Friday comes round very quickly. Having spent a week in the same hotel room, I find myself worrying that I have hidden something somewhere never to be seen again. Looking out at the fresh snow and saying a hesitant goodbye to Dortmund train station – will the busses actually manage to get us to Essen today? – I leave the room that has been my home for a week.
Downstairs in the hotel lobby members of the Orchestra are beginning to congregate with their luggage. Many querying what the best travel option is to get to Philharmonie Essen in time for the rehearsal that afternoon. Trains seem more reliable than buses, but the weather doesn’t seem as bad as the previous Tuesday when the snow caused mayhem on the roads between Dortmund and Essen.
The decision is made for us when the bus drivers reported traffic jams caused by the snow overnight. So the train it is. Thankfully the busses agree to take the suitcases leaving everyone to catch the train, not having to worry about lugging baggage through the snow, up stairs and on to packed trains. And so it was Sod’s law that half of us were stuck on a delayed train, arriving at the hotel at the same time as the bus filled with all our bags!
The stage of the Philharmonie is a different place from a few days previously: drapes hanging at the back, hundreds of cables, microphones and speakers strategically placed, ‘cool’ lighting effects, and seats and music stands set up for two separate ensembles, in addition to a grand piano, an harmonium and stands for the conductors and singers. The MCO rehearsal is followed by a welcome break for sustenance and then there is the general rehearsal – a wonderful opportunity to see what delights constitute the rest of the programme when the MCO is not playing. And an eclectic mix it certainly is: the WDR Big Band, Thomas Quasthoff (and his band), Anne Sofie von Otter, Michael Schade, Max Raabe; singing Mozart and Gluck, Schubert Lieder, Jazz, Blues, comedy and improvisation amongst other things, all brought together under the wonderful guidance of Quasthoff and Götz Alsmann.
Saturday morning finds us all waking up late, and not having to be at the Philharmonie until late in the afternoon, many are spotted trying to do some Christmas shopping. With only one suitcase already filled with four months worth of clothes and belongings I have to stop myself from buying things, knowing that my luggage is probably already overweight, and that if the inclement weather continues I may have to lug it from Berlin to Norfolk on various trains…
Backstage before the concert, the musicians are buzzing about their last MCO concert before Christmas. They will play at the beginning of the first half of the concert, and at the end of the second half, with a fairly long break in the middle. I slip into my seat in the centre of the auditorium. As a student I regularly attended concerts, but the student/cheap tickets are nearly always the worst ones, so it is a pleasure to have a fantastic seat with a wonderful view of the stage and the musicians.
The concert is perhaps the best way for my time with the MCO to come to an end. It has always fascinated me to see musicians collaborating with others and pushing the boundaries of ‘normal’ ‘classical’ performance practice, and tonight is no exception. Three encores, three standing ovations and the concert finishing approximately one hour after it was supposed to – what more could I ask for? An after-concert party of course! Kindly hosted by Deutsche Giesserei-ü. Industrie-Holding AG in part of the Philharmonie foyer we drink and eat and talk long past midnight. Musical entertainment provided by Quasthoff and other performers from the concert is wonderful, and sometime later we are singing Christmas songs accompanied on the piano by an MCO member…
A few hours later I find myself freezing to death on the platform of Essen station with some others from the MCO. Our first train back to Berlin is cancelled and we lament having had to leave our warm, comfortable beds so early in the morning. As the train is packed, we are allowed to sit in First Class, and I spend the entire (delayed) journey staring out of the window at the snowy Germany landscape contemplating the last ten days and what a an amazing experience I have had with such a unique group of people. Now I am simply left wondering just how I am going to make it back to Norfolk for Christmas…
