Wiesbaden concert day

The Orchestra arrives to play a concert in the lovely city of Wiesbaden, state capital of Hessen. About 40 miles west of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden has been around since the Romans built a fort here.   The area's hot springs have been popular for centuries with Germans taking their "Kur", or cure, a health break to soak in the baths as well as soak up some culture.  The YO plays in the beautiful Kurhaus, the town's cultural center.

This concert is part of the acclaimed Rheingau Musik Festival, one of the most prominent in Europe.  SFS Music Director MTT will be here in August with the London Symphony, other renowned orchestras appearing in the festival are the Academy of St. Martin in the fields, the London Philharmonic, the Radio Symphony of Berlin among others. 

The festival calendar lists over 140 concerts in a variety of venues in the area.  In a previous visit to Germany, the YO performed as part of the festival in a 13th century cloister in the vineyards.  While scenic, the acoustics weren't ideal.  But festival organizers were so impressed with the Orchestra that they invited them back, but this time in the Festival's top venue.  And not just that, the YO's concert tonight opens the Rheingau festival calendar in the Kurhaus.  Quite an honor.

Inside, the hall is even more spectacular, as the YO rehearses for tonight's concert.  

Roll-call from a scenic perch above the stage.  Rapunzel, Rapunzel...

And as much as we all love Davies Symphony Hall, the practice room for the horns here is quite impressive.

And the brass don't have it so bad, either.....

Or the cellos...

And as the YO concert opens the Kurhaus Festival calendar, the microphones are on tonight, recorded for broadcast by the German National Cultural Channel, Deutschland Kulturadio.

Guest Photographer Donato Cabrera Offers the view from the Podium:

Violist Clara Chan checks out the acoustics on the Orchestra floor. 

And you can check out Clara's playing (and singing) ability in this video about her big brother Nathan, a former YO cellist.

And finally, it's concert time.  On the program is John Adams' Shaker Loops, Grieg's Piano Concerto and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.  Another rousing ovation after an impressive concert.