Sinfonia Toronto on the Road

Heading home, October 28

2010-10-31T16:24:00.000-04:00

Waking after only 3-4 hours' sleep, everyone brings their luggage and instruments downstairs, past the musical mural in the hotel lobby. The management has kindly opened the breakfast buffet two hours early so we can get a quick bite before our 6:45 departure. Almost too sleepy to appreciate it, we find another musical mural in the dining room... We've just spent a very short night in a very appropriate hotel!

Going outside to load into the bus for the last time, we see the aqueduct and the city are beautiful before dawn too.

By the time we complete check-in at Barajas Airport, including a long wait to have Sarah S's cello loaded as special baggage, it's just about time to board our flight to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt, we have a layover of 4 hours, so some shopping gets done in the duty-free stores, plus a lot of sleepy sitting around at the gate for our Toronto flight. Calum and Nurhan appear to have invited Andras' cello to join their conversation with Praise and Andras, while Sarah S and EunA just wait patiently.

There are hugs and congratulations at the Pearson baggage claim, then everyone goes their separate ways. But only until time to rehearse for our November 12 concert at Glenn Gould Studio... so hasta pronto!

Segovia, October 27

2010-10-31T15:54:00.003-04:00

The ride to Segovia from Tarragona is a long one. Emily and Xiaohan find a cute way to break it up at one rest stop, and at another we all enjoy a serendipitous view of a castle just down the hill.

Fortunately we arrive with a couple of hours to spare before getting ready for the tour's last concert. Segovia is a breathtakingly historic and beautiful place. There isn't time to visit the famous Alcazar Castle where Queen Isabella approved Columbus' proposed voyage, or Europe's largest concentration of Medieval churches, but we can can pause for a quick coffee with a view unique in the world, in a large plaza at the foot of the 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct that bisects Segovia -- 20,000 un-mortared granite blocks erected into a span that's 2,500 feet long and 100 feet high and built so well it can still carry water today.

Walking to the concert lets us see a bit more, and reveals a delightful feature of Segovia's general streetscape, a particularly prominent local characteristic comparable to Pontevedra's many protruding glassed-in balconies, Burgos' elaborate sidewalk tiles and Tarragona's paving-stone mosaics... Segovia's old city is full of buildings faced with gracefully incised tiles that create tapestry-like patterns over the entire surface.

The concert hall is on the far side of the cathedral plaza, which becomes even lovelier as dusk falls.

The hall is the Teatro Juan Bravo, named for a hero of the 16th-Century Castillian Wars. Its pretty white/red/gold interior provides a nice setting for our last concert in Spain, and we're delighted to find that among the capacity crowd there is a large group of students ages 8 and up from the local conservatory.

Marc has arranged a special experience for our last dinner of the tour. Our omnivores enjoy sharing a whole roast suckling pig prepared and served in regional style. Our vegetarians choose a different entree, but join in enjoying the atmosphere of the fourth-generation hunting-lodge inn. Everyone applauds the chef as he finishes reciting a traditional verse about the roast before serving it.

Many toasts are offered during the bittersweet evening that ends the successful tour... Marc thanks the orchestra; Nurhan hails our musicians and Marc and Kevork, who returns thanks to Marc and the orchestra; Mig circles the room to shake hands with every member of the orchestra; Tony expresses appreciation on behalf of the orchestra... It's already 1 am, but even after the astoundingly rich crema de catalunya dessert, and in spite of the accumulated fatigue of combining intense performing and eager sightseeing, no one wants to leave. But we do -- the staff of the inn have already stayed far longer than their normal hours, and we have only 5 hours to re-pack and catch a little sleep until time to leave for the Madrid airport.

Tarragona, October 26

2010-10-31T14:24:00.001-04:00

Arriving in Tarragona at 8:30 pm and tired from packing in as many last adventures in Barcelona as possible, everyone decides to stay in the hotel and go to bed early. But the food and companionship are so fine everyone stays downstairs until midnight. Sarah B shows off some toys she's taking home for her children, and quite a few "children at heart" enjoy playing with them for a while!

The next morning the bus drops us downtown for the day. Trying to decide which lovely street to wander along first: Sarah S, Julian, Sarah B, Xiaohan, Emily, Tony, Kevork.

Some people go to the beginning of the wide pedestrian park that runs down the middle of the city's central avenue, where a statue honours the region's unusual favourite sport of competitive human pyramids, then stroll through the busy flea market that occupies much of the park.

Others go straight down the avenue to the "mirador" over the Mediterranean. That's Marc and Nurhan's choice. The sea is incredibly beautiful, and in spite of the fall weather that has city residents as well as the rest of us wearing jackets, some intrepid souls go down to the beach for a swim.

Tarragona is known for its well-preserved Roman sites, including an amphitheatre right next to the sea, a stadium up the hill in the old city, and a hilltop fort with an impressive tower still standing.

