Image by ~BC~
I thoroughly enjoyed my 11 Mar 2013, André Rieu concert this evening & will try to share a bit of what I saw & experienced today. I’m going to use a 24 hour clock to denote the time of day things took place.
I’d like to begin by saying thanks to the set up crew, the guys & gals behind the scene who do the really physically demanding, labor of setting up everything so the musicians can look good when it’s time. I, sincerely, appreciate all the hard work you do before & after each & every concert.
Thank you, Franco, Agnes, Gary, Roland, Cord, & Glenn for sharing a few minutes with me; you helped make this my best concert going experience, ever. During the next several hours I got 74 high resolution photos of many of the musicians which were taken before or during the concert. Copy this link, to see all the concert photos:
www.flickr.com/photos/bc_az/sets/72157632515414894/with/8...
1730 - After parking my car I started walking the 8-10 blocks to Comerica Theatre. Yes, I knew the concert didn’t begin until 2000 & that the doors wouldn’t even open til 1900, however I was in hopes of catching a glimpse of some of the musicians outside, before the concert started.
1740 - I’m approaching a local watering hole & there he is, Franco, who then turns to see who just called him by his name. He seems to remember me from our brief meeting several years ago when I first met Luca & Franco standing outside. I ask if I can take his photo & he agrees. I had to fish my camera out of my tote bag, was not expecting to need the camera so soon. Once it was around my neck, I took such a great photo of Franco that I’m going to have it put on a U.S. Postage Stamp. We shook hands & I left with a smile on my lips & a spring in my step thinking things were really starting off, RIGHT. My camera is now around my neck & secured to my tummy with a waist stabilizer so it is now readily accessible in case I have any additional chance encounters with any other musicians.
1750 - I’m now near the stage entrance & notice security has the street blocked off except for the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Security directs me to the place/area I need to be. When I look over I see Agnes sitting with one of the work crew. When I call out her, Agnes looks up, recognizes me, enthusiastically waves to me, realizes my plight, jumps up & makes a beeline across the street toward me & does so in high heels. Obviously, she remembers me from 7 years ago (2005). She was really happy to see me & see the photo on my T-shirt that Arthur took of me, Agnes, Suzan & Nadia. Agnes apparently clearly remembered our meeting 7 years ago & asked me how I’d been. I told Agnes I was still actively hiking in the Superstition Mountain Wilderness area, was physically active, had been to all of André’s concerts in Phoenix, she remembers seeing me at each concert. I personally congratulate Agnes on her marriage to Michael Fizzano. When I asked if I could take a photo of her, she took me by the arm, told security I was with her, & we walked across the street & into the secure area. Agnes insisted on wanting her photo taken with me, so one of the work crew agreed to take our photo, 4 of them by the buses. They are part of the photo set & will always be part of my memory of today.
1755 - Gary Bennett (Platin Tenor) comes up to Agnes & me & I mention that he is the ONLY Platin Tenor I’ve not photographed. Agnes leaves me after saying goodby so now I have the opportunity to talk to Gary & tell him how much a part of each concert he & the Platin Tenors are & that I especially enjoy their enthusiastic rendition of Libiamo. I got such a great photo of Gary that it to is going to be put on a U.S. Postage Stamp. Thank you Gary for sharing a few minutes of your day with me. I’ll be writing to you & using Gary Bennett postage stamps which made him laugh.
1759 - about this time Roland Lafosse (Double Bass), comes over & I tell him how much I enjoy the routine he & Noël put on. To my surprise he remembers me & the banner I held up toward him at one of the prior concerts several years ago. I ask if I may take his photo & he agrees. Getting photos of the musicians outside during daylight, just being themselves is a special moment. Roland, the photo of you is so good, I’m going to be writing to you using Roland Lafosse postage stamps. Thank you, Roland, for sharing a bit of your self & your time this afternoon.
I asked Roland if here were any new musicians in the orchestra tonight & could he give me their names. Vela (Harpist) is new & has been with the JSO for two weeks. I got several photos of Vela during the concert so you can attach a name to her face, which is the whole idea behind the JSO photo website.
www.AttachNamesToFaces.com
I leave the secure area near the stage entrance & start walking toward the front of the theatre on the opposite side of the street where I’m allowed.
1834 - Someone walking toward me looks familiar & when I ask, Cord, Cord Meyer, he looked please & says YES. I told him he was the one guy I was hoping to see outside the concert & that he has a reputation for being able to intelligently converse on a wide range of topics, which made him laugh. I asked Cord if Judith would be part of the choir tonight. You should have seen his eyes light up when he said YES, very enthusiastically. Cord seem really please that I knew Judith was his wife & agreed to let me take his photo. Sadly, Cord, when I got home & looked closely, I realized I botched the focus. Your photo is part of my photo set, however I feel so ashamed to have messed up. Hopefully, at some point in time I’ll have another chance to do right by you with a properly focused photo. I owe you Cord, BIG TIME & I’m not going to forget it. Maybe next time I can get a photo of you & Judith, together. By the way, I took a couple photos of Judith during the concert that came out really nice & she is looking right into my lens.
1900 - The doors open & I’m very nervous about whether or not security will allow me to enter with my camera, which I decide to continue to wear around my neck & secured to my tummy with the waist stabilizer, meaning the camera is right out in the open & is as visible as me. Decided NOT to try to smuggle it in this year.
