An extract from my video diary from the day of the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony.

The Chinese rehearsal was extraordinary. I was able to talk to many of the performers, and filmed them from up close as they hurtled towards the stadium roof. This was shot on a very small HD camera – I’d drunk a lot of coffee so excuse the odd shake. (Also I’m a better musician than film maker – so please excuse any bad edits etc).

The most striking image was the silken volcano – really simple but very classy.

The music is a piece I wrote for string orchestra – as yet untitled…

Meanwhile our handover cast were getting ready in the compound for the very brief bus rehearsal.

More about the handover here.