The perfect ensemble for any project
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DUBLIN (February 2006)
from left to
right:
Andy Busher,
Gerry
O'Beirne,
Suzanne
Wilson,
Heather Cairncross, Micaela Haslam, Rachel Weston
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"It was great to see Sian Edwards again, after more years than I care to contemplate. The last time I was conducted by Sian, I was playing 1st bassoon in a performance of Shostakovich 5 in Manchester. She has hardly changed at all. It was also lovely to hear news of her husband, Ian Kemp, who was my professor at Manchester University. He was (and I'm sure still is) a lovely man - very knowledgeable, very kind and extremely entertaining. Rehearsals were, as usual with Ensemble Modern, in Frankfurt - same studio, same hotel - home from home for us really. This was Suzanne's first go at You Are (Variations) and she sounded great. Like me, Suzanne, was at the tail end of some lurgie or other, so both of us were a bit croaky but thankfully still able to sing. We rehearsed You Are in the morning then were informed that the Music for 18 rehearsal had been changed from 2pm to 4pm. The boys flew back to London, and we headed off to our trusty Italian restaurant in the hotel for a leisurely (and very delicious) lunch. The afternoon rehearsal was short and sweet - really just to check that the one or two players new to the piece knew what they were doing - then we headed back to the airport. Frankfurt airport, I have decided, is in my top 5 worst airports (along with Charles de Gaulle and JFK). There's very little to do and there's just one rather dodgy bistro place to get anything other than sushi. Heather and I braved a bowl of soup and a glass of wine while a little mouse joined us for some crumbs on the floor - eek!
So, a couple of days later we were off to Dublin. Rachel, Heather, Gerry, Andy and I flew out mid-afternoon in order to arrive in time for leisurely drinks and dinner. Always important to keep your priorities in order! The hotel was lovely (Davenport in Merrion Square). We dropped off our bags and headed straight out to Foleys for some Irish Stew, Guinness and the like. Dublin is living proof that a smoking ban in bars and restaurants is a marvellous idea. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a drink in a characterful pub without coming out smelling of cigarettes. Gerry and Andy were so excited about it that they just had to visit 5 pubs in a day and half! This was one of them...
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Our concert was part of a Steve-Reich-fest and it was lovely to be able to go and hear members of the National Chamber Choir performing more Reich in the afternoon of our gig. They did Proverb and Know What is Above You (with members of Ensemble Modern) along with some early music. I have worked a few times with their director, Celso Antunes. He's such a sweet guy, and a great conductor - and he has the most unbelievable memory for names. I'm particularly in awe of this, as it's a trick I've never mastered. Some of the Ensemble Modern percussionists also played Drumming. I was on the edge of my seat watching the players - especially Jarrod Cagwin (a player we'd never met before) who really went for it. It was so exciting!
As we
went into
the hall for
the
afternoon
concert, we
bumped into
Steve
Reich. I
hadn't
realised
he'd be
there, so
that was a
lovely
surprise. I
have to say
that our
evening
concert was
stonking! The
National
Chamber
Choir had
given us
just the
right
build-up, in
that much of
their programme
was
very hushed.
Ours
was completely
"in your
face!" and
the contrast
made
it really
exciting.
Suzanne sang
really well
in You
Are,
and I think
Music
for 18
was the best
performance
of the piece
I have ever
been
involved
in. Steve
was in tears
of joy when
he came on
stage to
take a bow
at the end -
and the
audience
went crazy.
It was a
great
concert. |
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After the
gig, there
was a
drinks/speeches
reception,
then we made
our excuses
and headed
for the
hotel bar,
where many
more pints
of Guinness
were
consumed -
especially
by Jarrod
and David
Haller....
Micaela |
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