BMVC TAKES TUSCANY BY STORM

THE DIARY

Thursday 22nd to Monday 26th September 2011

Day 1: Thursday 22nd September Braintree - Gatwick - Pisa - Montecatini Tuscany

Ken and Maureen had the earliest start in the morning with the first pick up at the Florida Depot at 05.10. By 6.15 we had left Dunmow, all present and correct and on our way to Tuscany. There were 53 people on the trip with 25 choir members, MD, pianist, soloist and 25 friends, relatives and supporters.

Having left early, Ian's plan for beating the traffic worked perfectly and we arrived at Gatwick as scheduled at 8pm. Having negotiated the touch screen check in machines, we had plenty of time to have a relaxing breakfast and time to browse and shop before takeoff at 10.55. The flight was slightly delayed but went very smoothly - British Airways were great (free drinks and biscuits) - and after 2 hours we landed at Pisa. We were surprised to learn that this was Corrina's first flight and she really enjoyed it. Straight through immigration and all the cases arrived safely. We soon found the driver to take us to Montecatini - shame he didn't speak much English but we managed OK. Corrina and Adrian were our best bet as they both spoke and understood Italian.

After our first views of Tuscany and experiencing the very warm temperatures and glorious weather the coach parked up close to Hotel Columbia, our hotel, at about half past three. We all assembled in the lounge and met our Italian guide Rosie for the first time. She welcomed us to Italy and gave us a quick summary of what would be happening during our stay. With rooms allocated there was just enough time to have a quick look around the town before getting ready for dinner.

Hotel Columbia .........	Montecatini	..............At night
Rosie - our guide	Hotel lobby	Awaiting our rooms
Hilary and the grand piano	Panoramic restaurant	Post dinner sing song

We had our first rehearsal for an hour in the lounge and Hilary was delighted with the white grand piano. A welcome drink and canapes had been laid on before dinner in the 5th floor restaurant. There were great views of Tuscany and Montecatini from here. Had a good meal - 4 courses and local wine. The main course was a choice of mixed meat skewer or fillet of perch and dessert was a fresh figs tart.

Our first night in Tuscany and the first incident occurs. John's wife had left their room key on a glass table in the lounge. Mysteriously it had disappeared and despite several pleas around the group no-one owned up to having taken it. Reception would not supply a duplicate so various contingency plans were hatched - sleep on someone's floor, sleep on a settee in the lounge, body search of everyone. What could we do to help - we decided to have a bit of a sing in the lounge with all the old favourites and Hilary on the piano. Some took the air and joined the locals promenading up the streets and shopping - late opening hours in Italy up to about 11pm. We eventually got to bed - shattered but having had a hectic but enjoyable first day.

Day 2: Friday 23rd September - Montecatini - Monte Carlo - Il Poggio vineyard - Lucca - Montecatini

We had a great choice of food for breakfast in the panoramic restaurant. It transpired that the missing key had turned up, unexplainedly, by itself in Nick's room, so John and his wife were able to have a good night's sleep aftter all!! We all assembled on the coach for the day's trip but a count revealed that one person was missing. The sound of " Has anyone here seen Kelly?" Music soon gathered strength and John eventually discovered David having an early snooze on a settee in the lounge.

All the party set off for the first visit of the day: Monte Carlo. No, not that one - this was about 10 miles away from Montecatini, still in Tuscany.The town, high up on a mountain ridge, had great views of the Tuscan countryside. Again we had great weather, sun, blue skies and very warm. We spent a couple of hours exploring the streets, church and cafes - a fascinating place for our first visit in Tuscany. We boarded the coach and had a short ride to our lunch stop at the Il Poggiio vineyard.

We were shown to our al fresco tables and introduced to our guide, Helena, who would take us through the wine tasting and the visit to Lucca. She was really good - very bubbly, interesting and full of fun. We tasted 3 white and 3 red wines all from the vineyard of course, then a pudding wine and to finish with Grappa (Ken somehow managed 3). We also had a good selection of Italian delicacies - bread, sun dried tomatoes, cold meats and cheeses. All feeling pretty happy, there were quite a few red faces as we made our way back to the coach.

