QED Morning Show Blog

Budapest’s Bela Bartok National Concert Hall is part of an overwhelming Palace of the Arts complex built just three years ago, with a National Theater and the Bartok Hall adjacent to one another. The Bartok is actually three halls, including the main concert hall for chamber music and other offerings. There are grand sweeping lobbies with escalators, and an elegant book store. CMU’s Russell Johnson designed the acoustics.

Three high balconies were full to the top for the Pittsburgh Symphony’s debut. The orchestra tried the acoustics for 30 minutes, and rehearsed Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. Andres Cardenes’s student, Hejnal, told me that the Hungarians have special affection for the Egmont, since for an unknown reason it was played over and over on radio during the Hungarian Revolution.

I ran off to the Franz Liszt Museum, where you can see a cast of the composer’s hand, a death mask, his cane, family portraits, instruments he played, a massive silver music stand, his prayer stand, and a desk with a keyboard inside. The building is where he lived, the former Liszt Academy renovated in 1989, and now a part of the Liszt Academy just a few blocks away with its own gorgeous concert hall and conservatory scene. The Liszt Academy has a coffee bar in the lobby and a CD stand.

I hurried back to the hotel, passing the nearby train station where the trains were standing still due to a strike.

Pianist Nikolai Lugansky played the Beethoven Fourth Concerto with great success. He was wonderful both nights, in Budapest and Zagreb. I shared a ride with him on the way home, and he told me he is off tomorrow for Gstaad in Switzerland, and then flies to San Francisco, 11 hours from his home in Moscow. He was downstairs in the lobby setting up for a chess match with Pittsburgh Symphony players. After the concert, he gave a post concert talk in English with translations in Croatian. He put me on the spot, asking which Brahms Violin Concerto I liked better–Leonidas Kavakos’s or Julia Fischer’s.

The American Ambassador to Croatia, Robert Radtke, was gracious during intermission in Zagreb, talking with Pittsburgh Symphhony CEO Larry Tamburri, Croatia’s Prime Minister, and the wife of Croatia’s President.

The Lisinski Hall was wide and deep, with no balconies. It was built in the 1970s, and has a whiff of a Socialist feel. Nikolai Lugansky said it looked like a place for the party congress, but be liked the sound.

Nikolai gave his flowers to Tatjana Mead Chamis, and at the end, a giant bouquet of roses was delivered to Marek Janowski.

In the few hours we had this afternoon, I enjoyed a walk to the Cathedral with hornist Zachary Smith and violist Paul Silver to the fantastic St Mark’s Church, with its colorful mosaic roof. We walked narrow streets, watched trams, and had hot dogs grilled at a sausage stand. The vendor inserted the dogs into warm rolls from the one end of the roll, rather than dropping them onto the usual split buns. He topped the dogs with mustard–”like the mustard at Wrigley Field!” declared Paul.

We walked through Tito Square, named for the post World War II strongman who doesn’t have many admirers, then past the National Cathedral. Zagreb is a quirky mix of old-world beauty, socialist cement blocks and modern high rise. I met Jana Haluza, an announcer for the Croatian Radio, who interviewed Marek Janowski for a broadcast next Wednesday between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm local time.

There was an encore from Nikolai Lugansky–the Intermezzo from Schumann’s Carneval, and then two Brahms encores from the Pittsburgh Symphony after Brahms’ Third Symphony.

It was a wonderful tour. Let Echo International know if you were able to catch the reports. They made them possible. I’ll add one more post in Pittsburgh, but for now I’ve got to pack, because we must have the bags out at 6:45 am. Everyone had to bring their passport to the lobby to get the departure organized.

The message light was blinking on the phone when I got back to the room. Everyone in the Symphony received a message that the Super Bowl would be projected on a big screen in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel. It was fun to watch Das Super Bowl in a German broadcast beginning at midnight. There were still a dozen faithful after halftime at 2:30 am, even though the bartender had gone home. Tom Petty’s halftime show went out without interruption.

This all happened after the Pittsburgh Symphony’s debut at Vienna’s Konzerthaus. This is a glittering room with crystal chandeliers, and a red-and-white color scheme bringing the feel of Heinz Hall. There were six gray marble columns and choir seats behind the stage. Manfred Honeck sat in the balcony at audience right, next to his wife.

Some folks in the group that came early had made it to the Vienna Staatsoper the night before, hearing Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love with a cast and conductor that no one could name. Standing room was 3.50 euros under the Emperor’s box with okay sound but in a really tight space. There are more standing room spots for 2 euros. Not bad, considering what everything costs in Vienna. There was an unusual Chinese New Year concert at the Musikverein. Later, the Lower Austrian Radio Orchestra gave a 4:00 pm concert. Resident conductor Daniel Meyer and Mrs. Meyer, Mary Persin, said they heard the youngest member of the Järvi family, Kristjan, conduct the Sibelius Concerto. Mary will be back in Pittsburgh with her Biava String Quartet next season for the Chamber Music Society in a special multi-part series of concerts featuring some new works.

I walked to the Viennese art museum, the Secession, a building in white stone with a shimmering gold globe on the roof.. The name Secession was given to the turn of the century group of artists including Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and Adolf Loos. The Secession featured a series of video installations (I put the brochure with the artists names someplace!) dealing with themes such as 9/11, and the briefcase that carries the codes for nuclear attack. In the basement, the Secession has the room dedicated to the Beethoven frieze which covers the upper region of four walls. Gustav Klimt in 1902 took for inspiration the Beethoven Ninth Symphony as conducted by Richard Wagner.

Adolf Loos designed the Museum Café, just across the street, over 100 years ago. I stopped for the suppentopf with carrots, beef, angel hair noodles and delicate parsley sprinkled on top. The coffee was mélange—with schlagobers—whipped cream.

