I've just taken part in a weekend of music making. We were studying Mahler's 1st Symphony (this isn't us!) a work of some difficulty for all, especially us first violins, and I could have done with weeks not hours to get to grips with the notes.

Our conductor was Garry Walker, a gentleman of prodigious talent, both in musical terms and people skills. Starting from a pretty low base, he persuaded a large group of people to perform at ever greater levels of musicality, insisting on listening to each other and fitting in.

The people I sat beside were a delight. Because of the business of our lives, the three of us attended all the rehearsals between us, but not all at the same time until the final one this afternoon, so I had the opportunity to benefit from the eoncouragement of 2 very good players, who both tolerated with good humour and patience, my attempts to render accurately Mahler's quavers in the upper register, helping me with fingerings and so on.

I don't know how else you could recreate the sheer joy and elation, when after the violent storm of the last movement, we turned to the final page and suddenly, at the glorious climax, the sun actually came streaming through the windows bathing everyone in a golden glow.

Precious moments.