An old friend writes from Switzerland to tell me that he was glancing through the newspaper this morning when his eye fell on the radio schedules, and he saw that there was to be a broadcast about me this evening on Bavarian Radio. I’m today’s focus in their ‘Klassik-Stars’ series. They’ll be playing a mixture of recordings of mine, both solo and chamber: Haydn, Mozart, Billy Mayerl.

My Swiss friend naturally thought I’d know about the broadcast, but I didn’t. I always find it strange, when such things happen, that there has been no contact whatever between me and the radio station. They haven’t asked my views on anything, nor asked me for an up-to-date photo, nor even told me that the broadcast is happening. Doesn’t anyone think I might like to know? I often miss radio broadcasts (including UK broadcasts) altogether, and only discover by chance that they’ve been on if someone happens to mention they heard this or that.

I used to find this ‘radio silence’ more understandable in the days when it was really complicated to find out how to contact someone, but these days it often takes no more than a few seconds of research and a little email. Maybe radio stations think the artist won’t be interested, but in fact I’m always delighted when such a nice thing happens, and I’d much rather know than not.

Here is the link to tonight’s programme, broadcast at 18.05 (17.05 UK time).