The streets of Monte Carlo	Refreshments in Monte Carlo	Relaxing in Monte Carlo
Boarding the coach	Helena explains the wines	Il Paggio vineyard and Barry
	Tasting the wines

Helena told us about the history of Lucca on the way from the vineyard to Lucca. She also told us about the sworn enemies of the Lucca inhabitants - those 'dirty stinking people from Pisa'. Barry told us about his new best friend 'Fabio' - the lovely barman in the hotel who also sorted out his bed for him!! Helena gave us a walking tour of the city of Lucca which is the birthplace of Puccini hence all the statues of him dotted around the place. She was very humorous and she got told off in one of the churches for making too much noise. Anyway we enjoyed the tour very much largely due to her wonderful personality and also the great Italian ice creams. Ken got 2 kisses from her and Nick managed one.

Lucca tour	Inside a church in Lucca	Lucca amphitheatre

Back to the hotel where the soloists rehearsed before dinner. Another excellent meal with a main course choice of roast chicken or fillet of sea ....? - we think it was sea bass. Another singing session in the lounge after dinner with an appreciative audience of other hotel residents. We even had an offer from one of them to go and sing in Denmark - watch this space.

Day 3: Saturday 24th September - Montecatini - Florence - Concert in Florence - Montecatini

Nobody missing this time once we had all boarded the coach to Florence with the hired keyboard (it weighed a ton!). Had a kit check on the coach by Sgt Ken to make sure nobody had left bits of uniform, music etc behind. We had to pick up a special permit to enter Florence amongst all the many other tourist buses doing the same thing. We were dropped off very quickly near the station in Florence. Apparently the coach driver would be fined if he stayed longer than about 2 minutes!

We had a couple of hours free time to walk around the main sites in Florence before meeting back at the drop off place prior to lunch. Fabulous buildings in Florence - the Duomo, Baptistry, Uffizi Gallery etc - too many to list and too many to do justice to in such a short time. Anyway, we were all eventually reunited for lunch once we had found the 4 missing members of the party who had missed the deadline. It was in a very pleasant restaurant off the beaten track and away from the crowds near the station. Again, great food, beer and wine.

After lunch there was a 'parting of the ways'. Some of the party continued on their own tour of Florence, some did the open top bus tour, and some went on the guided walking tour with Laura. We all managed to see the main sites, the many statues of David including the Ponte Vecchio bridge and its arcaded jewellery shops. A little hot and tired, we all staggered back to the coach, mostly on time, to jump on the coach to pick up the remaining members of the party who had missed the first pick-up.

All safely back on the coach we were off to our first concert venue at the church up on the hill overlooking Florence. After we had unloaded everything and Hilary had become familiar with the keyboard (she almost liked playing it!) we had a short rehearsal to get used to the accoustics - there was quite an echo which was different to the normal venues. Once we had sung through a few pieces we managed to get the hang of it.There was time to go down to the Piazzala Michelangelo where there were panoramic views of Florence. It was a bit hazy but what a stunning sight - all of Florence laid out in front of you. This is apparently one of the most famous views of Florence and it certainly attracted the crowds. Yet another copy of the statue of David adorned the Piazzala.

After some refreshment we made our way back to the church to get changed for the concert. An hour before the concert the church was full with those attending evening mass and we had high hopes of a good audience. However, most of these people left and, apart from our supporters and some Italians and tourists who came and went, the audience numbers were poor. However, we all enjoyed the experience of singing after a long day in Florence, and the choir and soloists produced a great concert. The church priest certainly enjoyed it and so did a nun who was in the audience. She enjoyed it so much that she asked how much the CDs were. Regrettably she couldn't afford it but one of the friends of the choir (Dave from Aberdeen) felt sorry for her and gave Judith the money so that the nun coould have one after all. She was very thankful. It was interesting to note that during the concert a mobile phone had rung. It transpired that it belonged to the nun who had to reach into her robes to quickly turn it off.

