Highlights and home time

Well, this is my final blog for this tour, and I am writing this at 30,000ft, currently flying over the Black Sea (wherever that is). For the third time this tour we are about to stop over in Dubai; I feel like it's my second home on this trip. I wasn't sure how to approach this final blog, but I thought I'd reflect on some of my highlights. Many of the orchestra would have different highs, but they'll need to get their own blogs for that, ha!

Orchestra members stand for applause after the Musikverein concert.

Musical Highlight: Musikverein, Vienna. What a privilege to play in this hallowed concert hall! There are no words you can use that give justice to the beauty of this place, and the honour of performing in it. But, I think the thing that made the night special was not just that we were performing here, but that it was with the NZSO, our orchestra.  I learned a long time ago that it's not the music you play, or the halls you play it in, it's the people you perform with that make a performance special. Performing in this great hall is amazing, but doing it with friends makes it a highlight.

City highlight: I would have to say Dusseldorf. Don't get me wrong now, I love Vienna, but I also knew what to expect there; Dusseldorf, though, was a surprise. Such a quaint little village feel to the old section, with markets, cute little cafes, and the best fish soup I have ever had. The architecture is stunning, the hall was beautiful, and it was also one the best nights of the tour with a few beers in the hotel bar after the concert. The whole experience of Dusseldorf was fantastic, and I would go back in a second.

Bus highlight: There are a couple, I am afraid. Garry Smith's ode to the red bus will be famous once the documentary comes out, and it will go straight to YouTube. Mark Carter, the red bus ringleader, created a carnival atmosphere on the buses at night, and really helped us make sure we didn't get any sleep. Also the wonderful scenery you experience busing around Europe. Going from country to country, seeing the changing structures, the trees going from autumn to winter, the Swiss Alps, the conversations - it all made the long bus rides go much quicker.

Hotel highlight: Well, in Frankfurt the first night we were there, someone was clearly not very well, and didn't quite make it to their room before emptying the contents of their stomach all over the lift. There was widespread worry that this may have been someone from the NZSO, but on further video investigation it was found to have been, ironically, a member of the Irish hurling team who were in town.

Entering the tour's final day

The countdown has begun: last night's concert was the second-to-last of the tour, today we have the last bus journey, this is my second-to-last blog...sob, and we are now in the last 24 hours of eating amazing German food.

The Germans really know how to eat: large meals, lots of meat and lots of potatoes. I think the buses have been heavier and heavier each day, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the members of the orchestra were charged for excess baggage for the weight they've put on.

The great thing about travelling to the next city straight after a concert is that when you wake up in the morning you're there and can just enjoy the place. I didn't know what to expect with Dusseldorf; I hadn't read up on the place, and so as I set off to explore the city I had no expectations. What I found was one of the most beautiful cities I have been to on this tour. I'm not sure of the size of Dusseldorf, but it has a very quaint and calm exterior. As with a lot of European cities, Dusseldorf has new and old sections. The new part has the top-end shopping (Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Hallensteins etc), and the old part of the city, lined with cobblestone streets, has markets, charming cafes, and antique shops. I can only think of one city in New Zealand that has this split personality: Oamaru, which has that lovely old historic section down by the Penguin club (correct me if I am wrong).

The orchestra in Dusseldorf's Tonhalle.

So I found myself lost for hours wandering around this old section of Dusseldorf, and just enjoying the sounds and smells that wafted down the streets, the sound of a congregation singing in a church service, the smell of fish at the markets, and the smoke-filled cafes. I'm not a smoker, but I have to admit there is a certain something about a smoke-cluttered café in Europe; the haziness of clouds of smoke and the smell of freshly brewed coffee make me think that great minds are at work, though most just looked like they were still waking up. The markets were chocker with people buying fresh veges and knick-knacks, and I went to a seafood shop and ordered what everyone else was ordering - fish soup, which was great.

The concert last night was in the wonderful Tonhalle in Dusseldorf, and this is quite a spectacular venue - a former planetarium transformed now into a wonderful concert venue with a lovely acoustic. The sides of the hall have a surreal blue lighting right up to the roof, creating a hazy glow around the hall. It was great to see the orchestra's former chief conductor, Franz-Paul Decker, in the audience, and I'm sure he enjoyed catching up with his great friends in the orchestra.

Pizzas and standing ovations

The relationship between an audience and orchestra can often seem a strange one. We enter the hall from different ends, take our places, and a short standoff occurs before the battle commences. The audience sit, stone-faced, inwardly willing the performers on in the hope that they get their money's worth, and the orchestra sit, nervously hoping they deliver the complete performance. The tension is finally released at the end of the night when the applause starts, the audience finally smiling with satisfaction, and the orchestra smiling with relief, and everyone is happy.

A standing ovation from the Essen audience.

I think about these things during concerts, and in particular on this tour, as I have a few bars' rest to take in the surroundings. The audiences in Europe are a very serious-looking bunch, well dressed, with a stern look of knowledge and critical analysis on their face. They sit during the concert as though they've just been given some grave news about a relative, and as the concert finishes, it's as though they've been told the relative is now okay and up and walking around, smiles all round, and on their feet for a standing ovation.

Last night's concert, for me, was the best of the tour. The orchestra seemed to just fit into the transparent acoustic of the Philharmonie in the German city of Essen, and there was a real energy and confidence to the performance. The audience responded with a standing ovation, and the audience and orchestra left the hall as great mates.

