We finished the Bartok rehearsal at about 3:30, and left almost immediately, as Jim and I wanted to avoid the rush hour traffic, if possible.  Newmarket is a town north of Toronto, and serves as a bedroom community for many commuters, so there was a real chance of being caught in gridlock if we didn't hustle.  You might think we were frazzled from the rehearsal, and that this, along with the rush to get on the road, would put us in the wrong mood to play a concert, but just the opposite was true; the afternoon's session was so inspiring that Jim and I were actually sky high to play, and were looking forward to it.

Our euphoria carried over to the concert; I don't want to say that it was the best of the three so far, but speaking for myself, I felt it to be the most comfortable, especially in Jupiter, which is the newest work on the programme.  Not that the piece didn't go well in London and Elora.  It did.  It's just that as you play a piece more and more, you begin to stop thinking about things like memory and accuracy, and you can focus with greater clarity on the more musical elements.  Unfortunately for us, unlike theatre companies, we generally don't get to do previews.  Whether or not this makes a difference in the actual performance is an interesting area for discussion.  Personally, I think the jury's still out.  One thing is clear; Jim and I both feel a lot better after having played a piece a number times, especially night after night on a tour.