The old city's picturesque streets wind between buildings dating from the Middle Ages, and in some places are themselves a special Tarragona art form, paved in mosaic patterns made from small stones.

The Teatro Metropol was built in 1907 by Josep Juhol, a disciple of Gaudi's,

whose influence is visible in curves, irregular angles and tiled surfaces.

After the encores demanded by the audience, as in every city on the tour, we pop out the stage door and down just half a block to a restaurant with terrific pizzas and a kind staff willing to accommodate 18 people at 11 pm. EunA, Tony and Calum will join Marc and Nurhan's toast in a minute, along with Mig and Ani and others farther down...
Xiaohan, Emily, Praise and Julia sit beneath a pair of concert-goers who have chosen the same restaurant.

When the "Rustico" Sarah B ordered arrives, it's a bit intimidating! Andras stands by while Sarah discovers that her ring of pizza contains mainly a big tunnel of hot air inflating the upper crust above a normal amount of filling.

After a super meal, our most helpful driver Pablo stops by with the bus to take us back to the hotel, a little farther from the centre here than in our other cities.

Barcelona, October 23-25

2010-10-31T11:30:00.024-04:00

Today is a travel day. Everyone wants as much time as possible in Barcelona, so we're off to an early start, in spite of staying out late after last night's concert in Burgos -- we had dinner at a restaurant Marc recommended for its authentic regional game specialties. (That alarmed our several vegetarians... but fortunately some other options were available!) We're all loaded in and on the road by 8:20 AM. We climb away from Burgos through a ridge of sharp crags, then on through dry, chalky hills with scattered orchards and a few crops wherever water supplies permit.

A late-morning rest stop offers a nicely treed oasis. Tony and Julian go look over a valley of vineyards, and Calum does some calisthenics a la Cirque... now we know why it's no problem for him to carry his bass around!

As soon as we check in to our Barcelona hotel, everyone dashes out to the nearby metro stop to go explore the city. Many exit the metro at the monument to Columbus on the harbourfront at the foot of Las Ramblas, then head up the magnificent avenue towards the old city, visiting the colourful Las Ramblas market and finding a tapas snack on the way.

With part of Sunday free until the pre-concert soundcheck, and an evening departure scheduled on Monday, there are parts of three days open for sightseeing. Colleagues re-group to visit many famous sites according to personal priorities... Gaudi's whimsical architecture in Parc Guell, his radically-sculptural apartment building and controversial, still-unfinished cathedral La Sacrada Familia, the Miro museum, the beach and more.

Regular neighbourhoods far from tourist centres like Las Ramblas mix new and old in wonderful ways; we encounter constant delights and surprises.

Martin's wife Agapi joins the tour here; she and Martin will stay on together for a few extra days in Spain and Portugal. They join Julian for breakfast opposite Emily, Xiaohan, Praise and Sarah B in our Barcelona hotel's especially pleasant breakfast room.

Our concert takes place in the Sala Martorell, one of two halls in the 10-year-old L'Auditori complex, renowned for its superb acoustics.

The orchestra poses for a group picture on the way in together with Carmen Picanol, the warm and energetic head of the management agency that has arranged the tour.

Then we go find the stage door; Sarah B, Xiaohan, Emily and EunA are on their way in.

Marc and Carmen and Carmen's husband Lluis get together at the entrance to the lobby to go over a few last details.

Near L'Auditori are two more buildings that should be on every tourist's list, one of the world's most spectacular office buildings and the lovely neo-Classical Teatro de Catalunya. Tony squeezes in a quick look at both just before the soundcheck.

No wonder L'Auditori has great acoustics: there is warm, beautiful wood everywhere, throughout the hall itself as well as its use for the main decorative element throughout the building.

The concert is a great success. Nurhan and Marc accept applause together after Marc's performance of his Mendelssohn concerto as Emily, Andras, EunA, Sarah S, Martin, Calum and Julian look on...

By the end of the evening the audience showed such enthusiasm there were four encores!

At 7 pm on Monday, we retrieve our luggage from the hotel and board our bus for the short drive down the coast to Tarragona. Mig leads the way across the street; Emily and Praise are close behind.

Sarah S has already put her suitcase and cello on the bus; she's joined on the sidewalk by composer Kevork Andonian, who has joined the tour for a few days to hear the orchestra perform one of his works. They're in front of the bakery that has probably added at least half a kilo to most of us during our wonderful days in Barcelona.

Burgos, October 22

2010-10-26T10:46:00.004-04:00

Leaving Monforte, we climb through a mountain ridge for half an hour, then find a different geography on the far side of the last tunnel -- a golden landscape of trees and vineyards starting to turn fall colours.