There's something special about a standing ovation; that people feel moved enough by your performance to acknowledge it by standing to applaud is an amazing gesture. Sometimes standing ovations are given away pretty cheaply, not always warranted, and you feel a bit empty in receiving it. But last night, as the last magnificent chord of the Berlioz rang through the hall and the audience rose to their feet, I felt an honest warmth from the audience, the most from any audience on this tour, and I know it meant a lot to the orchestra. 

Last night's concert was the second time I've played in the Philharmonie, and both times have been runouts - where the orchestra arrives at the venue just before the concert, then leaves straight after. The first time I played here I flew from New Zealand to Essen, arriving at the hall at 6pm, having enough time to grab a shower and then straight on stage for a concert. So, last night's concert was a walk in the park compared with that: arriving on the bus from Frankfurt around 5, the orchestra contributed to the Essen economy buying enough pizza to sink a ship, and then got stuck into a rehearsal and the concert.

Mannheim, Frankfurt, and new undies

You will pleased to know that the laundry situation has been rectified. I decided not to bother with the more conventional method of finding a laundromat and spending a few hours washing and drying, and instead went and bought all new grundies and biffed the old ones out; I think I might use this method at home as well as it saves a lot of time. The worrying thing for me at the moment is that every time I check out of a hotel my suitcase is lighter, and yet I keep buying more stuff, not sure where it's all going.

Applause for the NZSO in Mannheim, Germany.

Well, it's been a busy wee weekend, which started on Friday night with another sellout concert in Mannheim. Now, I would love to tell you that Mannheim is a beautiful city, with amazing architecture and gardens (which is what I had read), but unfortunately we did what we call in the orchestra a runout, which is arrive in a city just before the concert and head off straight afterwards. So all I can really tell you about Mannheim is that the hall is not bad, and the local pizza company made a killing on the orchestra, and even though it was no Scopa pizza, it wasn't bad.

The concert was followed by a two-hour bus trip to Frankfurt, which was an eventful ride. There seems to be a bit of rivalry between the buses at the moment. The red bus (the media, and cool bus....) is the place to be, whereas the green and blue buses are a little less raucous and more civilised. We used an iPad to download some incriminating videos of Garry Smith, one of our operation staff, performing in the 70s band The Body Electric (check out the YouTube video of Pulsing, it's very funny!) Also the doco crew cameraman Tom Walsh, who we found out was the undies-undies-togs guy from the Tip Top ad.

Frankfurt is one of those German cities severely bombed during the war, with 80 per cent of the city being rebuilt, so it lacks many of the beautiful buildings you see in other parts of Germany; i's like Greymouth on steroids. That's not to say it doesn't have its own charm and character though, and nestled between some bleak-looking apartment blocks are some wonderful old buildings. The river has a certain Whanganui River feel about it (a bit brown), and one of the bridges was clearly designed by someone colour blind, with a lovely mixture of swamp green and Aussie gold paint.

Friday was a day off in Frankfurt, and was duly spent shopping in town. I'm not sure if Frankfurt is famous for its shopping, but it should be: it has some great shopping options, much like Tawa. A new undergarment wardrobe was purchased, as well as some new jeans and socks, not a bad effort for me. Our CEO put on some drinks in the evening for the orchestra, and it was a great chance for the orchestra to relax together and have a few drinks, before people dispersed to various eateries.

The breakfasts of Europe

One of the big talking points on this tour has been the breakfasts, which ones are the best, and which ones leave a little to be desired. Let me tell you a few things about what I expect from a hotel breakfast. First, and most important, bacon! Not always there, but it should be the first thing put out on a breakfast menu (sorry vegetarians..). Second, a good coffee; doesn't need to be a fancy flat white, it just needs to be strong enough to get me through the morning. Third, a good egg, not the fake scrambled type you normally get, but a proper egg, preferably poached. I don't think I am asking too much, am I?

The breakfasts in Europe have been hit and miss - some absolutely brilliant, others instantly forgettable. Now, you're probably thinking, who cares about breakfasts? But I can tell you that when you're on the road for the better part of a month, it's the small things in your day that make it a good one or a bad one, and breakfasts are a key ingredient in that. That's why yesterday got off to such a good start, a good breakfast: great bacon, a good egg, some nice coffee, and even some kiwifruit and yoghurt. I left the breakfast area feeling fulfilled and ready to take on the day.

One of the things that takes up a big part of the day over here is media commitments. Many players are doing interviews back home for papers, radio and so on, and then there's the doco crew which is on tour with us. Yesterday was a media day for me: as well as having to write my usual blog, I also had a long interview with the doco crew in my room, which meant tidying it before they arrived (it took quite a while!), and then we headed to the hall for more filming. The doco crew are a great bunch, very laid back, and have fitted in really well on this tour. They're really respectful of the players' space and time, and they also make the bus trips a lot of fun.

Dave is filmed onstage by the documentary crew.

So after my award-winning breakfast, I spent a large chunk of the day with the crew, and really enjoyed answering the questions. Even though I have a face for radio, I don't mind being on camera, and quite enjoy talking about the tour and what it means to me. There was also a quick interview before the concert for TV back home, and then it was back to the usual business of rehearsal and concert.

The hall last night was a huge venue that's a bit like the Aotea Centre meets Palmerston North airport. The inside of the hall is a little odd, but fascinating to look at. A huge bank of seats curve up the right side of the hall, and it seats a good 2100 people. The hall was packed again for our concert, and it was lovely to see opera great Sir Donald McIntyre in the audience. We added a little extra piece for the audience last night, and our music director introduced it in German, though there was a long period of murmuring afterwards, so not sure how good his pronunciation was...