Sunday, December 30, 2012, 10:00 am local time
Saturday, December 29, 2012, 7:00 pm Tucson time
Greetings from Wenzhou! It is a city on the coast, with about 3 million people in the city proper and 9 million in the region. Today it is dry with a chilly wind blowing in from the East China sea.
Yesterday was a long day. We started early in Shanghai with a bus to the train station and a 5-hour train ride to Wenzhou. We passed through some picturesque mountainous regions as well as some drab agricultural areas, but all densely populated. After we arrived, there was no time to waste before we went to rehearse for an hour or so at the concert hall. The cellists and bassists, percussionists and even the harpist were pleased to find good playable instruments waiting for them. This was the first time that our complete orchestra had been assembled in one place, including players who came from the U.K., Brazil, Houston and Washington D.C.
At concert time we marched onto the stage ready to do our best, despite fatigue, jet lag and the limited rehearsal time. The concert hall, part of the Poly chain, is architecturally striking and has great resonant acoustics, although the stage lighting was not ideal for an orchestra.
Some comments from Diane Ransdell (violin):
'Several of our friends attended the concert, which was fairly well attended. When we began, it seemed that the audience was sparse, but they kept drifting in. They seemed appreciative, especially of "Butterfly Lovers" and "Jasmine Flower," two of our Chinese pieces, and they clapped along through the entire Radetzky March by Johann Strauss Sr. - the obligatory ending for a concert at this time of year. One man was reported to have come 50 kilometers to come hear us and said the concert was great!'
Indeed, the concert went well, but perhaps not surprisingly, some lapses of concentration occurred along the way. Afterwards, we were served a buffet meal and over dinner some of us, including Linus, relived a few of those moments in hilarious detail. Today we an easier schedule, with a chance to rest and practice. So we are sure we will play better tonight at our concert in Lishui.
More later,
Tim
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