AIDA on TV

All around the Mittlere Brücke in Basel there`s a bustle and commotion, a kind of energetic and expectant motion taking place. Left and right of the Rhine, large trucks carrying the names of national and international television stations are parked in close proximity the the river and to hotel "Drei Könige". It`s not even Fasnacht, but there`s something in the air: that something is Swiss television`s production of "Aida on the Rhine", which will be broadcast live. Tomorrow night, television sets all over Switzerland will be tuned in to Verdi`s opera in its Swiss setting. And guess who`s right in the middle of it? YOUR Basel Symphony Orchestra, playing from the ballroom of hotel Drei Könige, weeping along with Aida, triumphing with Radames, accompanying a cast- not of thousands- but of hundreds, in this epochal production.Try to imagine: camera and audio, costume and makeup teams, a full symphony orchestra, a backstage orchestra, a chorus reinforced with its extra members, one conductor and three subconductors, a chorus director, two regisseurs, the many soloists of the opera, extras, and the technical backup to support and enable a production which is taking place in several different settings at once. It is- I promise you- absolutely amazing and a feat of technical mastery whose equal we will not see again for a long time to come.

Besides the sheer mass of it, there are two other, for me, interesting aspects of this production: the first is that we musicians, although providing the musical framework upon which the drama is being unrolled, are completely removed from basically all the scenes where the singing is taking place. Every tone that is sung or played is being transmitted from one place to the other by microphone or loudspeaker. When Radames sings his aria "celeste Aida" from a boat crossing the Rhine, he only has audio contact with Gabriel Feltz, our wonderful conductor. Maestro Feltz has a monitor in front of him where he can follow the action, but I don`t think that either of them have visual contact with each other. And, in spite of "flying blind" as it were- it works. Not only does it work, but the quality is highly satisfying. This is not just a spectacle for the masses- it is what musical professionalism is about.

The second aspect that I find fascinating is that, during the whole production, while hundreds of people are working in the hotel to produce this very special "Aida", the hotel is continuing with its day-to-day activities. The personnel of the Drei Könige" continues to welcome guests, mix drinks, serve tea and cakes, make up rooms and all the while to be relaxed, charming and hospitable. In spite of a TV team rehearsing in the foyer, bar, on the terrace and in a suite, their show must also and does go on. This, too, is professionalism on its highest level and deserves to be mentioned and praised.

Tonight is the dress rehearsal in preparation for the Big Night- will the orchestra be tuned and ready at eight o`clock on the dot? Will we be able to keep the tempi attuned to the soloists and be synchronised in every scene? Will the weather hold? Although there are provisions made for an "Aida" in the rain, a starry sky and a clear view of the river would be ideal. Looking out from the windows of the ballroom onto the Rhine, illuminated by floodlights, I still couldn`t grasp the whole magnitude of the situation. Tomorrow night we will see the whole story in its context. Well, at least you will, if you have a TV. I`ll be sitting in the ballroom  with my colleagues playing for you. You can recognise me easily-I play the viola and will be wearing black.

I`ve been asked in the last weeks why I haven`t continued writing for this blog: it`s nice that you missed me, thanks.  I can tell you quite simply what`s been going on- exhaustion!  In China it was always easy to find an hour or more (bus rides, plane rides) for writing. Back in normal life, however, there are other things to do with the hours and never enough hours to do them in.

 I don`t  suppose that many of you out there realise how varied and  full the agenda of a musician in Basel`s Symphony Orchestra really is. To my knowledge-  and because of the very special structures involved in administrating this orchestra- we play up to six different productions every week. Concert programmes, opera, ballet, children`s concerts, CD recordings, TV productions- you name it- it could very well be on my schedule this week or next. And, as I said quite truthfully, they can at times coincide to produce weeks "made in Hell". Not that I`m complaining- our job is about as interesting and varied as could be and we certainly master every given situation with bravado. But let  me give you an example: on August 22, I left my house at 09.00 for my first rehearsal of the day. On that Sunday, I played  four outdoor concerts and two rehearsals (temperature 31 degrees) and got back home at 22.00. The following Friday, after spending the week completing a recording of Brückner`s fourth symphony and no break in between,  I left again at 13.00 for a bus ride to Bern where we played outdoors (temperature 12 degrees) getting home again at 02.00. You won`t find many (any?) orchestras whose schedule equals ours. It`s a great profession , but there are some sacrifices involved.  And  it irks me when people talk (and write) about what we cost  when they don`t look at the relation to the value they receive. How many of them would give service the way I do and gladly,  out of idealism?