Gradually we move into higher and much drier territory that provides a living only for scrubby plants that can survive in such parched, rocky soil. This is exceptional; there has been agricultural activity visible almost everywhere we have driven until now, even in relatively dry areas.

Burgos itself doesn't have quite as many tree-lined streets and small parks around its neighbourhoods as the other cities we've seen so far, and our hotel and other locations display reminders to conserve water. But there is a lovely park along the river that runs through the centre of the city; it's lined with willows and offers a display of precision gardening in an allee of sculpted bushes.

Our hotel is just across the river from the bridge that leads straight to the famous cathedral.

There are four fine plazas only a few blocks apart in the centre of Burgos, a boon for the very few hours of time we have to look around. One is the small plaza in front of the cathedral, where Mary-Beth and Nurhan run into each other; three more offer shops and cafes beneath centuries-old buildings carefully maintained and attractively painted.

Several of the cities we've visited already have used attractive ceramic tiles for sidewalks in some areas. Burgos has particularly elaborate and interesting versions.

The concert tonight takes place in the visually and acoustically warm Centro Cultural. Everyone enjoys the sound-check before changing, then basks in the capacity crowd's enjoyment of each selection. Marc receives tremendous applause for his concerto, and there are actually yells of appreciation at the end of one of the orchestra's encores, the Spanish Dance by Shostakovich with its virtuoso melodies for the entire violin section and vigorous rhythms
in the lower strings.

Monforte de Lemos, October 21

2010-10-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

The hotel breakfast in Ferrol offered a superb array, basically a breakfast version of tapas. Andras and Mary-Beth chat over their breakfast, and in the background Mig and Nurhan are either just coming or just going...

The ride to Monforte de Lemos takes only 2 hours, so we arrive with plenty of time to relax and explore. Our hotel is the Puente Romano, right in front of the site of the city's original Roman bridge for which it's named. There are lovely views up and down the Rio Cabe.

In addition to the river, Monforte has some charming plazas, perfect for a stroll or a coffee in the sun. We find a few near the hotel, including the one where the city's Casa de Cultura is located. The Casa houses municipal cultural offices, an art gallery and spaces for music classes and rehearsals as well as the hall for our concert tonight.

Monforte has spread out all around the base of a symmetrical, round mountain, on top of which is the ancient Monastery of San Vincente, now restored and in use as a historical-designation Parador with a conference centre, restaurant and accommodations. There are magnificent views of the city from its grounds and the spiral road around the mountain.

The hall in Monforte is the smallest one on the tour, but has very good acoustics, better than the others so far. During the sound-check before the concert, everyone smiles and goes "aah!" as soon as they start warming up on the stage.

After the encores and final applause, the hotel is close enough for a quick change; then everyone heads over to a wine bar specializing in vintages from the region. A student who has worked with Marc in summer festivals and his family came to the concert and join us for the wine and tapas. After lots of great glasses and conversation, we turn in before it's too late, as we'll be up fairly early for the ride to Burgos tomorrow.

Ferrol, October 20

2010-10-21T12:27:00.001-04:00

Everyone agreed on an early start from Pontevedra this morning, to make time for a stop in Santiago de Compostela on the way to Ferrol. Praise and Xiaohan wait in the lobby; Sarah B and Calum have made it outside already.

Nurhan has a last "cafe solo" (espresso) and Marc catches up on an email or two in the cozy hotel coffee shop before the bus arrives.

An hour later, we emerge from the street that leads to the historic centre from the bus drop-off area, into the enormous plaza in front of the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. One of the most important sites in the Catholic world's 'Way of St. James' for a thousand years, this world heritage city still draws contemporary pilgrims as well as tourists.

We marvel at the intricate stonework on the cathedral, wander through beautiful old streets for an hour, then head back to the bus to finish the trip to Ferrol. Drawing close, we pass lovely inlets from the Atlantic, most flashing by too quickly to photograph as our bus speeds along the "autopista," but nice to view.

When we arrive in Ferrol, what a contrast! Our hotel is ultra-modern, and located next to an equally 21st-century mall. Note the colourful recycling bins by the mall's parking entrance... similar bins can be found on every street, on almost every block in neighbourhoods old and new; they are a normal part of life in Spain's impressively clean cities.

Ferrol is a major port and shipbuilding city at the tip of the northwestern corner of the country, and home to a large base for the Spanish navy. Part of its vast forest of dockside cranes is visible from nearly every point in the city.

The Teatro Jofre is lovely outside and in. Tonight's programs are in Galician, which appears to bring some elements similar to both Portuguese and Basque into Spanish. Part of Nurhan's bio, for example, reads "da clases maxistrais e dirixe outras orquestras como recentemente no 29 Festival Montserrat..."

Nurhan and the orchestra and Marc are really "tight" in Turina, Devienne, Mendelssohn and Dvorak; the audience goes into "pin-drop" mode and then demands encores from both Marc and the orchestra.

