Gergiev Concert & a Pancake (Feb 2015)

The evening program we attended

Here we are, 2 musicians, living in the land where western music began and we haven't taken the opportunity to seek out amazing concerts!  And, what's even more sad, it took a humorous facebook post by a couple of trumpet players, to prompt our visit to the Gergiev Festival!  I had no idea who Gergiev was, but after a little research into the festival, the price was right and the weekend was on.  We found seats in the orchestra so that our view was of the conductor's face:  it was awesome to watch all the facial expressions of Maestro Gerghiev and have a bird's eye view of the pianist.



Zach accompanied us while the other boys stayed home to "study" (video games, no doubt!)  We had a blast taking Mike's  BMW to new speeds on her inaugural autobahn road trip.  On the drive, we listened to NPR's "Meet the Composer" and learned about the story of the Wooden Prince --what a great way to help Zach get involved in the musical story.

A hundred years after the outbreak of the First World War the 2014 edition of the festival paints an impressive picture of big industrial, social, cultural and musical developments in times of fierce conflict. 
The recurring theme is a symphonic triptych with iconic works by Ravel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and their contemporaries. The Festival programme also features chamber music, lectures, a night concert, jazz and theatre. 

Central Station

Rotterdam is an interesting and eclectic city --an architects' dream, I suppose:  a conglomeration of old and new styles as Hitler virtually flattened the city and used Rotterdam as his example of what would happen to Amsterdam if they didn't give in.  Not surprisingly, the St Laurentius Cathedral was heavily damaged by fire during the bombings; only the walls and tower remained.  It was decades before the reconstruction was completed.  The citizens of Rotterdam decided to rebuild with new ideas, hence, much of the architecture is very different:  including the much photographed Central Station.

Just around the corner was an eclectic street market with many interesting stalls: fish, clothing and treasures.  The best find was a Netherlander pancake called "poffertjes" --translated "heart attack in a napkin"!  It was absolutely dripping with butter....

A peek inside the St Laurentius Cathedral (ca.1495) revealed a sanctuary overflowing with an art show!  I guess to keep the bills paid, they rent out the church space to outside venues.  The organ was installed in the 1970's.

A beautiful Calliope parked nearby with it's little musical serenade was another treat to stumble upon, too. 


Just outside the city were miles of pasture land filled with sheep grazing just beyond the busy highways.  A round about trek (as the bridge was out!)  to find a famous pancake place on the water was our last destination before the drive home.  After many detours thru quaint, tiny villages, we found the old windmill --peacefully turning in the breeze and just beyond, the houseboat pancake place.  Not sure they were my favorite food ever (think pancake pizzas), but the view and the experience were worth the time!