Brittens War Requiem @ Opera House

I can honestly say this was the most difficult piece I have ever sung... also the most satisfying.... we nailed it.  Thank goodness we got great reviews.  Bravo Brett, Liz, the Youth Orchestra and choir and of course my choir buddies.

Britten's War Requiem

★★★★½  "exultant harmoniousness", "This performance of Britten’s War Requiem... was ambitious in aspiration and triumphant in execution." "An unforgettable performance indeed." – Peter McCallum

Great that Wendy flew down from Queensland to stay. brilliant to catch up with Lorraine and Yannis again. 

★★★★★ | "a wall of sound so dense as to elicit a visceral response in the listener." – Limelight

"…thrilling work from the first clanging chimes... all well-measured by Weymark." – Stage Whispers

Good to see Phil again.

"The effect was all-enveloping; great waves...washed over the audience..." 

Not singing Messiah this year...BeanZ Big event 'Freshly Brewed Fiction happening soon and lots to do!  Sondheim next year and then who knows what.  I think Brett has some exciting plans coming up!

Visit from our Japanese 'Family'

 

A quick blog catch up.   It was lovely to have Yuki, Miki, Shiho visit.  Great to see Caleb and hirmi for our Manly Dam Walk.

A little French repas!

Inspired by our sojourn to La Marche at Willoughby and our 10,000 steps a dayd,  un petit déjeuner at Frenchies was required! The food there is so good! Too good as it attracts the ever watchful kookaburra and brush turkey.

The walk with its magnificient views of the Heads, and city landscape is incredible. The perfect Australian day!

Happy Birthday Roger

 Great to share Roger's birthday with Caleb, Hiromi and Pat!  A golfing life experience ha! ha!

Le Marche - Aussie Style

 

Back to the old routine! Lovely stroll through Willoughby to the French Market.  Loved hearing all the French chatter again. fresh flowers, baguette (of course) and of all things cumquat jam!

We're back... singing, cumquatting, birthdaying, open micing, walking, concerting and BeanZing!

Oh to be back in the rush and tumble of Sydney! Home on Wednesday, rehearsing in the city on Thursday - it looked so cosmopolitan and kind of exotic! Great to meet up with everyone again although I felt sorry for Ruth who sat next to me having to put up with my lame singing.

As dawn broke off to Raymond Terrace to see Caleb and Hiromi. Of course Roger and I had been awake since 4.00 am. Arghhhh jet lag! Breakfast at the Riverside cafe... before cumquatting.

Oh my goodness what a tree! Collected 10 Kg.  I reckon there is at least 100kg left! Made up cumquat and ginger marmalade when I got home.

 

Great to be walking with Caleb and Hiromi again. This time to Fingal's Beach. 

Lots of catching up.  Jaffle lunch at the caravan and of course plotting our next trip with them. 

Love the concerts in the Utzon room...so intimate and yet fabulous views of the Harbour.  The concerts are always a bit quirky and this one was no different.  Liam Byrne a Berlin-based Irish played the viola da gambist along with Australian gambist Laura Vaughan The program was called Liquid Space, perfect as we looked out at the lapping water of Sydney Harbour.  An interesting concert with a mix of 16th- and 17th-century Renaissance and Baroque works as well as modern compositions. Great to see the two young composers sitting in the row next to us.  We are so lucky!

 

Finally it was open mic time with the BeanZ followed by dinner at the Ivanhoe Pub! Phew! somehow managed to get my feral story written. Enjoy! 

Copy of Open mic by Julie Howard

A Whirlwind Stopover in Vietnam

The. Lounge at Heathrow was really crowded but it gave us time to make those last phone calls and to gather our thoughts before we headed off to Hanoi.  The food and service on Vietnam airlines was terrific but sleep was on our minds! We were met in Hanoi by the enthusiastic guide Teddy who was supposed to take us straight to our hotel BUT he had other plans.  I'll take you on a three hour tour of Hanoi he said.  No Charge! All free!

There were half a dozen people travelling on to Sydney with us and we had all planned to use the 12hr stopover to shower and chill.  In unison we yelled out Nooooooooooo! 

Reluctantly he dropped us off, promising to pick us up for dinner. The hotel was of course was in the middle of a gloriously busy street, selling everything you could dream of. We regained our Vietnamese road crossing skills by walking straight ahead and never looking behind us.  I can't believe in previous years I've cycled here.  Most of the bicycles have now gone to be replaced by motor cycles.

 

Dinner turned out to be at a street 'cafe' - delicious food if you didn't think too much about what you are eating ha! ha! I tried to persuade Roger to have a skin fade haircut - only six dollars! No way was his response.  I actually still don't know what a skin fade hair cut is!

So back on the plane.... to Sydney!