Dear Friends--

The past 18 months have gone by so quickly I now want to bring you up-to-date on our experiences during this time.  What had started out to be a quieter 2005 for us just kept accelerating and has continued through to June 2006.

The big overseas tour last year was a great success starting with recitals in Norway for the first time.  What an exceedingly beautiful and friendly country and we were very thrilled to return this May for three performances.  We then went to Germany and were so interested to see the remarkable progress in Berlin since our last visit a few years ago and then from there to Switzerland and back to Austria.  David took a big risk on playing Mozart in Salzburg, but received a standing ovation at interval!!  It was all very stimulating and the same fervor greeted David in Graz. The Austrian’s are very appreciative of David’s music, and with the beautiful accommodation, food and wine we had a very enjoyable time.

We then traveled back to Italy for six week vacation at the lovely Tuscan villa we visited last year.  It belonged to Arthur Boyd, one of Australia’s greatest painters, and is still held by the Boyd children.  It is a wonderful haven, huge swimming pool, paintings embracing one at every turn and old olive trees surrounding the house and producing the most wonderful oil.  The warmth of the Italian people is very appealing and the number of leisurely lunches with friends and locals was a sheer delight.  We are about to go back for three weeks on 10th June..

However, the highlight of Italy was the two performances David gave at Montecatini Terme, which is one hour north of Palaia, Tuscany...  The venue was the famous spa resort Tettuccio and 700 people attended in the Romanesque type building which is a spectacular setting.

David performed his beloved Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 with an orchestra from Florence and it was a magical evening.  At the end of the performance, David was presented with the Key of the City of Montecatini which touched us both so deeply.  He previously had signed the Montecatini visitor’s book which contained the signatures of Puccini and Verdi, who both lived in the area.  These were particularly great experience for David as an Australian and were so uplifting our hearts were filled with gratitude.  In fact our life is filled with so much friendship, music, love we feel so blessed.

We then drove to Paris through the wonderful Italian and French countryside.  We crossed the amazing new bridge – the highest in the world - in the south of France that had just been completed and it was a great experience.  I have never cried before at the beauty of a bridge.  It glows a silver/white in the sunshine and almost looks like some wondrous musical harp: certainly a man-made masterpiece.    We then traveled north to Michel Bras’ restaurant, set on a remote hill with beautiful views of the countryside and had the best meal I have ever eaten.  He is recognized as one of the greatest chef’s in the world and I would agree his use of vegetables in particular is absolutely inspired.

We then had Christmas in our beloved home and enjoyed sharing time with family and friends.

We came back to Europe in April starting in Austria, then Denmark, Norway, Spain (for the first time).  The warmth of the Spanish people seeing David for the first time was delightful.  He gave three performances and we plan to return again next year.  In fact I have never seen such joy, elation and musical sharing as the performances in Europe this year.

On 7th June David will be performing his beloved "Rach 3" in Zurich and the concert is already sold out which is a great feeling.  The next day we head off to Palaia in Italy to return to the Boyd house for three weeks, prior to visiting family in Russia for five days.  It will be so good to see Moscow after 20 years as it has grown into one of the most exciting and affluent  cities in the world  six weeks We then return to Australia , to our beautiful garden and a quiet time for six weeks.

We really lead a wonderfully privileged and interesting life and David is thriving on it, as indeed I am.

We do send our warmest greetings to our dear friends and look forward to 2006 bringing a greater sense of tolerance and peace to the world.

Love from us both

                                          ------Gillian and David Helfgott