Dilsberg is GORGEOUS. I'm literally living in a medieval castle and village. Much of the castle is in ruins (though you can go up and walk on the castle walls and climb the tower), but the Kommandantenhaus (Commander's House) and tower, which was built in the 13th century, is a beautifully restored 5 level-building. It's built on a hill, so levels 1, 2, and 3 are all 'ground floor.'
Level 1- Cellar, kind of dungeon-like but much friendlier. Used as a dining room for groups
Level 2-Kitchen and Reception area
Level 3-Concert Hall. Features a fantastic Hamburg Steinway, and beautiful modern artwork painted by artists who have had residencies here. Gorgeous view out of the windows, to the rest of the castle and village, the town down below (waaaaaaay down), the Neckar River, and tree-covered mountains .
Level 4: Meeting room
Level 5 (gotta go up a narrowly winding stone staircase to get there): Our apartment! Two bedrooms, a kitchen-dining area, and bathroom. Beautifully furnished. Windows have an incredible view.
The town is as picturesque as can be. Cute houses, little pathways leading between them, cobblestone roads, flowerpots on the windows, herb gardens, a Chocolaterie and Inn, a park, two churches, and hiking paths down the mountain. There are so many birds singing... Am I living in a fairy-tale land?
And the food is great too :-) We were welcomed with glasses of wine and canapes. My Dad went shopping yesterday and bought a carful of some of my favorite food (white asparagus, potato dumplings, Musli, yogurts and quark, and smoked eel) as well as 'standard' groceries.
I just finished a rehearsal of David Popper's Requiem with a cello trio (three cellists). What a beautiful piece. I played it a few years ago but completely forgot about it until this morning, when I was asked if I could jump in to play this piece at a concert... tonight. I'm also playing Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante and George Gershwin's Three Preludes. Wish me luck...
Germany: the beginnings of a 2.5 month adventure, part I.
After returning from China, I had two weeks to do laundry, see friends for a brief "hi" and "bye," and repack my bags, this time for a 2.5 month trip to Germany. The Borowsky Trio was invited to be artists-in-residence at the Dilsberg Castle, a few miles up the Neckar River from Heidelberg. We accepted the invitation last year and have been looking forward to this "retreat" and the chance to focus on learning new music, composing, writing, thinking, resting, enjoying the natural world, and enjoying good German food and wine...
I drove myself to the airport (Dulles) on Wednesday afternoon, tried to check in with my e-ticket (but was denied due to "itinerary changes" that I wasn't aware of and had to wait in a long line to talk with an agent), went through security (each time I fly the process of going the security gets slightly more elaborate), hopped on a shuttle to Termínal A, and waited for my flight to Zurich
My Dad picked me up in Frankfurt. What a HUGE airport. After finding the car in the enormous garage (with just a wee bit of trouble) we drove to Lorsch to visit an old cloister and walk through the town. We also browsed through the wares at a flea market, picking up a beautiful English teapot and sugar container for a mere 4 Euros.
China, April 1-15, 2008
My family and I spent the first two weeks of April in China for Pre-Olympic concerts ("Great Harmony: One World, One Dream, One Family"). We performed recitals in major Chinese cities, including Tianjin and Beijing. We also performed a concert as soloists with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra consisting of John Williams' Olympic Fanfare, the Beethoven Triple Concerto, David Popper's Hungarian Rhapsody, Camille Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Cappriciosso, Chopin's Polonaise Op. 22, and a 'medley' of music from around the world that I arranged for our family and orchestra.
Most interesting experiences:
-Eating exotic foods such as chicken feet (rubbery, chewy skin on 2 inches of claw and foot), sea cucumber (essentially a slug of the sea), and tree fungus... but also lots of INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS foods (well spiced, beautifully decorated and presented).
-Protocol of eating with important people: animated discussions on who sits where, lots of food, lots of drinks ('gambe!' means 'bottoms up!' and cannot be turned down or else you are rejecting a token of friendship), and lots of toasts (presented by each and every person at the table, some made multiple toasts)
-Meeting with the Mayor of Tianjin in an elaborate private room (gold everything) of a high-end restaurant which former Pres. Bush once ate, and being serenaded by traditional Chinese musicians... which played music we picked from a "music menu"
-Visiting Tianamen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall
-Dressing up like a Chinese guard for a picture with my family (why they put me in the guard attire when everyone else was in royal clothing is a mystery). I kinda looked like Xena, the (Chinese) Warrior Princess
-Being treated as if we were rock stars. Our audiences took pictures of us (often during the performance), asked for our autographs, and gave us bouquets and plush toys. The girls sooned over Emmanuel (western boy = desireable) and envied Frances' blonde hair
-Walking into a lecture hall a few minutes prior to my Dad's lecture and hearing our afternoon practice session being broadcast over the loudspeakers (they surreptitiously recorded us!)
-Meeting a university student (majoring in computer engineering) who insisted on playing for me (very, very good pianist) and proceeded to tell me about all the differences between my Ekier edition of the Chopin Polonaise Op. 22 and the Paderewski edition, and then started telling me about his favorite pianists, composers, pieces... He let me listen to one of his compositions (a la Ravel) on his i-pod, then asked me if I'd like to come to a music store "to buy pirated CDs." He also suggested that we play a duet at the concert... which would be taking place the next day and broadcast nationwide on TV.
-Finding out that Chinese musicians and orchestra personnel (manager, conductor, concertmaster, principal cellist, conductor) enjoy playing drinking games with their soloists (perhaps trying to make us a little tipsy)!!! That's an experience I won't forget soon.
-Waking up to smoggy sunrises in Tianjin. Watching the smoggy, gloomy sunsets. Coming home and LOVING the blue skies of Baltimore.
Ice Storm: The Day After
It is a deceptively beautiful day. Ice caresses the curves of every plant, tree, wire, and shingle I can see. It looks gorgeous, this liquid-diamond coating. But the clouds are dark and low and randomly unleash moments of sleet and ice pebbles. The roads here - small, curving, winding, hilly - are fun ... when you can drive them. Last year I made it through snow and ice, sliding from side to side on the road and down the hills.