ON TOUR: RT IN AUSTRIA

First concert was last night. Handel Concerto Grosso, Bach Brandenburg No. 3, Haydn 64, Rameau Dardanus, Ravel Quartet.

A good ACO-only program. We had spent two days in Graz rehearsing hard and it paid off for our first concert in Austria’s 2nd largest city. Pop. 350 000. Only a bit bigger than Wollongong, but oh what it has! Their Musikverein compares with Vienna’s for beauty and quality of tone.

This beautiful, intact Styrian city is now famous for its compact and distinctive wines.

Styria sits to the south-west of the more famous Burgenland (home of Kracher sweet wines – Kracher passed away last year). Kracher was instrumental in getting Austrian wines on the map again after some fools put anti-freeze in their wine and froze the reputation of Austrian winemaking.

The audience appeared reserved (and quite stiff in appearance as the Austrians can be) but were obvious listeners of great intensity. They let loose at the end with and even got to their feet. Mark Padmore the wonderful English tenor who is appearing in other concerts came up to sing 'Mondnacht' from Schumann’s Liederkreis as an encore. “Is there a tenor in the house?”

Next concert is in beloved Maribor, Slovenia, which is only 50kms from Graz. Such is Europe that we are now in a Slavic country, only a hop from Austria. Doing a lot of media promoting our concerts and also the Festival in September here in Maribor. They are very proud to be the cultural capital of Europe in 2012 and we are planning on featuring the ACO in this year.

Ljubjana is building a new concert complex and only one hour away in Maribor they’re planning on the same – to be ready for 20121.

Working hard on The Red Tree with Michael Yezerski. The process involves much passing of scores and thrashing of opinions. We have 20 minutes of music out of 40 almost ready so we’re going well to schedule.

RT

ON TOUR: MARIBOR, SLOVENIA

15^th April – Maribor

After a short delay this morning caused by a disorientated Slovenian bus driver the orchestra has reached the second destination of the tour in Maribor, Slovenia. It was indeed very interesting crossing the former border between Austria and Slovenia this morning, particularly as only two years ago the orchestra had to pass through a fairly rigorous passport control check-point before we could advance into Slovenia. These days, although the border control buildings are still there, the soldiers and duty free shop owners are not. It just goes to show that borders are merely a state of mind.

Last night the orchestra performed at the Stefaniesaal in Graz, Austria to a very full and appreciative local audience. They were particularly enthusiastic when Mark Padmore unexpectedly emerged from the audience during the final applause to sing a Schumann leid with the orchestra as an encore.

Tonight the orchestra will perform for the first official time of the tour with Mark Padmore and flute obbligato player Katy Bircher. It promises to be a fantastic concert because the orchestra’s memories of the hall in Maribor from last time are so positive.

After the concert tonight the orchestra is going to be taken to a local Slovenian wine cellar and restaurant to dine with the selected guests of the Maribor promoter as well as with the members of the Alumni Travel touring party. Although our stay in Maribor is only brief this time it has still been great to return to this reasonably small but culturally rich part of Slovenia.

Damien Low, Orchestra Manager