Well...Ich bin heute in Graz angekommen. I arrived a little before noon and, along with several other AIMSers, was met at the airport by festival employees and then chauffeured to the building I'll be sharing with a couple hundred singers and the rest of the members of the orchestra for the next 5 weeks (what a riot, eh?). Here is a view of a late afternoon rain shower as seen from my tiny, but pleasantly simple 3rd floor dorm room in the Studentenheim. Rays of sun were peeking through the patchy clouds and glistening streamers of water shimmered in the light as they fell.
None of the rooms here are air conditioned and Austrian law forbids musicians to practice with their windows open, so I've spent the last hour or so drenched in sweat trying to wake up my chops after the long trip across the Atlantic. Now that the sun has set I've swung the windows open as wide as they'll go and I'm grateful for the cool air that's finally circulating into my living space.
I've got one more day to acclimate before my seating audition on Wednesday and I have to admit to a certain amount of apprehension about it. I've had stellar chops for about the last month, but beginning about 3 days ago some of the old stiffness and straining has returned and I've gone from being able to play a passable rendition of Also Sprach Zarathustra (the main piece on my audition as well as the first concert), to just trying to finagle my lips into good enough focus just to reach a high B flat (Zarathustra has about 5 billion high Cs in it...well ok...not quite that many, but still PLENTY!). I have the ability somewhere--it's just a question of being able to access it when I need to.
Also dann...I think the first step I'll take toward achieving my goals will be to get a stellar night sleep tonight!
Gute Nacht, Freunde!
So glad you're there and safe and situated. I know you'll do well in your audition and I know you're going to have a "riot" I love you!!!!!
ReplyDelete