I walked to the Musikverein, which we see every January 1 on the New Year’s Day Concert from Vienna, this year conducted by Georges Pretre. Kurt Masur and Seiji Ozawa are conducting concerts soon, as is Erwin Ortner, who surely must be a distant relation of my grandfather, Elmer Ortner.

It was a perfect day for walking, with blue sky but cold in a stiff wind. I proceeded to the Savoy Café where Leonard Bernstein was a regular, but they were closed. The Savoy is in the Vienna neighborhood known as the Naschmarkt, a little like our Strip District. Closed Sundays.

Vienna is a city of massive stone buildings and monuments. In the Schiller Platz, I enjoyed the tribute to the writer who provided Beethoven with the words for his Ode to Joy, and just a few steps away the Denkmal for Franz Werfel, one of Alma Mahler’s husbands.

Then to the Staatsoper, where there is a nice CD store, Arcadia. I bought Herbert von Karajan’s unusual CD of European National Anthems which I can share with you as a CD of the Week soon. The staff wa playing the New Year’s Concert on a big flat-panel TV for shoppers. The cashier told me her favorite café is Grienstiedl near the Hofburg, which was my next destination. The Hofburg is the city within a city that was home for the Hapsburg Emperors. Hapsburgerstrasse leads into the front door. You could spend a week looking at the Hofburg buildings. I walked past the Spanish Riding School where the Lippizaner horses learn their tricks, the Imperial Apartments, the library and much more, on stones that Beethoven and Schubert would have trodden.

Grienstiedl is on the Michaelerplatz just as you enter the Hofburg, where the horse-drawn carriages roll by. It was packed, but I lurked near a couple that appeared ready to go and lucked out. Okay, I’ll try not to regale you with more about food, but I have to mention the griesseschmarren. Semolina pancakes in square chunks with raisins and powdered sugar and plum sauce to put on top. I love the café scene because you can get something so amazing for under ten dollars. The pastry case was full of Sachertorte and cream cheese topfenstrudel which you receive warm with vanilla sauce, if you like. Apfelstrudel also gets the vanilla extra.

Here, I had a chance to look at the Vienna papers, Die Zeitung and the Wiener Presse. Both had considerable coverage of the Opera Ball, just a few days ago, with the proceeds benfitting Die Polizei. Terri Hatcher, the Desperate Hausfrau was there—she was also seen at Manfred Honeck’s concert with the Vienna Symphony on Friday night—and the Ex-Frau of Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger, wearing a floor length gold brocade gown with big fluffy black collar, added to the glamour. Politicians, stars and musicians go to the ball. Anna Netrebko and Jose Carreras were there this year. This is the high ball season in Vienna. There are dozens until the parties go quiet during Lent.

I took a look at the Sacher Tortes in the Hotel Sacher next to the Staatsoper.. The café was packed. In the lobby there are signed photos from many of the famous guests, including Oscar Strauss of operetta fame.

From Greinstiedl and the Hofburg, I moved into the heart of town for the pedestrian strolling and shopping streets near St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Everything is closed on Sunday, but I window-shopped in the Buch stores. Manfred Honeck told me he was reading the 700-page biography of conductor Carlos Kleiber, who died last year. I saw it in all the book stores. Barack Obama: Der Schwarze Kennedy by Christoph von Marschall. The Tom Cruise Book Der Star und Die Scientology, Eliette von Karajan, the widow of conductor Herbert von Karajan, has a new book, Mein Leben und Seine Seite, a book on the effect of the Nazis on religion in Germany. Hitler’s Mythische Religion: Theologische Denklingen und NS Ideologie, a book about Schoenberg and Madeline Albright’s new book Amerika du Kannst Es Besser Was ein gutter President Tun und Was Er Lassen Sollte. All of these interesting books had window spots.

I wrapped up the Vienna walking tour at St Stephen’s Cathedral. With the light dimming at 5:30, the interior was dark—giving the memorial candles an extra drama.

To be truthful, I didn’t see much of the Blue Danube but there was a little tributary of the Danube, a small canal, near the hotel. The Stadtpark was directly across, with a statue of Johann Strauss playing his violin, shining in gold leaf and surrounded by carved white stone.

While the Pittsburgh Symphony enjoys a day off in Hanover, I traveled with a few musicians to Vienna to interview our Music Director Designate, Manfred Honeck. PSO Director of Corporate Support Lizz Helmsen and I took a 9:00 am taxi to the Hanover airport, where I had much trepidation about the weight of my suitcases. I had packaged up the printed stuff, concert schedules and newspaper bits that I had collected along the way and mailed them home from Hanover, but my luggage was still twenty pounds over the limit. The nice people at Berlin Air just waved me through. This is a new low-cost European airline. The trip from Hanover to Vienna was just 70 euros. The flight, on a brand-new, wide-body Airbus 319, wasn’t full and included a cheese sandwich. The Germans are the best about providing reading material. I picked up a copy of the German version of People magazine, Bunte, with Albert and Charlene — Eine Stürmische Liebe! on the cover. (Who are these nice people?) Inside, were the latest stories on Keith Ledger’s death and David Copperfield’s Zwei heimliche Kinder (two secret kids!)

The Vienna airport is spotless. You immediately know you’re in Mozart’s City. A guy hands everyone a brochure about the cultural life of Vienna as you come down the walkway from the plane.

Concertmaster Andres Cardenes is feeling better after a lingering battle with stomach troubles. Andres made the trip early, as did Anne Martindale Williams, Cynthia DeAlmeida, Christopher Wu, George Vosburgh, and Rhian Kenny, who is celebrating her 40th birthday in Vienna.

