Today was our last Three Choirs Festival concert before we head back to London Heathrow and on to the next part of our journey. We heard a huge contingent from the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs, about 150 people out of an organization of 2,000 singers! There were many familiar pieces, such as the opener, Hubert Parry’s… Read More Cathedral classics… plus!
Last night was our last evening concert for the Three Choirs Festival—an all-Mozart concert including the Requiem and the Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for violin and viola, K 364—a most unusual concerto. However, don’t get me wrong—there’s still one more nighttime concert left in the Festival but by that time we will be on… Read More Magnificent Mozart!
I really looked forward to tonight’s performance of the Monteverdi Vespers — one of my all-time favorites. In case you are not familiar with the work, it was composed in 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi and is a collection of opulent choruses, virtuosic soloists, and an eclectic mix of old and new styles. It consists of… Read More Monteverdi and Chichester memories
I recently finished rewatching, for the second time, all seven seasons of “The West Wing” television series, when government was sane. The term, “What’s next?” is President Jed Bartlet’s signature phrase in The West Wing, used to signify moving forward, tackling the next challenge, and relentless dedication to the job. It is frequently used when finishing… Read More What’s next?
This week we have been hosting the four players of New World Recorders (Gwyn Roberts, Hélöise Degrugillier, Emily O’Brien and Rainer Beckmann) and it is a real team effort to put all the pieces together. Our Early Music Hawaii president, Scott Fikse, was in Honolulu last weekend to coordinate all the details of the service,… Read More New World Recorders — a team effort
I left Honolulu on Monday morning via ANA airlines, my first time on that carrier, and in spite of the fact that I booked my trip over three months ago, all that was left were middle seats. Still I was impressed by the outstanding service, the design of the aircraft, and fortunately, being a Star… Read More Memories of Paris in Japan?
We are at the Saintes Festival and each day, the festival office sends us a link to a PDF of the program with artist biographies and the order of music. However, what is missing are any texts or translations, so Bill Potter has taken the time to research as many lyrics as possible to compile… Read More A massive wall of sound!
Today the first concert we booked was not until 6:00 pm, so we decided to drive to La Rochelle, a seaport town about an hour away. In case you’re wondering, I am doing all the driving while Bill Potter is doing the navigating. I am absolutely terrible at reading maps so it’s better this way,… Read More A day in La Rochelle
Today we visited the Belvedere Palace, which houses a collection of 24 paintings by the exceptional painter, Gustav Klimt, Vienna’s most important artist. Klimt was a founding member of the Secession movement. According to Wikipedia, Gustav Klimt (1862-1918): His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d’art.… Read More The perfect souvenir
Tonight we went to an Austrian tavern, called a “heuriger,” where the beer and wine flowed freely, along with traditional Austrian food, and musicians played raucous but familiar music, while the people sang heartily and loudly. The musicians, a violinist and an accordionist, asked what nationality we were, which gave them a clue as to… Read More Revelry at an Austrian “heuriger”