So you see, if I get tired sometimes  it`s not from doing my job the way I  like to. I get tired  because I feel that the understanding of what- and how much-  we do is often limited. So please, those of you who click on "like this": come to our concerts, tell your friends about us. There are some really cool and exciting things going on. Thea last concert`s "Third Half" was a real treat and kept my eyes and ears open way beyond my normal bedtime. And, the "Casino Lounge" which was so beautifully conceived and carried out, would have been worth staying to the very end. If only I hadn`t been soo tired.

http://www.sinfonieorchesterbasel.ch 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sinfonieorchester-Basel/121662264513833?ref=ts

a few words (13.08.2010)

A concert tour in China puts things into perspective. For example, a  

two to three hour bus ride to the airport is the rule and not the  

exception. Here in Suzhou, summery 38-40 degrees keep us indoors  

whenever possible. The fact that, as a guest, you cannot sit on the  

stairs in the hotel lobby (hotel employees chase you away immediately-  

one must sit on the sofa). You cannot get into the Facebook website  

because it's not accesible in this country. I bought a dress today,  

but had to take size XXL (Chinese women are very dainty). These are  

all just little examples of how things are different here than they  

are in Basel. Get the picture?

After the aforesaid bus trip to Suzhou, there remained about two hours  

between hotel check-in and leaving again for the concert. If any of  

you mistake this trip for a paid vacation  I beg to differ. I also  

have to say that I experienced the hottest welcome ever when I got to  

my hotel room, and I'm talking neither Fahrenheit nor Centigrade. The  

check-in was well organized, so I took my key and scooted up to my  

room. Aha, a corner room- good. I go into the room and think, "fine- 

nice and big. But dark- were the curtains closed to keep the room  

cooler?" As soon as I turned on the lights, I knew why: in the bed -  

MY bed- a half-naked man was wrapped in the blanket and sleeping like  

a stone. He hardly moved when the lights went on. The manager was very  

reassuring when he gave me the key to my new room, saying, "I went up  

to see- there's nobody in this bed." Frieda claims that the guy in the  

bed was a welcome gift from the hotel.

After that the concert was an absolute anticlimax (sorry, I couldn't  

resist). The concert hall in Suzhou is magnificent to look at,  

situated dramatically on the waterfront. The interior, too, was also  

very satisfying- another nice place to play and incentive for a good  

concert.

This was the first time that we experienced a "typical" Chinese  

audience- the kind that sits on their hands. After the Zwicker they  

gave us polite applause, as well as after Tchaikovsky. Brahms may not  

have fared much better if Mario hadn't pulled the flower trick -  

throwing his bouquet to a selected lady-and the Strauss encore out of  

his hat. The audience started warming up just as we were getting ready  

for a cold beer. When Huang Mengla, with  his violin, joined us in an  

encore of a Chinese love song, success was garanteed.

Since we have to be on the bus again in five and a half hours for a  

three hour ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight to our  

final port of call on this tour, Beijing, it's time to put out the  

light. Time, too, is flying.