I met my WQED colleagues, Michael Bartley and cameraman Frank Caloiero from OnQ, who arrived in Vienna last Tuesday. They’re shooting locations and interviews for a special OnQ profile of the new Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director that will air this fall. Michael hopes to put together a preview for broadcast in the next few weeks.

We all joined Rachelle Roe from the Pittsburgh Symphony staff to head for Manfred’s Vienna apartment. He’s lived there since his days as a student, and during his early years as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic. In fact, the block of apartments are owned by the Vienna Philharmonic. His neighbors are mostly musicians. The Honeck apartment is on the second floor. His son Mathias and his daughter-in-law live there now, but when Manfred is in town as he was this week conducting the Vienna Symphony, he stays at the old place. I met his wife Christiane, who is charming with a warm smile. She hasn’t visited Pittsburgh yet, but will come for the festivities in the fall. She is the handy one around the house, good with a hammer. She redid the kitchen when she and Manfred lived in this home. Their primary residence is about six hours away by car, near Nenzing, where he grew up.
The Honecks have six beautiful children. The oldest son, Joachim, is studying to be a Jesuit priest. Manuel is 18, Simeon 9, Teresa 7 and Anna Maria 13. Simeon has a terrific setup of toy soldiers and people in the corner of the living room. Teresa and Simeon dressed for Carnival –Simeon as a ninja warrior and Teresa as a sort of fairy godmother or good witch, with a pointy hat and fluffy pink dress. Their good manners, poise and cheerful good humor were extraordinary.

Chistiane tried to beg off on doing an interview because she felt her English wasn’t good, but in fact she spoke near-perfect English, with only an occasional prompt from her husband. It was interesting to hear her say how excited Manfred was when he came home from conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony for the first time.

After Frank set up the lights and camera, we sat down for an hour-long interview. Manfred spoke of his Vienna and the amazing number of composers who came to prominence there. He talked about Bruckner, Mahler, Mozart, and Johann Strauss. We’ll hear him conduct them all in his first season at Heinz Hall. The details of the season will be announced in just a few days, but I think the secret is out that he’ll begin the season with Mahler’s First Symphony and end it with Mahler’s Second.

After we finished recording, Manfred and Chrstiane insisted we all join them for kuchen. They had prepared a truly wonderful assortment of cookies dipped in chocolate, chocolate cake with Kirsch, carnival doughnuts, a Viennese Gugelhupf marble cake, mandarin orange cream torte, tea and coffee, and red wine. We took photos with three cameras to remember the occasion. Before we began to eat, Manfred asked if he could offer a blessing. It was a simple beautiful prayer in rhyming German that the kids all knew, and recited in a chorus.

Amazingly, we were intruding on the Honecks’s 25th wedding anniversary, and they had plans to have dinner at the Sacher Hotel. Manfred said they had never been there, and they were given the dinner as an anniversary gift. Manfred’s daughter-in-law was off to the Volksoper where she was going to see Die Csárdásfürstin (The Gypsy Princess) by Emmerich Kálmán.

The entire visit of three hours was absolutely delightful. Manfred had been interviewing with Andrew Druckenbrod and the OnQ staff all week, yet he showed no eagerness to get these strangers out of his home. He was the perfect gracious, relaxed host. It was clear that he loves his family very much. They were all so natural and happy that it seemed like something you’d write for a television script. I never watched The Brady Bunch, but Ward and June Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver were said to be too good to be true. There seemed to be some resemblance, Austrian style.

In the recorded conversation, I asked the Honecks if it’s true that the family that plays together stays together. They certainly do make hausmusik together, and enjoy sports as a family.

After packing up our gear, Manfred helped us get a taxi, and we headed to the busy upscale shopping area around St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Frank recorded an amazing accordion player who also played the glass harmonica, an instrument consisting of tuned glass bowls. Then we taped a three-man dixieland group playing Sweet Georgia Brown with banjo and saxophone, and four guys who were doing energetic break dancing, a la Michael Jackson, in the entrance to an elegant shop, using a buzzing soundtrack from a cellphone for their beats.

Back to the hotel to stow the equipment and a final meal two blocks away. I ordered gulasch and nockerl (noodles.) Michael Bartley had tafelspitz (boiled beef.) I ate his spinach. Frank Caloiero ordered the Bavarian weisswurst and I had some extra-vinegary krautsalat. I am sorry I can’t share my gulasch with you, but we have hours of great interview material with the Honeck family to share on TV and radio.

Today, I’ve got to get busy on the cafe and kuchen search in the few hours I have before the Pittsburgh plays at the Konzerthaus tonight.

Leaving Cologne, Carnival and the Rhine behind, we were on the bus at 10:00 am for a four-hour ride to the northwest, destination Hanover. The ride was smooth, with a gray sky and some breaks among the clouds. Construction delays added some time and we arrived 45 minutes late at 2:30.

Principal Cellist Anne Martindale Williams and daughter Claire invited me to tag along for a lunch run to the Hauptbahnhoff. The train station is a busy hub, with abundant shopping and some good, quick lunch places. I had a vegetarian curry lunch (5 euros), and a marzipan croissant, 1.10€. Anne’s husband, Joe Williams, has been the director of youth activities for their church in Mount Lebanon for the last ten years. It sounds like a very active program for young people, starting at sixth grade. Claire is in the drama club, and next year she’ll become a sixth-grader so she can participate in more of Dad’s fun. Joe is also a brass player and organizes occasional brass performances for special church events.