Some members board the bus to go for dinner near the hotel, while others find the restaurant recommended by the concert association closed and end up at an unplanned but terrific place with yet more seafood specialties.

Mig and Marc take the head and foot of our long table, and many toasts are made to a highly successful evening before three taxis take us back to the hotel.

Pontevedra, October 19

2010-10-19T12:02:00.004-04:00

Tuesday is a day off in Pontevedra. Nurhan and Calum get ready to explore the city with the generous breakfast at our hotel -- pears, apples, ham, cheese, wonderful bread, and pastries that look like giant croissants but taste more like brioches.

Just a block from the hotel, the perfect mini-plaza -- Mary-Beth can take a break from practicing and listen to another violinist...

Many members of the orchestra head for the Museo de Pontevedra first, three buildings housing an archeological history of the area from Paleolithic weapons on through Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman artifacts and up to a beautiful collection of ceramics representing various styles manufactured by a local firm founded in the early 20th Century. As one would expect for a city with an important maritime history, there are many exhibits that detail naval and commercial ships and citizens, including a terrific full replica of a captain's cabin, another of a merchant's office, and this whimsical sofa with built-in storage compartments shaped like ship's forecastles instead of upholstered armrests.

The first floor of the city market combines the smells of fresh flowers in the centre aisle with those of the seafood stalls on either side. Shoppers can purchase the regional favourite, octopus, many varieties of squid, eels and every possible size of prawns and shrimp in addition to dozens of types of fin fish.

Our maestro loves to absorb the atmosphere of each city he visits on tour by walking far and wide. Old and new coexist around every corner here, with radical new architecture like this harp-like bridge only a moment away from historic squares.

Tomorrow a new bus will pick us up for the trip to Ferrol. We'll be sorry to leave this city we've enjoyed so much, but glad to go see more of Spain.

Pontevedra, October 18

2010-10-19T11:12:00.000-04:00

Our floors of the hotel sound like a conservatory today, with everyone practicing to get their fingers back in motion after two days of travel. But there's also time for a walk or so, through streets lined with fine old buildings like this one a few doors away from the hotel.

Pontevedra is full of lovely plazas, too, some with vendors offering chestnuts from cast-iron roasters shaped like locomotives. Nurhan enjoyed some while out for a stroll.

By late afternoon, everyone is warming up again or taking a shower, then it's off to the Teatro Principal for a short sound-check rehearsal. We make an odd parade for the few blocks to the theatre!

Soloist Marc Grauwels rehearses during the sound-check, just in front Concertmaster Mary-Beth and Xiaohan and Praise... Marc played with the orchestra for the first Masterpiece Series concert of the season in Toronto and on two of our programs for the Colours of Music Festival in Barrie, then returned to Belgium for a week before flying in today to rejoin us for the tour.

Metamorphosis -- from rehearsal in casual clothes to gowns and formal suits for the concert.

Our concert was #993 in the history of the Sociedad Filarmonica de Pontevedra, which will present its one-thousandth concert later this season! The audience received each work with enthusiasm, drawing an encore from Marc after his performance of Devienne's Flute Concerto No. 7, and two from the orchestra at the end of the second half of the concert.

Performers' schedule plus European lifestyle = dinner
after the concert. Some members of the orchestra went in search of tapas, others found a great wine cellar/restaurant just up the street from the theatre with an intriguing menu of local specialties.

'Chiparrones' (tiny whole squid) in herbs for Nurhan, an oxen-steak for Calum, scrambled eggs with prawns and kale for Tony, but not quite enough hot pepper for Andras!

Finally, back to the hotel at 1 am, past one of the life-size sculptures scattered here and there through the city centre.

Toronto to Pontevedra, October 16-17

2010-10-18T06:56:00.002-04:00

Straight from Saturday morning's rehearsal to Pearson International... Emily, Praise, Sarah S, EunA, Xiaohan and Sarah B pause in the middle of the giant sculpture in the international departures wing while waiting for our flight out.

Sarah B and Tony join our Maestro
and Xiaohan in the boarding line
while Nurhan checks Xiaohan's cute mascot 'MeToo'

Smile of relief in Madrid -- Sarah S checks that her cello has arrived in perfect shape after its checked-baggage trip in her specially-built travel case. All is well!

Then Susana from the concert
agency leads us out to our bus
for the drive to Pontevedra.

Mig and Ani wait to board the bus -- the dedicated President of Sinfonia Toronto and his wife are accompanying the orchestra on its Spanish tour.

The trip to Pontevedra takes us through a fascinating sequence of different landscpes. First, up through foothills to the Sierra de Guadarrama north of Madrid, where we pass through the first of the day's many tunnels. On the other side, we emerge into a mountainous highland of centuries-old sheep and

cattle farms delineated by what appear to be kilometres of dry-stone walls built with sculptural precision.

