Sun!

I'm back in Brussels now, and have time to little bit before I head to bed... eight hours of travel does take it out of you...


As I explained last blog entry, Brussels covered me with rainy, frozen kisses as I left, and when I arrived in Marseille, what did I discover? Sun, sun, sun. Let's just say I know what the Aztecs were on about. It was beautiful the whole time I was there; beautiful sun shining in the church windows, sunsets at the railway station, and bright warm sunshine all day in Marseille and Avignon.


Marseille was enjoying the warm weather, and so I put away my umbrella and raincoat and explored the city. I'll post some more photos later, but the thing that struck me the most was the light. Really, the light is fabulous in the south of France: warm, rich, alive somehow. Everything seems geared towards it. The people take every opportunity to sit outside, blinking in the brightness, drinking their little cups of coffee, smoking, and debating.


Avignon was as I remembered it; oozing history, with many curious streets and avenues, and buildings that looked like they had many stories to tell. I felt very relaxed in this beautiful theatre and had fun with my audition material. I also was reminded of how small the opera world is: Conrad, a baritone from Austria who was auditioning, knows Jennifer Chamandy from Innsbruck; I had the pleasure of singing Baron Douphol and watching here fabulous Violetta in a Traviata some years ago. Then I met a soprano named Rebecca Nelsen, who has fest contract near Hanover in Germany; she immediately asked if I knew Shannon Mercer, a rising Canadian star in the opera firmament; I sang a Morales to her beautiful Michaela in a concert Carmen a little while back. Small world! Obviously it pays to be polite, friendly and supportive of your fellow artists, since word gets around pretty fast if you aren't...


Then it was back to Marseille for another night, a little exploring on foot, and then I got on the bus to the airport. One bus ride, one plane ride, and two trains later, and I'm home. Of course, as I got off the plane, can you guess what the weather was like? You bet it was: cold, grey, rainy. BLEEEEECHHH!

Bienvenue à Bruxelles! Sheesh.... at least the welcome that I got from Maggie, Malcolm and Duncan was warm...