With a direction like this (for the flutes incidentally - violas aren't best known for their birdlike qualities), it could mean only one thing - the Doctor Who team were back in Hoddinott Hall!
On Monday evening, along with Doctor Who orchestrator, Ben Foster, the 成人论坛 National Orchestra of Wales performed two live shows of the 2011 Christmas Special for a studio audience.
This was a show unlike any I had been involved in before. For our Doctor Who Prom in 2010, the music was very closely linked with the visuals shown on the big screens dotted around the Royal Albert Hall, but this was our first complete episode live.
As I've mentioned before, the efficiency of the Doctor Who team is exceptional, meaning that every minute of a rehearsal is used well. Our pads (the big lump of music that appears on your stand every day) were annotated within an inch of their lives; every change of click was clearly noted, cues clearly marked - these things make the difference between work going smoothly or being the most boring affair with proceedings stopping continually for questions and corrections.
Our afternoon rehearsal mainly focused on running the episode with the click track. The close correlation between Murray Gold's score and the action you see on screen means everything has to be lined up to the very millisecond. It was important for the click to be loud enough for us to hear over onscreen action and audience noise without actually deafening us - a surprisingly delicate balance!
The studio looked rather atmospheric, lit only by the glow of the screens and stand lights, and it was a tribute to the place that Doctor Who holds in people's imaginations to see the broad demographic of people who attended the shows.
At 6pm we were off and running with the first showing. As a Doctor Who fan myself, it was probably good I couldn't see the screens very well, because much concentration was needed - any little slips in entries could have spelt utter disaster!
Disaster almost came in the break between shows when news reached us that the entire Welsh Rugby Team were eating dinner in C么te Brasserie just opposite the Wales Millennium Centre. Much persuasion was needed for some female members (and some male members) of the orchestra not to attempt to make it to the restaurant and back in time for the second show! Alas, another missed opportunity for me to tell Leigh Halfpenny how much I admire his kicking prowess...
A number of colleagues had friends attending the second show who had never really attended orchestral concerts before and they were blown away by the sound of the orchestra. The audience reaction was very gratifying; the orchestra has worked on Doctor Who for many years now and enjoys a very good relationship with its musical team. Long may it continue!
I hope we get to do another project like this, but next time I think there should be prizes for dressing up as your favourite Doctor Who character.