Sunday 31 May 2009

Job Done, Tired And Emotional



What a great concert! Wonderful singing, a festliches spirit and a hugely appreciative audience. More reaction and comment to follow, but in the meantime suffice to say it was well worth it. many highlights - a rousing Hallelujah, and fantastic tempo in Surely and Will's "behold I tell you a mystery" was spine-tingling.

A lovely reception afterwards, speeches and wonderful food including vats of wurst and salad and a gigantic bowl of Leichlingen-grown strawberries.

Happiest man of the moment, though is Ian, our driver, who has been craving sausages for our entire trip and finally had his wish granted tucking into the frankfurters with great gusto. Well deserved too, I'd say!


Posted with LifeCast

Rehearsal Time: Concert -40 Mins

It's hot in here, and we're standing for the longest top and tale rehearsal known to man.

Standing? - man! A true marathon in store this afternoon and evening


Posted with LifeCast

Herr Kapellmeister Dawes Pulls a Bird


It's true. Stop the presses.


None of these ladies, I should hastily add, but in fact a very loud canary in the Cafe Scholler in Cologne where we enjoyed kaffe and kuchen in earshot of the bells of the Dom.

After getting to know each other, the canary hung on Will's every note, and mimicking him perfectly and watching him intently.

In an uncharitable attempt to make a cheap joke, one of the on-lookers quipped "better tuning and more attentive than most of the sopranos in the choir".

That aside, he should be known as Dolittle Dawes from now on.

Yesterday's Highlight


It could be a Crowded House song - 'Three Cities in one day'.

Leichlingen, Cologne and Dusseldorf. And the greatest of these was Cologne. The Dom is truly awe-inspiring, and no picture can do it justice, but I tried.

How many shoes does a woman need?

One weekend away, four days, one concert. How many shoes does a girl need to bring? We had a sweep stake that our esteemed secretary would bring more individual shoes than there would be tenors in the concert.

We won.

Number of tenors - 13
Number of individual pairs of shoes - 20 (10 pairs).

10 pairs of shoes? Ye gods! That's a beer or two on the slate for later

So image our delight when we saw the following shop window in Dusseldorf last night. It had to be recorded.

If the average woman has 19 pairs of shoes, how many does Ms Ewan have?

After allowing the choir to park on its forecourt, rumour has it that Francis Piesse [along with Diana, sorely missed] has offered use of his warehouse for the purpose of storing her collection.

It's also rumoured that an application has been received by Henley Town Council to rename to estate the Imelda Marcos Business Park.

Saturday 30 May 2009

Bad Gags

At the Dusseldorf jazz festival........

Enjoying mojito and German sausage.

Will did enjoy his. I quote: " it's not the wurst sausage I've ever had"


Posted with LifeCast

After the rehearsal: The Meter Long Sausage


Cologne: 4pm.


First: Will's comment on a warm rehearsal: "shaping up for a good gig" . Shaping up is appropriate after Will's masterful choir re-organisation. there are some more pictures on the choir's website


Things concerning the committee at this stage: is a DJ White or black? Is smoking a fire hazard?

Should we beseech goodwill toward or towards men?

I'm not sure one of the soloists will appreciate being mistakenly described by one of our fold as a transvestite rather than a counter-tenor!

Now in Cologne, a metre long sausage has been devoured . And the kolsch is flowing.

13 brave soles are following a tour guide and the new self styled finance minister aka Paul our treasurer. Constitutional amendment at the next AGM I think

Posted with LifeCast

View from the Unterscmitte Appartments



Does that win a prize for the most uninteresting photo ever posted on a blog? You can see that that the sun is shining, though.

Not quite dropped off the face of the earth....

....but at some points its felt like it!

Grappling with the vagaries of getting an Internet connection meant radio silence after the blogging frenzy of the first part of the voyage yesterday.

After a smooth ferry crossing of 90 minutes (spent by your intrepid reported in Langham's brasserie for a tip-top champagne breakfast, along with a fair sized possy from the choral ranks) we boarded the bus, Ben P masterfully demonstrating the art of last minute timing by leaping aboard just as we were marshaled off the board by the men in hi-viz jackets.

