Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Wednesday, July 8 - Haydn Day







After another hearty European buffet breakfast we boarded the buses for our special Haydn Day in Eisenstadt. The drive through the Austrian countryside was very beautiful and the town of Eisenstadt is historic and very pretty. During the tour of the Esterhazy Palace(the patron of Joseph Haydn) there was time to stop and give a small performance in the famous Haydnsaal(see the ceiling in the picture), where many of the works of Haydn premiered. Pretty awesome for a group from Edmonton’s Concordia to be sharing the same stage as the Great Haydn and others. The four pieces were Candian works. There was a lot to be learned about Haydn when we entered his house and later the chapel and church where he is buried. A bit of trivia we learned was that for many years Haydn’s head was separated from the rest of his body(after his death) and only recently hs whole body has been reunited in the crypt in the church. In Haydn's church the choir gathered to sing another piece. It continually overwhelms the choir when we hear our voices in these old and beautiful places of worship. Lunch in the pedestrian mainstreet of Eisenstadt and then a return for a short rest before supper at the Restaurant Himmelpforte and yes, another 3 hour rehearsal. Tomorrow is the big day, the reason we came.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for keeping this blog so diligently -- we're checking every day and we can tell that you're all having a great trip and racking up fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

    Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

    Sally Neal and Dakota Tranter (Joan Neal's daughter & granddaughter)

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  2. This is my third attempt to send a comment! I'll keep trying. I just love reading your blog, full of interest and delight. Hope you had a great day today. Continue to enjoy this unique experience. Love to Ute Toal and all and God Bless your wonderful voices. Wish I could listen in! Thanks a million for all you share.
    From Josephine Toal in Cork, Ireland.

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