Each mountain captures and holds its own cap of cloud, but our route is clear and sunny.

Every few minutes through the entire trip, we
can see wind turbines on ridges or solar farms on slopes. Spain must be many years ahead of Canada in committing to sustainable energy.

Have score, will travel: Nurhan reviews some of the repertoire, somewhere between Valladolid and Ourense... After climbing steadily on the way north, we turned left at Benaventura and then continued a gradual ascent westward across drier upland plains, following the A-52 highway next to vast grain fields.

From Ourense the highway twisted through spectacular river valleys punctuated by smaller towns that were a striking mix of ancient stone farmsteads surrounded by gardens and vineyards and newer Euro-style and traditionally-modeled houses perched up and down steep slopes. Well over an hour of downhill curves marked "Para seguridad, controle su volocidad" brought us to the coast and a warm welcome at our hotel in Pontevedra.

Never mind unpacking, time to see a little of the city and stretch our legs after bus-plane-plane-bus for so long! On Sunday evening, many residents are strolling through the historic centre of the city around the hotel. We pass the preserved remains of the San Domingo Cathedral, strikingly illuminated. A few of the interior support pillars were 'recycled' into the church from a 2nd-century Roman building.

Then we found the Teatro Principal, the hall for tomorrow's concert, a few blocks beyond the church through stone streets lined with lovely balconied apartments and chic shops. Finally, a typical and delicious late dinner as we split into tapas fans and those who headed for "mariscosarias" to enjoy the seafood for which this region of Galicia is famous.

SINFONIA TORONTO TOURS SPAIN

2010-10-15T09:32:00.006-04:00

Hola!

We will depart Saturday, October 16. One last rehearsal Saturday morning and at the end of the rehearsal our bus takes us to the airport just in time to catch our flight to Madrid. Our tour repertoire includes works by the young Ontario composer Kevork Andonian, Devienne, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Shostakovich, Suk and Turina. Major support for the tour has been provided by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council's National and International Touring program.

Monday, heading home

2008-11-29T20:49:00.000-05:00

The giant travel case for Calum's doublebass waits sadly to be stowed under the bus as we leave Flörsheim early Monday morning, and Nurhan takes a last photo with Herr Rolf. Herr Rolf's professionalism was an important part of the tour. He made extra trips several times to change buses, to ensure safety when snowtires were needed and enough space when Calum had to use the travel case in addition to his regular soft case.

Phoebe gets ready to board, while Ani and Mig and Julian wheel on over.
Mary-Beth left long before dawn to catch a flight to Rome instead of Toronto -- her next gig is a performance of the Mozart Requiem in the Vatican, before returning to Toronto for our December concerts. But the rest of us are heading out at 9 am.
Waiting in the airport: Chris, Albina, sweetly-sleeping Christine, Andras, Liza.

Little did we know just how long we'd have to wait... When our plane had been towed away from the terminal and started on towards the takeoff runway on its own, we came to a quick halt. A small flock of trucks with technicians and equipment clustered around, but after a series of updates from the pilot during a long delay, all the baggage and passengers were offloaded back to the terminal to wait for a new plane. Taking off several hours and some sandwich-vouchers later, we arrived back in Toronto about 5 hours after the originally scheduled time. Not a problem for most of us, but a little hard on Xiaohan, who was worried about arriving in time to get a new connection to Montreal.

Now we'll wait to receive the rest of the reviews... The one we have already from Kassel is excellent. But we already know that every concert was a big success. Everyone in the orchestra gave 500% to every note, and all the audiences responded so warmly to each piece! We were really happy that each audience clearly enjoyed our "Can-con" a lot. We're proud to have represented Canadian culture in Europe, and greatly appreciate the support we received from the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council for the tour.

Sunday, Flörsheim-am-Main

2008-11-29T16:35:00.006-05:00

Vineyards seen through the bus window on the way to Florsheim-am-Main, and solar panels on the roof of a house. We saw solar panels on many buildings, still more evidence of Germany's commitment to developing environmentally benign sources of energy.

Our four star hotel's automated tv greeting system welcomed us in each room as Mrs. or Mr. Sinfonia Toronto!

The concert venue, St. Gallus-Kirche, is named for a devoted monk who tended city residents during the Black Death in the 15th Century and finally died of the Plague himself.

The church is close to the Main River, a short two-block stroll through a historic residential neighbourhood.

The interior of the church is an elaborate testament to faith.

The many marble surfaces reflect sound so vibrantly that carpet must be laid down to cover the altar floor for most concerts, to allow soft passages to be heard as composers intended. The carpet for our concert was put in during the rehearsal break, and it made a big difference. With the carpet in place the acoustics were superb.