Then, a quick stroll through the central shopping area. I made a quick stop at Schmorl & von Seefeld Medienhandelsgesellschaft, a sort of German Barnes & Noble with books, CDs, DVDs and gift wrapping. I noticed the new German book about Tom Cruise and the Scientologists. Cruise made headlines when he was denied permission to film at one of the locations for his next movie, set in Germany during the war. The Scientologists have a headquarters in Berlin that makes Berliners uneasy. They don’t want to be seen as intolerant, but Scientologists have been very aggressive with their evangelizing. They set up a stand and offer a “free stress test.” Then your stress rises as you realize you are being pitched to join the faithful.

I found one of Mariss Jansons’s latest CDs, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony and Piano Concerto No. 1 with Yefim Bronfman. It’s a Bavarian Radio Symphony recording for Sony Classical, in a series that’s not widely distributed in the USA, €19. I also picked up a CD of church bells from the Heimat, located throughout Germany with a bit of Austria thrown in from St Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna. Tune for some on the morning show, soon.

I made a note of a new DVD Das Reichsorchester, a film by Enrique Sanchez Lansch, which details the involvement of the Berlin Philharmonic with the Nazi Regime. A new book on the same topic was announced last summer, but the English language version has not yet appeared. It’s said the younger generation is bored with talk of the war in Germany, but the topic is still a big one. I noticed Life is Beautiful with Roberto Benigni on the ARD network last night, the movie about the Holocaust that won the Academy Award in 1999.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Brass are nearly ready for their next recording session of Christmas music. I sat next to trumpeter Neil Berntsen on the flight from Valencia to Amsterdam, while he worked on his laptop to arrange O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridson, which he had heard sung by the Mendelssohn Choir directed by Robert Page. I borrowed his Bose noise-canceling headphones to listen, and I think it’ll be a hit. The plan is to record this summer, in time for a Christmas, 2008 release. There’s also a plan to record a Spike Jones arrangement!

The Congress Centrum in Hanover is one of the largest European concert halls with 3,600 seats. It was full for the Pittsburgh,with only a few empty seats at the extreme edges. It’s a solid older building with a 1960’s look. One of the largest concert presenting organizations in the world is based here, Konzertdirektion Hans Ulrich Schmid, who helped get the Pittsburgh Symphony booked in many of the concerts on this trip. There is a radio orchestra for MDR, the Middle German Radio. They play in their own studio. Here at the Congress Centrum, there is a series of visiting orchestras which began this season with San Francisco, and brings the BBC Philharmonic and Simon Rattle’s Berlin Philharmonic playing the Adagio from Mahler’s Tenth, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin and Beethoven’s Sixth on February 22nd.

February 16th is an event I would love an invitation to. The poster was right next to the Pittsburgh Symphony’s. The Polizeiball. There will be numerous entertainers including the Big Band of the Niedersaechsischen Polizeimusikkorps, a group called Simply Dry–guaranteed for ‘Partystimmung’, the Red Shoe Boys, DJ Andy B, and The Contrast Band– a dixieland outfit and two rollerskaters, the Rollescos. As “Dieter” used to say on Saturday Night Live, “Now is ze time ven ve tanz!”

There’s also a chamber music series with the Artemis Quartet, and the Hagen Quartet which we’ve heard at the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society series, and the Tetzlaff Quartet which I hope we’ll get some day.

At breakfast this morning, Concertmaster Andres Cardenes told me he ’s been a friend of Leonidas Kavakos since they appeared together at the Indianapolis Violin Competition. Andres says no one has a bow arm like Kavakos. His approach is very different and unsurpassed.

The evidence was compelling in Hanover. As an encore, he played the Ruggiero Ricci transcription of Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which blew the minds of those at Kavakos’s Heinz Hall debut. Then, another encore—the same Bach as at Cologne, drawn from the solo violin music. A literal stamp of approval, we had terrific shuffling and stomping of feet on the wooden floor in Hanover, prompting both Brahms Hungarian Dances as encores. I ran out to get a photo of the facade of the Kuppelsaal, the Congress Centrum’s concert hall, and someone ran up to me saying, “Are you Jim Cunningham?” It was WQED-FM listener Heidi Fenton, who lives in Shadyside but was born in Hanover. She’s here visiting her Mom and made a trip with a friend to hear the Orchestra. Heidi told me she thought the Hanover hall is too big, and that the Pittsburgh sounds better at Heinz Hall. She came to Pittsburgh in 1962 “for love,” when she married her husband.

In the morning, I’m off to Vienna to join our colleagues from On Q for an interview with Manfed Honeck the new Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony beginning next fall. Michael Bartley and ace cameraman Frank Caloiero have been filming Manfred’s Vienna, complete with a visit to a Beethoven and a Brahms house. We’re supposed to tape the interview tomorrow afternoon at Manfred’s Vienna apartment. Stay tuned for broadcast dates and times!

To get to Vienna a day early, I’ll join PSO administrative staff members Lizz Helmsen and Shelly Sampson in the lobby at 8:30 am for a Berlin Air flight. It’s a bargain, but you’re restricted to 20 kilograms; one bag in the cargo hold and one 6 kg maximum carry-on. My stuff feels like it weighs a ton, so I’m mailing back the voluminous printed matter I’ve picked up along the way. If you exceed the limit, the airline charges you 5€ per kilo. Wish me luck!

