Nordic Spring in Heidelberg

Monday night we came home from our trip to Germany, where we played in Heidelberg. It was an amazing experience to perform in the Heiliggeistkirche. Taking the train we started in the morning to get there by five in the afternoon. It was an 8-hour train journey, but we like travelling by train, it is so relaxing! This is  the time when we can take a break, read a book, study the music, or sleep, which we did. (Also a good opportunity to do homework, for my part). The journey was lovely and we came to Heidelberg in the afternoon. We soon became acquainted with the German tradition of eating bretzels, a delicious type of salted bread formed like a kringel. Anyway, moving on to the concert. The church was stunning. High pillars and amazing stained glass windows. The architecture made the accoustics a bit tricky though, producing a lot of resonance. But it was an amazing room and experience. 
We had made a programme which we called Nordic Spring including pieces by Svendsen, Grieg, Johannsen (yep, that's Anna), Kilpinen and Rachmaninoff (nordic? well I love his music and Russia is a northern country). Putting these pieces together we tried to find a Nordic sound, which we find we have achieved. 
Next evening we watched a performance of Händel's Semele, the oratorio describing the tale about Semele's and Jupiter's marriage was composed in 1744. He wrote it as an oratorio, so today ressigeurs have a lot of freedom to do as they feel when they stage it as an opera. When the premiere took place back in 1744 at Covent Garden it received mixed receptions. A large part of the public found it delightful, but there was a strong objection to it as well. It played a few times, but didn't get performed again in England before 1954. At the time people found it rather too vulgar, and there really are parts in the libretto which can get ressigeurs to show the plot very explicitly.
Some of the most famous arias by Händel as for example "Wherever you walk" comes from this oratorio, and hearing the full work was a big experience. The singers were very skilled and the staging had some funny ideas. Also, the baroque orchestra was brilliant. They had viols, baroque obes and harpsichords which really gave an authentic accompinament. 
We also managed to get a bit of tourism done. We went to the famous bridge at the Neckar river in Heidelberg, which you come to by going through the old gate. And it gives you a wonderful view over the river with a mountain on one side and the castle on the other. Very beautiful. 
Oh, and we love music shops (of course) and bookshops (who doesn't?) so we got to see a few of those as well :-)
The church wants us back sometime, and we'd like to come back too, and the whole town is really beautiful, so we hope to find a date sometime. Meanwhile, we can only recommend Heidelberg and the surroundings, they are so much worth a visit! It is not for nothing that the song "Ich hab' mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren" (I've lost my heart in Heidelberg) is so popular!
​Giuly 

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