Whew! Just got back from Germany and what a terrific experience! The RPO was a delight to work with as was Maestro Dirk Joeres. It was a breath of fresh air to cross the pond and for a few days touch base with Beethoven's old stomping ground. Not to mention being on stage of the Köln Philharmonie - what a superb hall! I was incredibly excited walking on for first rehearsal and just hearing the quietly taut opening of the Triple really sent the electric currents flowing, I felt it crackling on my skin. The following night we did it again in the Düsseldorf Tonhalle which again spoiled us, acoustically speaking!
On some downtime, I got a chance to walk the Köln Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) and had some delicious Rostbratwurst and Käsespätzle, so all in all, eine schöne Reise! Danke sehr Deutschland!