Here’s some Pittsburgh Symphony Tour footage from Spain and Amsterdam.
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It’s Weiberfastnacht in Cologne—the day the women take over the city in the events leading up to Shrove Tuesday and Lent. I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, but the atmosphere seems the same. It began at eleven minutes after eleven this morning, with a countdown and balloons and confetti. Two shopkeepers told me yesterday that they were closing and getting out of town. Any man wearing a tie can expect a woman to chop it off with scissors and then kiss him. Bass Trombone Murray Crewe and Principal Trombone Peter Sullvan enjoyed the ceremony and had their ties severed this afternoon. They wore brightly colored hats. Everyone has a bottle of Früh Kölsch, Cologne’s local brew, or some other refreshment. Bottles are discarded everywhere on the street. Little bands of musicians play traditional tunes with drums and tuba, and trumpet leading the way.

Wurst are charcoal grilled and topped with Heinz curry ketchup. The scene is similar all over town. Folks in the elevator, dressed in military garb with rifles, stood together with tigers, monks and medieval knights. It keeps up for the next five days, with live TV coverage. I bought a CD of Cologne Carnival Band Favorites at the Saturn store. I passed over another CD of Carnival hits, with a rude title leading off two discs—“Du Hast die Schönste Arsch aus die Welt” (“You have the most beautiful behind in the world.”) Really now. This is a religious festival, nicht wahr? Carnival certainly disproves the stereotypical image of Germans as being tightly-wrapped. The season is celebrated primarily along the Rhine, and mostly by Catholics. Among many high points is Rosenmontag (”Roses Monday”), with everyone in a grand parade.

Violin soloist Leonidas Kavakos said he was glad to be here for Carnival. He told me they celebrate Carnival in his native Greece, too. It’s nice to carry on a tradition that has lasted for centuries. Last night, Kavakos continued his tradition of knocking out an audience with the Brahms Concerto at the Philharmonie in Cologne. He wears black, has a black scruffy beard, and when playing seems so focused and intense that it was a delightful surprise to talk with him after the concert and discover his cheerful, warm personality. He hugged his godson, whom he said he regrets not seeing more often, and greeted everyone warmly at his dressing room door. They all raved. His publicist said the reaction was extraordinary for Cologne.

Kavakos played an encore— the Sarabande from the Second Partita by Bach. The previous evening he’d played Bach’s Andante from the Sonata in A minor. He chose Bach because Brahms was such a fan of J.S. Bach.

I spoke with the salesman at the lobby counter, where they were offering both Pittsburgh Symphony CDs of Brahms Symphonies. The newer one, with the Second and Third Symphonies, is just out. Marek Janowski signed them in the lobby after the concert. The sales guy said there was more than the usual inquiry for Kavakos, and that he isn’t that well known in Cologne. They’d had a similar reaction to a young Georgian violinist named Lisa Batiashvili and her new CD on Sony Classical. Also for sale—the classic Brahms and Beethoven Concerto recordings from Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony on EMI Classics.

After the Brahms Third Symphony from Janowski and the Pittsburgh, it was an encore of the Scherzo from Brahms’ Fourth. The Cologne Philharmonie is partially underground. The entrance is right next to Cologne Cathedral, and adjacent to several museums. The Cathedral is impressive at any time of day, and at night it is beautifully lit.

At midnight, I walked a block from the hotel to a sandwich place called a “Doener Kebap.” It’s the Turkish version of the gyro, with a salsa-like red curry sauce or a white sauce with garlic, onions, lettuce on your choice of lamb or turkey. Clarinetist Ron Samuels and Stage Crew members John Karapandi and Rocky Esposito had already figured out the ordering routine–and the lady behind the counter. The Doener kebap stands are everywhere in Germany, given the large number of Turkish immigrants in the country. I had a terrific piece of Bierstangel bread and a Berliner—the sugar coated round donut with a strawberry fruit filling popular in Deutschland. Remember JFK’s famous “Ich bin ein Berliner!” speech? It’s often claimed that he was saying “I am a jelly donut.” Those who lived in Berlin when the wall went up knew what he meant.

The Germans know their brot. German bread is amazing at breakfast, or any meal. The dark, heavy loaves are rich with natural grains, and rolls are covered with big green seeds—we don’t see them in Pittsburgh, seeds that look like sunflowers. Delicious. At breakfast, there were at least a dozen types of bread with chocolate bits, raisins and much more.

After the concert, the Pittsburgh Symphony was offered a glass of Kölsch. It’s only brewed in Cologne by several local breweries. The tap is opened, and glasses are filled on a round tray. The orchestra deserved “Ein Prosit” for their Brahms at the Philharmonie.

Now it’s off to Wuppertal, seventy minutes from Cologne. Wuppertal is a fairly recent creation. Several cities were joined together, like Pittsburgh, Allegheny City and Lawrenceville. It’s an industrial city along the banks of the Wupper River. Tal means valley. The two biggest cities joined in a long, narrow stretch were Elberfeld and Barmen. Not everyone was happy with the merger, naturlich. Sollingen, the company that makes the fine German steel cutlery, is just up the river.

The Stadthall is fabulous. Huge old building with marble everywhere. It’s been recently refurbished to pristine condition. Remy champagne drinkers in the lobby. The WDR classical radio has a huge display. Mathias behind the table says he can roll up his set up with a huge color backdrop in eine Minuten. Inside, the ceiling is painted with blue sky, like King Frederick’s Palace. Cream and green are the predominant colors. Ten stone faces, all with different expressions, and ladies in stone line the only balcony. Five rows of seats are beneath the organ case behind the orchestra. Only a handful of seats were empty. Marek Janowski was born in Poland but grew up here with his Mom. His Dad was lost in the Second World War. He came here as a child, but has never conducted in Wuppertal till now.

