Our internet is rather spotty since it is only available in the lobby making it difficult to keep up with the blog. This post covers a very long Friday – the choir’s first full day in Vienna. The plan was a guided bus tour and city walking tour in the morning followed by free time downtown. Since George and I had already done the city tour last week, we decided to strike out on our own.

Our first stop was the Treasury Museum which contains displays of the secular and religious treasures of the Hapsburg era. The jewels and household items were beautiful. I was particularly taken however with the embroidered clothing and altar cloths used in worship. They were really spectacular!

Our second stop was the Museum of Ancient Instruments. It was interesting to say the least and we kind of wished we had gone there first…but we will see it better next time welcome this way. On display were instruments dating back to medieval times, as well as instruments belonging to or having been played by the Masters. This is a picture of a piano played by Clara Schumann at the opening of a concert hall in 1870. The hall is still used today and is noted for its excellent acoustics.

After a quick lunch we met our bus and headed out to a small town about two hours out of Vienna. Our concert for the evening was in the Abbey and was a fundraiser for the local community. After we arrived the Abbott gave a formal greeting and told us about the history of the monastery, the various buildings, the 25 parishes that they serve and the way in which life has changed over the years (pre, during, and post communism). Dinner was served buffet style and we ate picnic style in the monastery garden. I think the dinner will probably go down as one of the best of the trip – roast beef, roast pork, sauerkraut, potato dumplings, a vegetable pie – all homemade.

There were about 200 people from the community crammed into the pews (straight backs, narrow benches…and not looking terribly comfortable). Our choir of 70 voices was also crammed into a very small chancel but the sound was magnificent. David, our director, said it gave him goosebumps and brought tears to his eyes. One of our pieces is a first nation’s piece that has three parts (a discordant drone, and two chorus parts in Mic Mac). It also calls for animal sounds which a number of our folks have perfected (birds, wolf, loon, chipmunk, etc). The folks who make the animal sounds go out around the sanctuary to the sound comes as a surprise from all directions. It was a favourite of our Ireland tour and I’d say it was a favourite of last evening’s concert judging by the faces. This is a picture taken while we were performing the Mic Mac song.

It was a late night getting back to Vienna but everyone agreed that it was an awesome day.

Our choir director is also doing a blog and has a few mor pictures on his blog. You can read it at mfceuro2014.wordpress.com.