And so we arrived by bus to the Philips birthplace and capital - Eindhoven. A quaint little town centred around its revered Design Academy and the original Philips factory. The hottest news of the day was the arrival of Rolly and Zolly (Timpanist and first Horn), who were both crazy/brave enough to come from Dortmund by bicycle - a journey of over 180km, 15 hours and a number of detours and miss-haps. An epic achievement equal to that of Wagner's Ring (proportion-wise)! We celebrated in true Dutch style with a complete calorie reload of beer, greasy burgers and fries. Fischer leisurely arrived by car from Amsterdam and we began the afternoon rehearsal, tuning to the halls delicate acoustic. A whole lot of frustrations distorted the normally brilliant playing, as musicians struggled to hear one another, bass sounds growled, tutti's ballooned and the strings regular brilliance got drowned. Though only half an hour later, with some precise adjustments from Fischer, the orchestra settled into a lighter, more dynamic and explosive playing, which resulted in an absolutely dynamite rendition especially of the eighth symphony - a piece that's clearly within the bones of the orchestra. It is only when one knows something so deeply that they feel compelled to play with a total sense of abandon, yet great collective interplay. The audience couldn't help but be infected by this Dvořak induced exaltation and so for the fifth straight concert bolted to their feet in jubilation. Tomorrow we travel to charming little Bruges for a three day Dvořakathon! Vladimir Fanshil, Assistant Conductor to Ivan Fischer

Further posts:

Intro Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 6