I started the year with a regular client, the harp and piano duo Praxedis. The quality of repertoire which they have found for this combination of instruments – which was very popular in the 19th century – always impresses me.

In February I went to Luxembourg to work with the violinist Natalia van der Mersch and pianist Natalia Kovalzon. We recorded Grieg’s violin sonatas at an unusual location – in the middle of a palace belonging to a major bank. Security guards escorted us to and from the hall. Later in the month I was together again with the Armenian Sate Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergey Smbtyan. The cello concerto Ubi est Abel frater tuus? by Tigran Mansurian was the main work, and the soloist was Mario Brunello.

In April I went to Madrid to record Mahler’s Symphony No.6 with the Orquesta Nacional de España under the baton of David Afkham. It was a great pleasure to record this wonderful work again and the Auditorio Nacional is one of my favourite halls. In May we continued and finished the recording with Lang Lang of Piano Book II in Paris. We recorded rather more repertoire than will end up on the double album so that a good balance could be found between classical and modern pieces.

In June I was delighted to record again with Plácido Domingo. We were in Madrid for a week to record some zarzuela arias including some not recorded by him before. Oliver Diaz conducted the orchestra.