Tonight, we have Julia Fischer playing the Brahms Concerto. We heard her last season at Heinz Hall for the first time. The orchestra checked out the sound in a 30 minute session. I head to the bar for a butter pretzel at 1.50 euros. What’s this? Here comes someone I know! It’s Florian Wiegand, who went to CMU for his masters degree 1999-2001. Now, he’s the Artistic Director of the Dortmund Konzerthaus. He drove about 35 minutes to see the Pittsburgh Symphony. He worked for the PSO during the 2000-2001 season. Florian said the area is terrific, with five theaters all with active concert life—Essen, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Wuppertal within an hour of one another.

He’s having a big season in Dortmund, presenting the Vienna Philharmonic with Georges Pretre, and the Concertgebouw with Andre Previn and violinist Anne Sophie Mutter (they’re still good friends after their divorce.) Later, the Cincinnati Orchestra and Paavo Jarvi are coming over. Florian still raves about the Pittsburgh Symphony’s visit to his Dortmund hall in 2006, and he hopes to return to Pittsburgh soon.

Julia Fischer is gorgeous. She wore a burgundy velvet gown with bare shoulders, plunging neckline, and blond hair tied back. It’s intense physical playing. She bends way back in the big moments. She’s trim and petite with a big smile and bright eyes. How was her Brahms? I loved it. Sensational playing. The encore was the last movement of a solo sonata by Paul Hindemith that only turned up in 2003. Flat out fireworks.

Julia ushered me into her dressing room for an intermission interview. She moves her hair dryer off a chair so we can sit. She loved working with Pittsburgh and hopes she can work out a return visit to Heinz Hall in September, 2010. The bell rings, and she hops up saying “I’ve got to change!” I got a hug and a kiss. I’m not complaining about the rush.

At the end of the Brahms Fourth on the second half of the concert, there she is at the edge of the stage among the first violins, next to PSO violinist Emma Hancock. Julia has changed gowns and joined the Pittsburgh to play more Brahms. Only once in a great while does the soloist go out to play in the orchestra after intermission. Yo Yo Ma was the last I can remember.

Watch the Bierbike

It’s Carnival time in Cologne. Here’s a video of the Bierbike (Beer bike) — part bicycle, part beer garden. Look carefully, and you’ll notice the occupants pedaling.

Over 800 concerts take place each year at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. A morning concert on the schedule meant the Pittsburgh Symphony needed to rehearse at the Old Stock Exchange, near the train station at the edge of the red light district.

In the afternoon, the Pittsburgh toured the city with its lively atmosphere of trams, bicycles and canals. You really do need to be careful where and how you cross the street. Thousands of bicycles are found in the canals every year, tossed there by petty thieves who grab a cycle and then ditch it.

Pittsburgh expatriate flutist Albert Manders came from his home in Haarlem for the Pittsburgh concert. He played in QED’s Carolyn Byham Studio last year with the Aeolian Winds, and at Bach, Beethoven and Brunch two summers ago. His Mom, Jean, is an FM Angel and his parents are music lovers, too. Albert guided me to the oldest house and bar in the city, known as the Monkey. You can take the tram for free after any concert at the Concertgebouw—four hours before and four hours after—just show your ticket. Port Authority take note! The tram stops right in front of the Concertgebouw. We should never have taken up our trolley tracks in Pittsburgh!

At the train station, we asked a group of tram drivers for directions to Zeedijk Street. With a laugh, they pointed and suggested, “Keep your money in your wallet and your (#$%**) in your pants.” Yes, we were in the infamous Red Light District. The Dutch have been praised in some circles for their progressive social policies and their tolerance. Some drug users participate in licensed needle programs, and prostitution is licensed and controlled to a small part of town. The ladies appear in windows with fluorescent lights on either side. They’re usually not wearing much. In reality, many women are imported from Eastern Europe or Russia and live in near-poverty. A very sad situation. The new Mayor has said he wants to clean up the red light district and the “coffee shops” with legalized marijuana. It’s hard to imagine closing down something that has been for so long been part of the Amsterdam lore, but it seems like the time is right.

Albert mentioned reading in the paper last week that Mariss Jansons had appeared before the Dutch Minister of Culture to appeal for three million additional euros for the Concertgebouw on top of its €500 million subsidy. There is a move afoot to cut the arts budget in Amsterdam and in many places across Europe. It’s interesting to think about Mariss and his unhappiness with the American way of supporting culture again finding himself on the hot seat. I’m quoting Albert’s figures, but I believe those numbers are close.

Outside the stage entrance at the Concertgebouw, a large poster for Mariss Jansons’s world tour listed the dates. Asia is on the plan along with the US—Mariss was in Los Angeles while the Pittsburgh was in his hall. After New York, Mariss is off to Lisbon. This is a lot of flying for a guy who doesn’t do well with jet lag.

The Concertgebouw has a delightful artists’ cafeteria downstairs, where the crew and musicians gather. Violinist Peter Snitkovsky and Principal Percussion John Soroka played backgammon. I visited the shop. Mariss and Concertgebouw have made lots of CDs which you can buy from Arkiv Music at wqed.org. I made a note to pick up the Concertgebouw Brass release and the new Mahler First Symphony. During intermission, there are lots of coffee drinkers and a champagne bar. The tickets for the Pittsburgh were mostly €85 , but 45 minutes before the concert students can get rush tickets for €7.50.

The (or Het in Dutch) Concertgebouw is a gorgeous building inside and out. Immaculately maintained with red velvet seats, high white ceiling, walnut organ case and pipes and seating behind the Orchestra. The conductors and soloist walk down a long set of stairs at the audience right to take their bows.

