Classical music star Alison Balsom has told of the very special place her trademark trumpet holds in her heart.
“I was given it as a gift from a friend who died, so it’s priceless to me,” Alison told The Sunday Post.
“I feel like he watches over me when I play. When you’re under pressure and you really need to pull something out of the bag I feel like he’s there looking after me. I play it every day and have done since I was 21.
“It’s such a part of me that if I’m anywhere and I don’t have the case with me it feels so weird.”
Alison’s new album, Paris, is out on Monday, February 8 and she starts an 11-date UK tour at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on September 30.
“It has some of the best acoustics anywhere,” enthuses Alison, who is close friends with fellow classical sensation Nicola Benedetti.
“It’s so beautiful and is just the perfect place to start. I always feel at home in Scotland because I studied at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow. In fact, the very first album I made was at Paisley Abbey.
“We did it there because it had an amazing organ and such a beautiful big space which really helped the sound blossom.
“It was terrifying for me but when I come back to Scotland I have all these lovely memories of the beginning of my career.”
Paris was written in and inspired by the French capital and it seems sure to find a wide audience with classical music having mass appeal these days.
“When it’s wonderfully crafted it can be masterful,” insists Alison.
“It’s just how you perform it and get it across to the listener.”
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