I do like doing business in China! (11.08.2010)

Business transactions in China are not just of a business nature, the  

social aspect plays an important role.  Let's take the souvenir shop  

in our hotel: from morning at eight until morning at one, a friendly  

salesperson stands at the door and invites you to visit the shop. Once  

inside, a wealthy display of silk and cashmere (okay, give and take a  

little polyester), pearls, coral, fans and jade are at first a bit  

overwhelming. But the very second your eyes rest upon one object the  

adorable young woman smells her

prey and moves in for the kill.  It may be, as in my case, pearl  

necklaces in many colors. "You wear, like this," she says, twisting  

two chains onto one- "very pretty. I make you good price." From my  

Chinese friend, I know that the foreigner generally pays four times  

the price that a Chinese would pay, so I try (apparently without  

success) to look disinterested. "Four necklaces, 600 yuan," I shake my  

head, I'm truly not interested. But then the bargaining itself starts  

to get interesting, the game begins. I think that many of us from the  

West find this part a bit embarassing- it's just not our culture. Here  

it's kind of like patting someone on the shoulder- first you pat me,  

then I pat you and at the end everybody's all smiles. That's how it  

was: the price of the necklaces went down to 480, then to 400. I moved  

away and started to look at dresses- a change of tactic easily seen  

through, but it didn't daunt my pursuer. And, honestly, I really  

didn't want to buy any of them. But at the end, I walked out of that  

shop as proud posessor of four pearl necklaces, destined to become  

presents for my sisters. Sales price: 300 yuan, about 45 Swiss francs-  

still too much, but both parties, seller and buyer, wore happy smiles  

at their parting.

I do like doing business in China!

Zhuhai Part II (10.08.2010)

I'm sitting in a Shangai Airlines plane on the tarmac at Guangzhou  

airport: since our departure time has been delayed one hour thanks to  

the control tower, I have time to describe the (free) day. Groups were  

formed according to wishes: I was fortunate enough to hook up with Yun  

Wu, our substitute violist, who is a native of southern China and a  

charmer on any continent. I heard later of fantastic excursions to the  

island in Zhuhai bay, of bike rides and shopping expedtions, but I can  

only tell you what I experienced. Three of us  visited the harbor and  

the museum with it's marvelous life-sized clay statues and later  

headed to a restaurant where we chose the ingredients for our meal.  

These were returned to us some minutes later in the form of soup. Yun  

led us through a supermarket, showing us many local specialties and  

curiosities, and later to a district of small shops where salespeople  

tried to entice us inside with their wares. This is where Yun  

displayed an amazing talent for bargaining: the leather belt which  

cost 38 yuan at the beginning of the negociations was finally sold for  

10. I should have bought more of them! As we entered a tea shop the  

employees greeted us with a song- they did the same for all the  

entering and exiting- customers. It was a great little show, but the  

following ceremony of choosing tea and sampling a cup far surpassed  

it- what a cultivated way of doing business.

Getting 99 travellers and 10 celli onto their respective planes (we  

travelled in two groups) is not a task for sissies: this takes men of  

steel, which is why I'm really happy that Frieda was there when she  

was needed. Calmly sorting through piles of passports to find my  

missing one, she helped to get me to the gate (not the church) on  

time. Boarding had started when I arrived at the gate to see a  

golfcart laden with celli and their owners zip past me- what a sight  

for sore eyes! They'd managed to get through security even though  

they'd had only tickets for their celli and not for themselves.

As soon as this plane gets off the ground I'll start thinking about  

the stories to come.

Zhuhai - second concert at People`s Great Hall (10.08.2010)

China impresses me more every day  - I have no idea how things can  

work in such a huge machinery, but somehow they do.  We had a (we  

hope) unique opportunity to test Chinese ingeniousness in Zhuhai,  

which was a gratifying experience. Our concert in Zhuhai took place in  

the People's Great Hall, "a beautiful place," Angela the hotel  

receptionist assured me. Arriving there, I was reminded of many  

cities' ciuic centers: the movie posters in the lobby were a dead  

giveaway. This is a place which is obviously meant for usage by the  

local population, not fancified and sterilized for visitors from  

abroad. By Swiss standards we'd call it basic, but the audience was,  

by any standard,  a hit. There are only about two concerts a year  

played in this city of 1.48 million inhabitants- the rest of the time  

I guess they just go to the movies. This was a very special audience:  

there were whole families, with kids running around. There were people  

coming and going and cell phones ringing. These were completely normal  

folks who are interested in classical music: the receptionist from our hotel 

was there, as she  

confirmed this morning. And, since the concert was a different kind of  

concert than the night before, the audience was also very different-  

but even more spontaneous and hearty.  It was an impression that  

remained valid with all the natives of Zhuhai whom I met- friendly,  

open. and very hospitable. Which brings me to their     ingenuity:  

when, upon returning to the hotel early this morning, Simon realized  

that he'd left his trombone in the trunk of a taxi, the hotel  

receptionist set heaven and earth in motion to retrieve it.  

