Fairfields in Germany: April 1-7

Monday, April 1st

April 1. Another month has flown by! Another month closer to our departure.

This morning I stayed home. J read and wrote. The kids went to school. I worked on the blog, practiced, cooked a little, read a little, napped after lunch, and then went to Frauenchor Probe in Perlach.

Having a smartphone with a good camera has changed how I see my surroundings. J has asked me why I like to take so many pictures. It's not just about documenting our lives and this experience. It also helps me stay in the moment, stay present, and sink a little deeper into where I am--right now--without worrying about what's coming next. I love my morning walk/runs right now because they're just when the sun is coming up and the light is shifting. Love that. I don't think about moving back to Virginia, going back to work, or where which kid needs to be when I'm in those moments. I just see the light, hear the birds, feel the fresh air, and am grateful to be alive.

I snapped these sunset shots (the time change means the sun set is now at 7:30 p.m.) on the walk from the bus stop to the church for rehearsal.

Tuesday, April 2nd

Speaking of light, fresh air, and photos... I stopped during my morning jog along the Isar to take photos. The Rosengarten is alive with birds, bees, and blooms. The temperature was mild and I stopped and sat in a chair in the sun for a bit after my run. These pauses are the best.

Just a little bit of green on the bushes and trees.

The bridge rail full of locks--couples attach them as a promise of their love for each other.

The magnolia trees are just getting started!

Can you spot the bee hard at work?

The saying on my mug is perfect for today: "Heid is a scheena Dog" [Bayerisch: Today is a beautiful day]

Wednesday, April 3rd

Today was another pretty low-key day. I'm trying to keep my daytime schedule a little less hectic this week because I have evening rehearsals starting tomorrow and will need to be going strong this weekend for the Händel Brockes-Passion performance Saturday night.

My special treat of the week: tickets to the Philharmonie in the Gasteig cultural center. GE was my concert date tonight! We heard the award winning Russian National Orchestra play a program of Russian composers: Mussorgsky (Prelude Dawn over the Moscow River from Khovanshchina), Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich.

George Li, a young American piano virtuoso, joined them for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto Nr. 2 in C Minor. He was amazing! We also had a pleasant surprise: when we went to go to our cheap, high balcony seats, we were informed that the section was closed and they would swap our tickets for better ones... in the orchestra seats, row 9. Wow! So, we got to be much closer the action.

GE behaved like a princess, wanting me to translate the program notes and sitting quietly during the pieces. We talked about how the orchestra "voices" paint a picture with texture, sound, volume, and articulation. We picked out and named the different instruments that had solos (flute, piccolo, clarinet, horn, violin). The Shostakovich Symphony Nr. 5 was electric! She only got a little sleepy during the Largo, but the final Allegro non troppo had her on the edge of her seat again. Such a high!

Waiting for the bus.

We had extra time after turning in our coats to the Garderobe and since we'd eaten an early supper so we could get to the Gasteig on time, we went to one of the little bistros for a treat. She got a mini Schwartzwaldtorte and some apple juice while I had a tiny coffee. The concert starts at 8 p.m.--late for this little girl--but she laid down willingly with me for a little nap after lunch (early release from school today), so she'll make it through.

George Li is really really short!

Thursday, April 4th

Tonight is the last general rehearsal for the Brockes-Passion with the Himmelfahrtskirchen Chor. It's also the last Thursday evening rehearsal for me with this group. I'm a little relieved and a lot sad. Relieved because it will free up some time which is getting more precious as we wrap up our sabbatical year in Munich. Sad because I've made friends and enjoyed the caliber and quality of the music, director, and singers.

I went for a walk/run again along the Isar in the early morning, did a grocery store run, and went to a coaching session with Stellario. When I mentioned what I was singing this weekend, he told me to be sure to introduce myself to the bass who is singing "Jesus" (I did! He was pleasantly down-to-earth and emphasized that I was lucky I'd gotten to work with Stellario this year--no need to tell me!) He also coaches with Stellario and they were just working on the material. I took a short nap after I got back, then supper, and choir...