No one minded taking a longer break than usual during the rehearsal while the carpet was put down, because the manager of the series, Ms. Haidi Schilling, had organized an amazing buffet of tea, coffee, juices, fruit and traditional German Christmas sweets for us.
Ms. Schilling kept every smallest detail meticulously on track all afternoon and evening in the most graceful yet apparently-effortless way imaginable.

With the checkerboard marble floor exposed during the first half of the rehearsal, then covered with grey carpet during the concert. The program: Janacek Suite, Schubert Rondo, MacMillan "Two Canadian Sketches," Dvorak Serenade.

In each city before, the orchestra received prolonged applause and had to play two encores. After the second encore here, the entire audience gave the orchestra a standing ovation, not a common event in Germany!

This year the church is celebrating the 300th anniversary of its beautiful organ with a whole season of special concerts, in addition to the regular Gallus-Konzerte series that featured our performance. The organ keyboard sits within an unusual double gallery at the rear of the nave, framed by musical bas-reliefs on the walls nearby.

When we went out to cross the courtyard to the parrish house for the reception after the concert, we found ourselves in a picturesque Christmas-card scene.

The concert took place from 5:30 to 7:30, so there was ample time afterwards to chat with concert sponsors and enjoy some wonderful hors d'oeuvres during the reception.
Nurhan with, from left, Herr Gunter Engelke of the Deutsch-Kanadische Gesellschaft, one of the Flörsheim sponsors, Diocesan Music Director and Gallus Konzerte programmer Martin Falk, District Magistrate Herr Berthold Gall, Prof. Michael Schneider, Sinfonia Toronto President Mig Migirdicyan.

Martin and Ani; Mary-Beth and Raffi

Agapi and Attila,
a friend of Raffi's and Nurhan's
who drove over from Coblenz
for the concert.

Back at the hotel, everyone had to pack one last time and get some sleep before boarding the bus at 9 am Monday morning to go to the airport, but no one wanted to finish the tour. We've been having such a great time together, everyone wanted it to keep going. We took over the garden room of the hotel bar, pushed all the tables together, and kept a circulation of people trading seats and floating in and out from upstairs long into the night...

Saturday, Bensheim

2008-11-29T14:53:00.001-05:00

It's a three-and-a-half hour trip from Kassel to Bensheim, so we left soon after breakfast, starting out with a lot of retaliatory photo-snapping on the bus. Here's Martin aiming past Mig and Ani, and a nice shot of Susanne in the guide's seat up front. She rode there much of the time, and often went on the sound system to provide gracious commentary about the places we passed, as well as giving an overview of each day's schedule.

We passed lines of wind turbines many times, like the one out the window behind Mary-Beth. Germany is a world leader in using this technology. The turbines really aren't an eyesore in the landscape, they don't look bad at all. Canada should get going with lots of them soon!

The Ramada hotel in Bensheim was quite a contrast from the traditional-style hotels in the other cities so far -- lots of structural elements exposed outside as well as in the lobby, and vivid Miro-inspired, primary-colour decor in the hallways and guest rooms.

After a quick check-in, arrival at the Parktheater for rehearsal.

From left: Liza, Phoebe, Xiaohan, Albina, Tony, Nurhan, Mary-Beth,
Martin, Praise, Sarah, Emily, Calum, Julian, Andras.

The interior of the theatre was also the most contemporary
of all the halls on the tour.

Members of the orchestra tap their bows to applaud
Mary-Beth's performance of the Schubert Rondo.
The program in Bensheim: Janacek Suite, Schubert Rondo,
Sarasate Zigeunerweisen, MacMillan "Two Canadian Sketches,"
Tchaikowsky Serenade.

After the concert, the Kunstfreunde Bensheim generously hosted drinks and supper at the nearby Bakus Wine Cellar. The local wines were terrific!
From left: Dr. Helmut Schroth, Chairman of the Kunstfreunde Bensheim, Calum, Sarah, Mary-Beth, Julian; Raffi, Nurhan, Dr. Schroth.

Friday, Warburg

2008-11-27T20:39:00.000-05:00

Before departing for Warburg on Friday morning, we enjoyed a sightseeing tour around Kassel on our bus. The Fredericianum Museum was the first museum in Europe to be established for the benefit of the general population, a radical step away from the norm of private collections open only to the most privileged members of society.

On several streets we saw the continued legacy of a huge installation-project by Joseph Beuys for Kassel's international Documenta art festival -- some of the 5,000 paired plantings of trees together with large rectangular stones, a living, city-wide sculpture.

When our bus climbed up to the famous statue of Hercules that towers over the amazing waterfall-allée in the 5-kilometre-long mountainside park that leads down to the Wilhelmshöhe Palace, we arrived in the midst of a snowstorm and fierce wind, so we didn't stay out of the bus for long.

But of course when we drove back down the mountain the sun was out and there wasn't a speck of snow ... leading Susanne and Raffi to declare that of course the snow had occurred just for the benefit of all us Canadians!