Unfortunately he hadn't kept the receipt for the taxi so there was no  

way of knowing which company it was- in a city of ... how many  

millions? What to do? Mei wenti- no problem- just call the local radio  

station and have them announce a search. While you're at it, call a  

few journalists to cover the story. This is how it happened that Simon  

and his trombone were nearly miraculously reunited this morning. Isn't  

that an impressive story?

on the road to Zhuhai (09.08.2010)

Riding the Bus between Guangzho and Zhuhai, I can really believe that  

the road to the airport is more dangerous than the flight itself. Let  

me just put it this way:  I'll be very happy to get off this bus  

alive. The scenery, changing from city skyscrapers encased in bamboo  

scaffolding to banana plantations to enormous carp ponds, compensates  

somewhat for the suicidal tendencies of our driver. It reminds me of   

the abbreviation "S.A.B.E.N.A. = such a bad experience, never again!

Things, as you can see, have started to get really eventful. The  

concert last night was wonderful, the soloist much more than just a  

reliable partner- I can  say the same for the orchestra as well. We  

played chamber music with a large format- it was super. Mario had the  

audience eating out of his hand when he became "Der Rosenkavalier" and  

distributed bouquets - and not just his own- to selected ladies of the  

audience. They all went crazy with delight:  I think we'd still be  

sitting in the hall playing encores if Mario hadn't thrown us off the  

stage on time.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, I headed back to the hotel for some quiet  

time so I missed out on an extraordinary display of aquatic creatures  

( both dead and alive) at the restaurant where the orchestra was  

invited after the concert. I was soon joined at the hotel bar by some  

refugees from the same party, for whom the sight of live maggots ready- 

to-eat was just too much. It must have been a very authentic exerience.

Next stop, Zhuhai. If we survive this bus ride. This time, don't just  

cross your fingers for me- say ten "Hail Marys" too.

Part II (06.08.2010)

Before we leave, I thought I'd tell you a bit more about our orchestra. The "Sinfonieorchester Basel" (Symphony Orchestra of Basel) is being represented in China by 90 musicians of 23 different nationalities. No, it's not a tower of Babel - almost everyone speaks at least two languages, some speak up to five or six languages fluently, and a couple of us have even taken a crash course in Chinese to help prepare for this tour. Wô hui shuo yi dianr hanyu. Most of us musicians are highly educated ( reading AND writing), well read and travelled. The majority of us are very aware of social, cultural and political issues and most of us have very definite opinions on a variety of subjects. 
But I wanted to tell you about who we are: in order to do that, I need to tell you what our interests outside of music are. I bet you'll be surprised. We have in our ranks: an actor who performs in (local) theaters, an artist who exhibits in galleries, a sailing instructor and high- sea skipper, a beekeeper, a jeweller, a webmaster, a pilot, a tango dancer, an electrician, a mountaineer, a dog breeder, a fly fisherman, a soon-to-be certified canine psychologist, photographer and music arranger, an ornithologist, a yoga instructor, a lifesaver at a local pool and creator of fabulous handbags and luggage.
We have Moms and Dads who go to MuKi gyms, mountain bikers, inline skaters, swimmers, skiers and couch potatoes.We have folks who do volunteer work in their community and others who belong to local and regional associations. 

There are two qualities that define and bind us: we are passionate about achieving our goals as musicians - second best just isn't good enough. We love our profession and appreciate the privilege of being able to "play" instead of work.

And, we feel privileged to play and live in the city of Basel, which has given us a home. We deserve to have a city that's proud of us and our accomplishments because no city could have better representatives of it's values than this very special Sinfonieorchester Basel. 
For now- goodbye, auf Wiedersehen, zai jiàn.