Leonidas Kavakos was amazing in the Brahms Violin Concerto. Andy Druckenbrod leaned over to whisper that he had some reservations about Kavakos’ tone. I disagreed. Very sweet and stylish. Kavakos is tall and thin with a long black Franz Liszt like Abba-style jacket and short black hair. He hops with a bouncy energy on the beat. It garnered an instant standing ovation. Then a Bach adagio from the Suite for Solo Violin in A minor as an encore sounding almost like something from another century—modern and ethereal. Very quiet in the hall. At the end of the Bach he held the final note for what seemed like a minute, holding on to the total silence and mystery. Then he lowered his bow and the Concertgebouw went nuts.

They loved the Brahms Fourth Symphony on the second half, and Pittsburgh won another standing ovation. Marek Janowski chose the third movement of the Brahms Third as an encore. Here were the amazing sound of Principal Horn William Caballero, Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek, Principal Bassoon Nancy Goeres and Principal Oboe Cynthia Koledo de Almeida, in the resonant sound of the Concertgebouw. I heard wonderful details from all over, especially the winds. Damian Bursill Hall’s flute was delicious (even though he’s nursing a cold) and out of the blue would burble a clarinet phrase that I couldn’t remember hearing in other concert halls. Wow. The over all sound is big, warm, rich and resonant with a warm glow of reverberence.

Mayor Ravenstahl and his wife Erin were in the row directly behind me. After, I asked them what they thought. “Pittsburgh should be proud! We’ve had a great day and loved our first visit to Europe.” Today, they’re off to France where the mayor will talk to more business leaders.

The mood at The Monkey was very jovial. Heineken on tap along with several others. Casual and relaxed with businessmen wearing ties conversing in the strange guttural sound of Dutch. An amazing old wooden staircase winds up to the second floor. Old bottles and collectibles line every inch of space. All the other buildings on the street are brick.

There’s an oil painting in the style of the Dutch Old Masters high on the wall and a gorilla holding a hand written sign that says “you slept at the Monkey” in Dutch. The Zeedijk Street is quiet at this end, not far from the train and the Victoria Hotel. The red light district is very tacky with a late night air of danger lurking, tacky shops, Sex Museum, and coffee shops where plumes of marijuana smoke emerge when a door opens.

It was after midnight and I had missed the last tram, so I found a cab at the Train Station and returned to the Okura Hotel, winding back and forth in the narrow streets.

This morning we left in the drizzle for Cologne. Smooth Dutch and German highways.

At the rest stop, there was a very clean cafeteria operation, news stand, postcard and prepackaged snack shop. The restroom was spotless. It required €0.50 coins in a machine. There was an attendant in a white coat to point you in the right direction.

We arrived ahead of schedule in Cologne just in in time for Carnival. I don’t know if we’ll see the action, but nowhere in the world is there a party like the one Cologne throws just before Lent begins. It’s bigger than New Orleans’, with costumes and in-the-street festivity. Cologne Cathedral is just a few blocks away with its twin spires, said to be the only thing left standing by Allied World War II bombers as a visual marker for the pilots. Everything else was leveled. The WDR, West Deutsche Rundfunk (radio) is just down the street. They regularly broadcast live music and make local recordings, just as you hear on the air at Classical QED 89.3 daily.

Even in winter, everyone rides a bicycle in Amsterdam. It’s in the 40’s and gray today, but whizzing in front of the hotel are the cyclists who ride single-speed bikes without wearing helmets, and talk on their cellphones while pedaling. They’ll be coming to Pittsburgh this summer as part of the Keystone State cycling event announced last night at a big reception with Allegheny County’s Chief Executive, Dan Onorato; Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl on his first trip to Europe with Mrs. Erin Ravenstahl; Dennis and Mrs. Unkovic, whose law firm is a tour sponsor; arts aficianado and PSO Board member Jim Wilkinson; Tom Sokolowski, Director of the Andy Warhol Museum, and many Dutch business contacts. The Pittsburgh boosters listened to Ibert and Auric played by clarinetist Ron Samuels, bass clarinetist James Rodgers, and oboist Scott Bell. Then, a DJ played pop hits like Get Down On It. A three-day hotel stay and transportation to Pittsburgh went to a lucky Dutchman in a business card drawing. Other prizes included a Steelers football autographed by Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and a Terrible Towel. A table full of literature, including Heinz pickle pins and ketchup bottle pins, pedometers, brochures and books on cycling in Pennsylvania, were all available. Slides of Pittsburgh’s blue-sky days were projected on a big screen, and a wonderful evening was enjoyed by all.

This morning, the orchestra rehearsed with Marek Janowski, who was introduced by the PSO’s President & CEO Larry Tamburri last evening. I joined Tom Sokolowski and a contingent of friends of the Orchestra including Board Chair Richard Simmons and his wife Virginia for a guided tour of the Van Gogh Museum, just a few steps away from the Concertgebouw where they will play in just a few hours. Tom introduced the Director of the Van Gogh, who explained that the Museum has grown from its original collection of 200 paintings owned by the Van Gogh family, and now entertains 1.5 million visitors. The Warhol Museum, by comparison, enjoys about 100,000 each year.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Music Critic Andrew Druckenbrod and I wandered through the Spui Straat to one of the oldest houses in Amsterdam, built in the 15th century. Only one wooden house remains from Amsterdam’s ruinous fires. It’s called The Monkey. Sailors stayed there. So if you stayed at the monkey, it meant you might have acquired critters–or worse, disease. The Dutch still use the expression for when you have bad luck, “In de Aap gelogeerd,” although Alex Petrovic, the Amsterdam-born concierge behind the the hotel counter, explained that the young are more and more using their own slang. Let’s hope the Pittsburgh Symphony musicians have good luck tonight and don’t sleep in or at the monkey.