Corrina - Florence concert	Concert in Chiesa di San Salvadore A Monte	........ contd

Tired and in need of sustenance, we headed back to our hotel for a shower, drink and a late dinner. Main course was veal in a red wine sauce or fresh salmon in casserole and dessert was mille-feuille with cream. No imprompu sing-song in the lounge afterwards though.

Day 4: Sunday 25th September - Montecatini - Concert in Montecatini

We all enjoyed a leisurely breakfast after a long day in Florence. We had a free day in Montecatini and a concert in the evening at TermeTettuccio. Various plans had been made for the day. Some decided to go for a trip on the train to Viaggio on the coast whilst many decided to go up the funicular to Montecatini Alto (the old town on the hill) which dates back to at least the 11th century. It was a great trip up the funicular with superb views of Montecatini and the surrounding countryside. It was a popular thing to do with many different nationalities taking part. The old town had a delightful church with many narrow streets to explore and a square full of different cafes and restaurants. It was certainly the place to pass the time of day and contemplate life. Pizzas and pastas, wine and beer were consumed and David even managed the most expensive T bone steak you can imagine, although he thought it was only 14 Euros. It turned out to be 14 Euros per so many grams. Just as well the 'plastic' could take the strain.

Back down the funicular, some decided to have a look round Terme Tettuccio to see where we would be singing and to explore the facilities. The Tettuccio Terme was built in the late 18th century by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It was one of three spas built in Montecatini which made Montecatini Terme fanous for all over Europe, and a favourite place for the rich and the royalty. Puccini composed parts of La Boheme here and Verdi also visited. It is famous for its lavish Liberty architecture with lots of Roman style columns - the buildings were surrounded by lovely gardens. It was a great setting for a concert, particularly as it was a semi outdoors venue: perfect in the very warm temperatures we were experiencing. A perfect place to enjoy an afternoon's lemon soda. We were all looking forward to a great concert.

Terme Tettuccio	Tettuccio Terme	Spa Venue
Drinks at Montecatini Alto	Drinks contd	Funicular leaving Montecatini Alto

We were getting ready for an early dinner prior to the concert. Some were in the shower, others drying their hair, others watching TV. Suddenly the lights went out and the TV went off - lots of shouts. Outside the rain was hammering down and then came the thunder and lightening. The storm lasted all dinner time and by 8pm concerns were being raised as to whether we would be able to get to the concert venue (it was a good 15 minute walk away from the hotel). Also would we get an audience? Ian was waiting to hear from our tour guide who was at the venue to find out whether anybody had arrived. Her first call told us that there was no one at the spa which was very wet and cool. Whereas there were usually 100s of people walking in the streets, tonight they were deserted. A contingency plan was drawn up involving a large Danish party staying in the hotel who would listen to us in the lounge of the hotel if we had to cancel the concert at the spa, It was still raining at 8.15pm. It was looking more doubtful that the concert would be going ahead so some, with the agreement of the hotel, started to move furniture in the lounge area. We suddenly heard from Rosie at 8.45pm that people were starting to arrive at the venue. It was agreed that the show must go on. At last the rain stopped and those who were able to walked quickly down top the spa. Corrina agreed to go on first to do one of her sessions whilst the choir arrived and caught their breath and she, Elisabeth and Hilary, Ken and some others were taken by taxi to get a head start.

An audience of about 150 had turned upn to hear us sing. Although publicity for both concerts had not been good - word of mouth had worked better for this concert. After a stressful few hours during the storm, the choir and soloists performed brilliantly in one of the best settings many of us hjad ever sung in. Corrina gave a great performance, Ian did a grand job on the saxaphone and John gave a virtusoso performance on the trombone. The choir did what it does best - sing a good song. Elisabeth had included Vivald's 'Gloria' in both concerts and it went down a treat here. We all strolled back to the hotel in a triumphant mood and had a well-earned drink in the bar. What a great end to the day.

