General completed; day off; spring is coming

The Bartholomeuskerk in Merksem was built in the late 17th century in a very simple, clean style, and the acoustic inside is lively. The Apostle St. Bartholomew is only mentioned in John's gospel, so I suppose it is very appropriate that we do the Johannes Passion in such a place.

Last night we had the general rehearsal, and everything went well... I am very pleased, and it is a relief today to have a day off from singing before the show tomorrow, as I have been rehearsing every day for a long time, and it does add up. The voice isn't like a stringed instrument where you can just change the strings if they get worn; rather you have to give it some time to repair itself. Today I'll do administrative things, write and call to ask for auditions, and spend some time listening to the recordings I made from the numerous coachings and rehearsals, and reviewing the score. I can't spend too much time thinking about these works... perhaps I've missed something important, that I only notice after the fifteen - or fiftieth - reading?


Tuesday I was walking down the Avenue de Cor de Chasse, on my way home from dropping off the boys at school, and from the top of the hill I could see that something had changed. In the warm morning light, the flowering tree near the corner of our old street was just starting to bloom. The previous day it had been a large bundle of black sticks, and then, suddenly it had transformed into a cloud of pale pink blossoms. I didn't have a camera with me at the time, but the picture above is from our first spring here in 2008, so it gives you some idea of how it looked.

The contrast between the warm yellow of the house, the dark green pine trees rising into a clear blue sky behind the cloud of pink blossoms, illuminated with golden morning light was wonderful, and I sat down for ten minutes to simply take it in. The variety and profusion of blooming trees in our part of Brussels is really astonishing. They don't all bloom at once, but in sequence, so we enjoy a marvelous display for several weeks. That's good urban planning for you.

Later that same day I was inspired to make a run for some gardening supplies, but the weather has since turned colder so I am holding off on that for the moment... Duncan is home with a cold today, so perhaps if it warms up, and if he feels up to it, we'll get some seeds in pots together.

In case I don't write again before the weekend, happy Easter!