Here's the non-snowy view up towards Hercules from the

city, near the Palace at the other end of the park, which
gives an idea of the huge size of the statue itself and
the building that forms its base.

Arriving in Warburg, Emily, Phoebe, Martin and Tony
head for the hall in the Gymnasium Marianum

as do Liza and Praise.

The concert couldn't have taken place in a more spectacular

and romantic location. The hall is in two of the higher levels of
a 6-level school building built down the mountainside, with its
entrance at the top level from a road running along the wall
remaining from a medieval fortified monastery. The 16th-Century
building on the other side of the road is still in use for businesses
and apartments, and the city's historic cathedral looms behind
the school, also perched on the very edge of the upper city.

Between the rehearsal and concert we had dinner in a nearby
Greek restaurant. Raffi had taken pre-orders from everyone and
the staff there were wonderful about serving quickly so we
could fit the meal in without getting too close to the concert.
Everything was excellent, but Nurhan was a bit disappointed
to find it's not the custom in Germany to bring in the saganaki
still flaming and yell "opa!" while dousing it at the table...

From top and left: Phoebe, Andras, Emily, Praise, Xiaohan, Liza, Albina, Sarah; Susanne, Peter Ernst and Olaf Krane from the Warburger Meisterkonzerte series, Nurhan; Julian, our very kind and helpful driver Herr Rolf, Raffi, Julian, Susanne, Peter, Olaf.

On stage in the striking hall, with a restored traditional stained glass window framed by a dramatic arch. Nurhan and the rest of the orchestra join the audience in applauding Mary-Beth's solo performance of Schubert's Rondo in A Major and Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen. The program also included the Janacek Suite for String Orchestra, MacMillan "Two Canadian Sketches" and Dvorak Serenade.

The concert series was already looking forward to Christmas, with almost-lifesized bentwood reindeer and topiary holly trees in the lobby and pointsettias on stage. At the end of the concert every member of the orchestra was given a beautiful Christmas spray and Mary-Beth and Nurhan received seasonal bouquets of roses, pine, holly and cinnamon.

Thursday, Kassel

2008-11-26T21:49:00.001-05:00

At a rest stop en route from Fulda to Kassel, Tony looks over the beautiful countryside, Nurhan has some water before getting back on the bus, and Susanne takes a call on her "handy" -- German slang for a cellphone.

Xiaohan in front of our hotel on arrival in Kassel. The schedule here is tight, with only an hour or so to get organized in the hotel before heading off to the Friedenskirche for rehearsal and the concert. We have to take concert clothes along, because there isn't much time between the rehearsal and concert either, just enough for some snacks provided in the parrish hall and a quick change of dress before tuning and the downbeat.

The acoustics in the Friedenskirche were really excellent, making it a bit easier to interact comfortably after such a jam-packed schedule all day. The Kassel program consisted of the Elgar Serenade, Dvorak Serenade, MacMillan "Two Canadian Sketches" and Tchaikowsky Serenade.

The concert was supported by a very major sponsorship from the KasselerBank, whose chairman gave an eloquent welcome to the orchestra and many invited guests at the opening of an elegantly catered reception.

Canada's Cultural Attaché Astrid Holzamer travelled to Kassel from the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, and after the concert a lovely reception was sponsored by the Embassy.
From top: Nurhan and Mig with Ms. Holzamer; Mary-Beth chats about the orchestra with Mig, Ms. Holzhamer and impresario Andrea Hampl; Liza and Albina share a small-world moment with a Canadian musician who is now a member of the Orchestra of the Kassel State Theatre, the oldest orchestra in Europe.

Portrait of two happy and tired violinists after a great concert... Mary-Beth and Martin at the reception.

Wednesday, Fulda

2008-11-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

The charming breakfast room in the hotel, looking out over a corner of the Residence-Palace. Wonderful breads, lots of cheeses and coldcuts, special local jams and pastries got everyone off to a delicious start for the day.

A poster for our concert, seen on the way to the office of Angelika Lieder, Director of the Schlosstheater series, for a quick meeting with Ms. Lieder and Producer Susanne Schaeffer from Hessischer Rundfunk to check all the arrangements for the evening. The poster shows the exterior of the Aula der Alten Universitat, the venue for the concert.

There was time in the morning to explore a bit... Here are Julian and Mary-Beth on the step leading down from the Residence-Palace into its park with the Orangerie in the background. The Orangerie was built as an alternate pavilion for Palace occasions held in warm weather, and then as the winter nursery for the Park's more delicate plants.

The interior of the Aula der Alten Universitat was really lovely. Originally a large chapel, its relatively restrained Baroque style included stately pillars along white walls, magnificent chandeliers, and many frescoed lozenges with Latin mottoes depicting aspects of the Virgin Mary's life and significance in the Catholic faith.

