Lübeck-tour Day 1

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to travel to Germany with our classical ensemble at the music school. This is a new collaboration between the two music schools, it was our first time playing together. My colleague drove all the way there and back, which I found quite amazing. The traffic on the German highway didn’t help either, we had to choose a separate road, then we planned and got there later than expected. We had a bit less rehearsal time, but I feel that we made the most out of it. The 5 hours of our rehearsal time (including breaks, of course) were enough for 2 pieces, the second movement of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and a piece called El Haderech. The slow movement held some surprises, we have discovered, that the ensemble plays much more espressivo and with better phrasing if led by a conductor. And this conductor happened to be me. We have decided it right on the spot, I got the partitur (a music sheet with all parts in it) just 5 mins before my hand went up to conduct. It was an exceptional situation. Normally, the conductor knows the piece the best and has an overview of the music and is aware of the difficulties BEFORE the first rehearsal. In my case, I wasn’t even close to that, therefore, I am intrigued to practice and show my real skills on the next rehearsal day in June. A small obstacle: the next rehearsal will be the day of the concert. So I have to be quick and clear when we play together. Both with hands and instructions. Meanwhile, life doesn’t stop, I will have exams and other concerts leading up to the second Saturday in Lübeck. I am looking forward to meeting with the musicians again (hopefully better prepared this time) and to playing for a whole city. Thank you so much for reading. See you in the next post!