Day 5: Monday 26th September - Montecatini - Pisa - Gatwick - Braintree

Our last day in Tuscany dawned fine and clear and the rain of the previous evening had disappeared completely. We had a free morning in Montecatini to do any last minute shopping and to relax. Some went to Tettuccio to see the concert venue again in the daylight, others went up to the old town, a number went on the Montecatini Express to have a circular train ride of the town and others just relaxed in the bars and cafes. Ticketless Alan (3 others had apparently disposed of their return flight tickets as well) was dragged into a Church in the old town to see a woman's diorama. After a leisurely lunch, we were all packed up and on the coach and had said our final farewells to Rosie.

Lunch in Montecotini	Topiary art in Montecotini	Montecotini Express

We arrived at Pisa at 3.15pm in plenty of time to have a quick trip to see the leaning tower. It just remained for us to find left luggage and get rid of our cases so that we could explore the area. It was complicated and not as easy as Rosie had made out. The left luggage was at the information point for the airport and clearly they were not set up to have 50 people descend on them all at once to leave their cases. After many negotiations, they agreed that we could split into small groups of 10 with one passport holder taking the lead for each group. Each group would then be escorted to have their cases scanned and brought back to leave in left luggage at a cost of 7 Euros. The first group went off - it must have taken at least 25 minutes to do this. Rebel leaders Sue,Rita and Helen decided that this was taking too long and a willing volunteer, Alan, agreed to look after the cases whilst everyone went off to the Leaning Tower. He was piled high with cases - not sure if the airport authorities were happy with this but there were no comebacks.

Rita had managed to find out that the bus from the airport went straight to the Leaning Tower site (others went by taxi), so 20 minutes later we were there. What amazed us was that the Baptistry completely dwarfed the Leaning Tower and all the buildings looked magnificent - gleaming white against the blue sky. There were many thousands of people there of course but it was a truly wonderful sight. Some of the party also found time to go on an open top bus tour of the city. Corrina and Adrian had only got as far as the railway station and had bought very expensive cokes. Alan and Rita managed to convince them that they had plenty of time to see the Leaning Tower and Alan (newly appointed professional baggage minder) looked after their cases and bags. Time for a few coffees and sandwiches in the airport and time to admire Ben's Leaning Tower mug.

Leaning Tower and the Baptistry	Ken and the Leaning Tower	Leaning Tower
Pisa Airport	Alan the baggage minder	Pisa Airport

An uneventful flight back to Gatwick although Mike and his wife had been upgraded to Executive Club Class and had a choice of 3 meals, dessert and drinks. Those with the new style passports came through the Iris scanner Gatwick, all the baggage arrived safely and back on to the coach which was waiting at the pick up area. All went like clockwork.

A peaceful quiet descended on the coach on the way back, punctuated only by gentle snores to the rhythm of "May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back .... "

We all gave our thanks to Ian and Beryl for all their hard work in planning the trip and enduring the stress and strains in Italy, of sorting out the problems we encountered in Tuscany and for making it such a memorable and stress-free trip for the rest of us.

	Memories of Pisa

 

Ponte Vecchio Bridge Florence

 

 

---

 

---

 

 

Hungary - Here We Come

 

From 3rd to 7th October 2009, 18 members of the Choir, plus 15 friends and family, went to Hungary to sing in three venues, and to see some of the sights in and around.

Undoubtedly the highlight was the International Choir Festival in Dorog. We sang in a purpose built concert hall, with wonderful accoustics and a first class piano, joining with choirs from Hungary, Slovakia and Italy. We were last on and as we sat and listened to the other six choirs, we knew that we had to be at our best. That we seem to have done, judging by the reception we got at the end, and the favourable comments from members of other choirs.