Friday, April 5th

I gave myself the gift of a little extra relaxation this morning: lying on the couch reading! Later in the morning I rode into the Altstadt to pick up some gifts for our friends who we're going to visit on Sunday, stopped for groceries on the way back, and picked up ME's bike that was in the shop to repair the headlamp. I took a nap again after lunch--tonight's rehearsal will go until after 10 p.m. and it's hard for me to settle down to sleep after the high of singing!

The soloists were fantastic and the orchestra, Barockorchester "La Banda", was amazing!

Evangelist: Maximilian Kiener, tenor
Jesus: Thomas Schütz, baritone
Judas: Andreas Pehl, countertenor
Petrus: Eric Price, tenor
Tochter Zion: Anna Karmasin, soprano
Gläubige Seele/Maria: Anna-Lena Elbert, soprano
Pilatus/Caiphas: Florian Dengler, Bass

Saturday, April 6th

The morning dress rehearsal started at 9:30 a.m. The church was cold, so everyone kept jackets and scarves on. The soloists kept putting their winter coats on and taking them off to sing, then putting them on again! Tonight it will be a welcome chill with a full house audience and all the performers with nerves, blowing hot air... J and the girls popped in to watch and listen for a bit. It's a really long work so they won't be coming tonight. The whole piece is over three hours without breaks--the dress rehearsal didn't finish until after 1 p.m.! I stopped for a few groceries on the way home.

Getting ready for the full dress rehearsal run through.

The soprano soloist turned around to face us and the orchestra since she was marking (singing lightly) for most of the rehearsal to conserve for the evening. She had, by far, the most material to sing! Seven arias, at least? I didn't count, but it seemed she was constantly getting up and down to sing.

At 3:30 p.m. we met our friend LD (from Bonn, now lives in Köln) and her boyfriend M who were in town for the weekend, for Kaffee und Kuchen at the Café Konditorei Kustermann near the Goetheplatz. It was fun to see her one more time before we head home to Virginia. ME missed this since she was with friends at a board game party all afternoon.

The concert went very well. We finished about 10:05 p.m., then everyone stayed to help put chairs and platforms away since the sanctuary is needed Sunday morning. After that the choir celebrated at Wirsthaus Valley's with drinks and food. I went, but didn't stay long. However, I wanted to make a point of saying farewell to Klaus (the director), his assistant and practicum student, A, who directed the Bach Cantata I sang in back in early March, as well as a few others.

Sunday, April 7th

Despite my late night out, we rolled everyone out of bed fairly early to catch a train to Ulm, about an hour's train ride away. We had finally found a day to visit with our old family friends, TT and ET. The last time we visited during our year in Bonn, they had just one little boy, T. Now they have 3! MK, our oldest daughter, stayed with them last summer for several weeks. It was fun to reconnect and catch up. The little girls played outside in their garden with the boys. After eating lunch together at their house, we went into downtown Ulm, climbed the Münster Turm, stopped for a coffee and snack break at Henry's Coffee where ET joined us after letting the littlest B take a nap, then we all walked along the Donau (Danube) river and through the Fischerviertel, stopping to exclaim at the crookedness of Das Schiefes Haus (the crookedest house).

Short and sweet visit! We picked up take out from a Turkish restaurant, Lava Kebab, on our walk back to the train station, ate it on the platform, and rode the train home arriving in time for a normal bedtime...

Train ride together!

Built entirely of Legos!

T with GE and HR in the background; J in the foreground. There was still one more twisting spiral staircase to the top!

💓💓💓

The Donau river (Danube)

Made it to the very top!

J admitted that last night he hadn't really paid much attention to what time the girls went to bed... meanwhile Mom was at her concert. So, I know climbing the Turm was a workout, but really? She was twitching.