And then how do describe the next 8 hrs on the coach?
red wine (for the naughty boys and girls on the back seat)
a highly contested game of trivial pursuit with the most amazing range of 1980s pop triv questions
melting Camembert and Stilton

oh, and did I mention the traffic - miles and miles of it all around the Brussels ring road throwing the kibosh at any of the intricate plans. Mr Blaker, I concede defeat!

planned arrival 1800, actual arrival 2000. Oh dear! Last minute scuffles to start the rehearsal as prompt as possible and much logistical malarkey to get the right bags to the right hotel...and we made it!

More on the rehearsal anon, other than to say that it never ceases to amaze me how you can get off the bus in a different country, surrounded by different people in a place you've never been to before, open up your copy and mouth and suddenly be united by the music. Great.


Not sure if any one went clubbing after the rehearsal (!) but chairman's award #2 must go to Alfie Hay for providing the Unterscmitterites with a life saving slap-up supper.

Now a sunny Saturday morning, and fruhstuck has been delivered to the hotel room. Herr Kapellmeister Dawes has surfaced, after a night of coping with someone snoring very loudly (sorry!) - and we're recharged and ready to play on day two....


PS Two questions to play with before the next blog....

1. How much does a taxi from Reading to Dover cost?
2. Name the choir member who, going on concert trip to perform the Messiah, bring a copy of Elijah instead?


PPS STOP PRESS - Great news: ts confirmed that soprano reinforcements are flying in today in the form of Fi Harding. Hooray!!

Friday 29 May 2009

We Are Quorate

We are......our wanderers have now joined us and all 37 are on the bus. Almost only 36 with the treasurer taking a long time to put his face on in the gents.

Now queueing by the boat, but not in the bus lane, strangely. Ian informs us that at check in they took one look at us all and decided we would need to be parked on the boat near a lift! Charming. Surely Herr Kapellmeister Dawes won't be that paralytic after a 90 minute crossing?






Posted with LifeCast

White Cliffs Approaching

We must be near to Dover- Liz Osman has just put a CD of sailors' songs and sea shanties into her Walkman. Preparation for our nautical voyage.

Chairman's sense of humour failure #1: the society's secretary has just used his clipboard on which to paint her nails.

Just arrived in Dover- only two hours in advance of the ferry. Turn up the volume on the hornpipe, Liz


Posted with LifeCast

Disaster Strikes

As we pulled away from Henley and headed up Remenham hill a pothole outside the Little Angel caused mayhem.

The entire tray of croissants landed upside down in the aisle of the coach. A quick blow and a rub down and they tasted fine, though.

Making good progress now- it's 8.12 and we are just passing junction 10 (Ashford) of the M3. Very little traffic. Ian, our driver, entertained us all with his introduction to the coach's facilities; seats that recline- an inch, and a light in the toilet only comes on when you move.

Sorry, it was the way he told it....

Good news is that Ben P has made contact will meet us at Dover and Herr Kapellmeister Dawes called from Victoria to confirm that he had woken up......

Oiled, machine and well springing to mind so far, but not necessarily in that order.

Will it last?



Posted with LifeCast

Breakfast

First chairman's award to Sue Edwards who has handed round freshly baked croissants to us all.

The baker at Franco-Belge in Henley got in an two hours early to make sure they were fresh...I know where I'll be getting my bread from in future....and pasties.....and cakes....


Posted with LifeCast

Departing.....

Well we are off ..... All accounted for with one exception but an executive decision had to be taken, so Ben, if you read this we'll have to see you at Dover


So 36 all present and correct and we left bang on time at 06.30. Vorsprung Durch Tecnik, as they say in Germany


Posted with LifeCast

Thursday 28 May 2009

In The Post Office

Just remembered to get some euros, so standing in the queue at Reading post office. The glamour of the international music scene!!!


Geolocate this post.



Posted with LifeCast

The countdown begins....

This time tomorrow we'll be winging our way along the auto-routes of northern France and Belgium - or stuck in some horrible traffic jam singing through 'Now is the month of maying" for 1,447th time.

Bags packed? -no
dress shirt ironed? -no

stil there's plenty of time for that.

We had a good rehearsal last night - Will's posture enhancing chairs definitely a go-er for the next episode of Dragon Den and the highlight was the comment about frightening German ladies.

Better finish my report on the IT and telecoms sector, or else I ain't going anywhere.....My leaving drinks start at 5pm. Will I be a good boy and just stay for a couple?......