Our varied programme went down very well. We opened with the lively Rhythm of Life which was followed by Autumn Leaves. Within a few bars of us starting, the audience burst into applause - something our MD of 20 years said she had never heard before - as soon as they realised we were singing the words in Hungarian. At the end, we had more rapturous applause which certainly made the hairs on the neck stand up. That the audience understood our Hungarian is a tribute to the coaching received from Imi Kinchesh. Once we had completed our songs there were the final announcements, one of which was that we had to do an encore, and Thank You for the Music had the audience on its feet clapping and singing along. It was a truly memorable experience for us all.

Choir at the 18th International Choir Concert in Dorog

Choirs enjoying a meal after the performances

Chairman Nick Minton makes a presentation

The dinner afterwards with the other six choirs was another enjoyable occasion, and once the drink started flowing, choirs and individuals were on their feet giving imprompu performances. It was also a chance for us to talk with some of the other musicians and to present pennants to each of our fellow choirs.

Earlier in the day we had sung at a Mass in the church of Pilicsaba where again we had an ovation at the end, followed by a very friendly reception laid on by the church members.

Our final singing engagement was at the Cathedral in Esztergom which was certainly different, with some interesting accoustics. We counted how long the sound echoed around and found that it was about seven seconds - probably for the first time, we heard exactly what the last note of each piece sounded like!

Apart from singing, the other two things to feature heavily in the programme were eating and drinking. Excellent meals were laid on for us at lunchtimes and evenings, and all with drinks included - in fact for two of the evening meals, we had what was described as "unlimited ingestion of wine", and to show our appreciation to our hosts, we did our best to obey the instruction.

Choir member Imi Kinchesh joins the gypsy musicians

Impromptu performance of A Ket Szemet (Autumn Leaves)

Evidence of drink and some more lusty singing

We spent one late afternoon at a horsemanship demonstration, which was very interesting. Some of us had the chance to participate in the use of a whip - the challenge was to knock a can off the fence using a long whip. Happily, both our contestants were successful and collected a bottle of wine as their prize. After the demonstration, we had dinner, along with a large party of German visitors. With a Hungarian Gypsy trio to entertain us, it wasn't long before the singing started, with Imi joining the trio to sing some of the traditional Hungarian songs. The evening finished with a firelight horsemanship demonstration and a rather tasteful brandy. It wasn't until we got on the coach that our guide informed us that the brandy was for the Germans! That made it taste even better.

On our last full day, we made some sightseeing visits before finishing up at a wine cellar for dinner and wine tasting. Once again, there were a group of musicians to entertain us and unsurprisingly we found ourselves singing along with them, as well as one or two individual numbers.

We had time on our last day for a trip on the Danube and a visit to St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest before setting off for the airport.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable trip, excellent value for money, with some memorable social occasions.

 

The choir at Esztergom Cathedral

 

---

 

Oundle Festival of Music and Drama March 2009

 

Braintree Male Voice Choir scored a double success at a prestigious music festival on Saturday 28th March.

They captured first prize in the 'Songs from musicals' section at the 100th Oundle Festival of Music and Drama in Northamptonshire.

Adjudicator Sheila Kent gave them a distinction in this category with 88 per cent. She also gave them 86 per cent, just one short of a distinction, in the 'Part songs for men's voices' category in which they were the only competitors.

Ms Kent praised their 'secure coordination of voices' in Rhythm of Life and their 'good tone and attention to diction' in their selection from Oliver.

She described their rendtion of Hafan Gobiath as 'a very pleasing part work with a secure blend of voices'.

The choir's musical director Elisabeth Miller said: "This was an excellent performance, especially as we only had 20 members of the choir available instead of the full complement of 35.

"I was particularly pleased by the enthusiastic remarks of the adjudicator who really seemed to enjoy the perfomance.

"The result is especially pleasing as we have not entered competitions for 17 years, apart from our appearance at the Sudbury Festival of Music, Speech and Dance three weeks earlier.

"The choir were given a distinction there too, although again they were the only entry in their field."

 

Elisabeth Miller MD and the choir

---