The hall possesses a warm, lively acoustic, making it a frequent choice for broadcast recordings by Hessischer Rundfunk. The producer and sound engineer were pleased with the concert recording, which will be broadcast on January 9.

The program: Elgar Serenade, Tchaikowsky Souvenir de Florence, MacMillan 'Two Canadian Sketches,' Dvorak Serenade.

Everyone gathered a short walk away after the concert to relax with some beer and snacks at the Museumskellar. Among the other patrons there, we were greeted warmly by two couples from Washington DC who had just attended the concert... small world!
From left: Sinfonia Toronto Board President Mig Migirdicyan, Ani Migirdicyan, Margaret Chasins, Liza, Praise, Xiaohan; on right, Mary-Beth, Tony, Susanne, Raffi, Nurhan, Martin.

Outbound, Monday and Tuesday

2008-11-19T07:35:00.005-05:00

Straight from rehearsal at the Walmer Centre onto the bus to go to Pearson International Airport... Some members of the orchestra who live in Etobicoke zipped home and then arrived at the airport on their own, but most people loaded in right after reheasal. (From left: Emily Hau, Tony Rapoport, Martin Bazarian, Mary-Beth Brown, Julian Knight, Sarah Findlay Boyer, Nurhan Arman, Xiaohan Guo, Liza McLellan, Praise Lam, Phoebe Tsang)

Calum and Margaret waiting to get the doublebass released from the "Bulky Baggage" department on arrival in Frankfurt Tuesday morning... Flying one instrument internationally can almost cause more tricky details and long procedures than an orchestra's entire roster of people!

Ground transport service! Andras Weber helps Sarah get to the bus.
(Looking on, from left: Nurhan, local tour organizer Raffi Geliboluoglu and Calum)

Only 3 months old and already a seasoned traveller... The youngest member of the tour is Christine, daughter of violinist Albina Molodozhan and her husband Chris Krawczyk. She was a perfect passenger throughout the Lufthansa flight and on the two-hour bus trip from Frankfurt to Fulda.

A late morning arrival in Fulda left us time for a rest, lunch, and a guided tour of the famous Residence-Palace of the Prince-Bishops of Fulda, just a block from the hotel. One of the most spectacular rooms in the wing of the Palace open as a museum is the Cabinet of Mirrors, with 240 mirror inserts in the walls and ceiling as well as numerous gilt-framed paintings. The highest High-Baroque style!

A resident Palace orchestra... The museum includes porcelain figurines made in Fulda in the 18th Century and collected by the Prince-Bishops, eventually re-purchased from collections around Europe. These musicians are conductorless, though, because the conductor figurine is still in a private collection in Switzerland!

Everyone had dinner shortly after the Residence-Palace tour and went to sleep early, to beat their jetlag and be ready for rehearsal and the first concert on Wednesday. (East view from the hotel)

Tour Announcement

2008-11-02T06:55:00.000-05:00

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

October 29, 2008

SINFONIA TORONTO TO TOUR GERMANY

Toronto - Sinfonia Toronto will take off for Germany next month for a five-city concert tour in the central German state of Hesse. The ‘Heart of Germany’ tour includes performances in Kassel, Fulda, Bensheim, Warburg and Florsheim. The Hessischer Rundfunk radio network is a co-sponsor of the tour and will record the orchestra’s performance in Fulda for broadcast.

Sinfonia Toronto’s Music Director Nurhan Arman comments, “it will be a great honour to showcase Canadian music and culture in one of Europe’s most historic and culturally significant regions.” The tour repertoire includes compositions by Elgar, Janacek, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Canadian composer Sir Ernest MacMillan. The orchestra’s concertmaster Mary-Elizabeth Brown will be the featured violin soloist in works by Schubert and Sarasate.

The ‘Heart of Germany’ tour is supported by an International Touring Assistance in Music Pilot Project Program grant from the Canada Council, the Hessischer Rundfunk radio network, Lufthansa, Deutsch-Kanadische Gesellschaft e.V., the Canadian Embassy in Berlin and the Kasseler Bank.

During the 2008-2009 Sinfonia Toronto will celebrate its 10th Anniversary concert season. The orchestra presents a seven-concert Masterpiece Series in Toronto’s Grace Church on-the-Hill each season and a number of community/outreach performances. Marquis Records has just issued Sinfonia Toronto’s new CD, Flanders Fields Reflections.

For further information on ‘Heart of Germany’ concert dates, locations and programs please refer to www.sinfoniatoronto.com or contact the orchestra by phone at 416-499-0403.

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www.sinfoniatoronto.com
www.myspace.com/sinfoniatoronto
Sinfonia Toronto
3901 Don Mills Road, Box 5
Toronto, ON M2H 2S7
Tel/Fax: 416.499.0403
Tickets: 905-825-9477