson and Ravel. Michael served in the same position when I was Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony in London.

Wars, interminable lines at airports, unbearable heat in the West, continued chaos at the Kennedy Center, and so much more. What can we do to alleviate some of this tension? And how fortunate are some of us to be able to bring solace and comfort through music?

March turned out to be an extraordinary month full of wonderful surprises and memorable moments. At first, I was dreading this nine-week European tour without a meaningful break between engagements. The trip comprises eight countries and seven different languages, if you count the Scottish dialect. Fortunately, I am giving repeat performances of several works over this timeframe and only conducting two pieces that are new to me.