Ian Crisp wrote:

>Cellists among us - is a new string harder on the bow than a well-used
>one? What - if anything - does all this tell us about the player's
>preparation or the state of his equipment or the way he plays?

Well, to get his take on it, here are excerpts from the Telegraph's report
last night.  He won #4,500 prize money against 550 other competitors.

   THE TELEGRAPH, LONDON
   MAY 29 2000
   By Nicole Martin
   ...
   Guy Johnston, 18...

   After the performance at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, he said he
   was "absolutely thrilled" with the award, which was presented on
   Saturday night by the Duchess of Kent.  He had dedicated the piece
   to his brother Rupert, 22, badly injured in a road accident three
   years ago.

   He said:  "I had had a nightmare two nights ago that my A string
   snapped on stage and so, when it actually happened in the final, I
   couldn't believe it.  I could hear gasps from the audience and had
   no choice but to stop and leave the stage to get a new one.

   "I had to focus my thoughts because the opening to the piece is a
   great build-up.  It was exhausting to do it all again," said the
   teenager, who has been playing the cello since he was three and is
   studying in New York.

I think that sounds like a rather poised youngster...

Andrys in Berkeley
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