Jose Maria Pratt is the man in charge of Ibercamera, the presenting agency that brought the Pittsburgh to Spain. He’s been organizing concerts for the agency for thirty years. After the final concert in Valencia, he told me he was delighted with the Pittsburgh Symphony. There’s a very convivial atmosphere at a small reception with conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Concertmaster Andres Cardenes and friends. A photographer shot a group photo. Jose praised the Orchestra and Maestro Fruhbeck.

During intermission in Valencia, Fruhbeck agreed to an interview. He told me that he enjoyed the tour very much and found it completely successful. He said only one of the halls disappointed him a little, because of its harsh string sound. He confessed he had never been in Castellon in his life. He explained exactly where his home town Burgos was, mentioned how nice it was to see his daughter and son along the way, and said the most important concerts on the tour were in the big cities of Barcelona and Madrid.

After the concert, Bassoonist David Sogg invited me to join a group heading to Azahar for the Valencian specialty paella. It was invented here in Valencia, with its coastal location and easy availability of seafood to put in to the huge wide pans. The true Valencian paella is a mixture of rice, chicken and rabbit. Rabbit doesn’t thrill me, so I went for the langosta paella which features lobster. When I get back, I’ll have to try Mallorca for dinner on Carson Street. Someone in the orchestra told me the tapas are very good at Bossa Nova, right across from QED’s Carolyn M. Byham Studio, but watch out for the Friday and Saturday night crowds. Now we have tapas — the little bites or plates in several spots around town including Shadyside. Let me know your favorite. It certainly seems like a sensible way to eat and control your portion size. Plus, you get to see your selection before it arrives at the table. You can comment on this blog or anything on your mind at morningshow@wqed.org.

Sunday was Principal Harp Gretchen van Hoesen’s birthday. Her husband, Co-Principal Oboe Jim Gorton, lead a beautiful toast to his Gretchen including his thought that everything she touches turns to gold, as evidenced by her students. Gretchen and Jim are long time listeners to WQED-FM.

So is Principal Oboe Cynthia Koledo de Almeida, who told me she has been concerned about her Mom, who recently had surgery, but that Mom is doing well now. Her brother is in Baghdad in the military till July. He was able to call Mom in the hospital to check on her.

I enjoyed meeting David Sogg’s Dad, Richard, again. He is an opthalmologist in San Francisco and a pianist who recorded on the Gibson Capital management Steinway in WQED’s Oakland studio. His friend, Patricia Stroh, is the curator of the Center for Beethoven studies at San Jose State University. She told me Ira Brilliant donated his large collection of Beethoven materials to San Jose, including the lock of hair which made headlines a few years ago when its lead content was analyzed, suggesting lead may have been a factor in Beethoven’s death.

MP3 Audio of Patricia Stroh

Cyril Wecht told us then that he is certain Beethoven had lead poisoning. Patricia also told me it’s true that Beethoven moved between thirty and fifty times in Vienna. No one has a totally accurate account of all the cleaning ladies and landlords he offended. It was a small disappointment that two of the Spanish presenters of concerts insisted on Brahms instead of Beethoven, but Patricia said she loved the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Brahms. Jim Gorton asked her about the Beethoven Oboe Concerto, which had been available in sketches for years. Only in 2003 was it finally recorded, thanks to a plausible reconstruction by Dutch musicologist Jos Van der Zanden. The Pittsburgh Symphony is scheduling a performance of the Oboe Concerto in a few seasons.

Back in the room, I struggled mightily with the wireless Internet service. Only with the help of the front desk was I able to connect. My friend at the desk, who spoke the best English by a Spaniard on the tour, brought a booster to pick up the signal. He told me was born in Mexico, but his Dad moved to Kentucky when he was a kid, so he learned English well.

Spanish Classical radio was broadcasting a Wagner opera and strangely was still broadcasting a Wagner opera when I woke up. Meistersinger, I think, at bedtime and Tristan in the morning. In Madrid, I enjoyed listening to a Latino station of salsa music, and I noticed a dance music station which seemed to never announce the music. Hour after hour, I never heard a station ID. Earlier I mentioned Radio Classica, the national network which I loved listening to. I also heard the more traditional “morning zoo” format with several DJs talking at once and taking phone calls from listeners intermixed with pop music and Spanish hits.

The Palau de la Musica in Valencia was packed. I couldn’t see an empty seat. Big lobbies with palm trees and bars. The concert hall is named for the Spanish pianist Jose Iturbi. Marc Minkowski and the Musicians of the Louvre were here last week. This is the home of the Valencia Orchestra. Marek Janowski brings his Berlin Radio Orchestra in the Spring. Cecila Bartoli and the Basel Chamber Orchestra will be here, as will the Bruckner Orchestra of Linz and Dennis Russell Davies. The nice lady sitting next to me couldn’t speak a word of English, but with my limited Spanish she was able to convey how much she enjoyed the concert at the end of the evening — Magnifico!

Our flight to Amsterdam was delayed be several hours, moving back the arrival time to 4:30 pm. More familiar weather here– -in the 40s withgray overcast skies. As soon as I arrived in my room, I tuned in Radio 4 from the Netherlands playing Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. The announcer murmured something in Dutch about Mariss Jansons, former Music Director of the PSO and now Chief Conductor of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra, who’s now in the States on tour with his Bavarian Radio Orchestra. I’m sorry to report lots of people have colds, and a handful have had stomach bugs. I see Andres Cardenes is moving, but not feeling well, and he’s not the only one.

I haven’t said enough about the City of Arts and Sciences and how eye popping it is. George Vosburgh said his family loved the Sea World-like show with dolphins dancing as choreographed as The Rockettes. To see architect Santiago Calatrava’s work, we need to drive to the new art museum in Milwaukee with its roof that opens. Hey, didn’t we have a grand public space with a roof that opens?