No problem, security waved me through after taking a peek inside my tote bag that only contained a spare battery & a water repellent wind breaker for later in the evening & after the concert.
Once inside, I spent the .00 for the full color printed brochure/program & much to my dismay quickly realized AGAIN, just like last time, there was no insert with the planned musical program. grrrrrr.....I sure wish someone can do whatever is necessary so we concert goers here in Phoenix can get an insert showing the planned musical program for the evening.
1945 - 2000 I’m sitting in my very comfortable & well padded theatre chair talking with those around me....me & my big mouth. No one has been to an André concert, this will be a first, for them all. I explained André & the violinists would walk right down the isle right past us at the beginning of the concert & to turn around when they begin SeventySix Trombones. Everyone had seen how they began some of the DVD, but didn’t know this concert would begin just like the DVD. I told those around me that Paul Anka would be a surprise guest tonight. And several of the ladies told me how much they enjoyed Paul’s singing when they were just girls in high school.
I told those around me about andrerieufans.com & the JSO photo website; & one guy wanted to know if a brunette soprano soloist would be singing tonight. I told him Carmen Monarcha was here tonight, but that I didn’t know what songs she’d be singing. The guy was really happy & his wife said something about him having the “hots” for Carmen.
2000 - the concert began, as usual, promptly @2000, as scheduled. And then I saw something I could hardly believe. As André came down past, the guy in front of me stuck out his hand, offering & wanting to shake André’s hand ......and André clasped the guys hand & briefly shook hands with him. I told him later, that André seldom wants to shake hands because his hand was once slightly injured because some guy squeezed it so tightly.
2007 - Frédéric Jenniges (Zither) was the first guest & received an enthusiastic ovation after playing the Third Man Theme, something that all Americans know. I got several really good photos of Frédéric during his performance that are included in the concert photos set. I was 21 rows back however the 25mm-600mm zoom camera lens brought Frédéric up close & personal in my photos when I used the maximum 600mm zoom.
2020 - The Platin Tenors sang several songs including Nessum Dorma & parts of tonights audience stood & enthusiastically applauded the Tenors & other performers all evening. A couple of prior concerts, the audiences were like stones, not tonight. I got several high resolution photos of the Platin Tenors during their performance, from 21 rows back.
2036 - Snow Waltz is even more beautiful when seeing & listening to the JSO play it live than on DVD. The acoustics in Comerica Theatre are the BEST acoustics of any venue in Phoenix & it showed throughout the concert. This is the number where snow lightly falls on a part of the audience during the music & then cascades a blanket of snow at the end. Much to the delight of everyone, the camera focused on those that were trying to clean themselves of all the snow.
2045 - Stéphanie Detry (Piano) - was the featured pianist playing, Ballad for Adeline on #7 musical selection on the And The Waltz Goes On, DVD. In my opinion, Stéphanie has been long overdue for a brief moment in the spotlight & this music showcased her musical talent at its BEST. It never ceases to amaze me how much nicer it is to see & hear the music live during a concert than on a DVD. Tonights rendition showed off Stéphanie & her talent, at their BEST, & the audience responded with an enthusiastic applause. Sadly, Stéphanie is one of the few musicians I didn’t get a photo of tonight. I have you on my list to be sure to get a good photo of you during the next concert, Stéphanie.
During the intermission I went down to the front hoping to get a photo of Pierre; didn’t see him before the concert, during the intermission, or after the concert.
Karin Hinze (Cello) was conspicuous by her absence tonight. Karin & Agnes sent me a beautiful autographed photo of themselves together several years ago. The photo has been prominently enshrined on my entertainment center.
I really missed seeing & hearing Carla, Mirusia, & Suzan tonight. I also missed seeing Alicja (Harp), Sonja (Violin), Renate (Bassoon), Pierre Colen (Viola); Jean Sassen (Double Bass); & Heidi (Choir).
There is a new harpist Vela & I have several nice photos of her.
2110 - The 2nd part of the concert began with André introducing the St Petersburg Trio & their performance included Lara’s Theme & Kalinka. I got some good photos of them as a Trio during their performance & also individually. From left to right, the musical instruments are Mandolin/Bayan; Button Accordion, & Balalakia.
2150 - Kimmy Skota (Soprano Soloist) came on stage, & sang Casta Diva & got a standing ovation. I did get a great photo of Kimmy later in the concert.
Carmen Monarcha (Soprano Soloist); sang Habanera with emotion, flirted with André, & the entire audience, all at the same time. I did get a great photo of her later in the concert which I took during the encores.
I got down in front of the stage & danced to the Blue Danube with my hiking buddy who is now my waltzing partner, Mary Lee. We’ve both looked forwarded to this chance & grabbed it.
2205 - Glenn (son) & Marcel Falize (father) Percussion - appeared on stage together & as a duet performed the very difficult Bolero. An appreciative audience responded with an enthusiastic applause, with a significant number standing & clapping. I have a couple of photos of Glenn & Marcel sharing a very personal moment, basking in the warm afterglow of sharing center stage together as not only performers, but as father & son. Clearly, in the photo, Marcel is a very proud father. These two photos brought out the best of my 25mm - 600mm zoom lens.
When the encores began, I ran down the isle so I could get up as close to the stage as possible. I held up a banner that said “Manoe, Happy B-Day 10 Mar ??”, which she saw & acknowledged with a big, big smile. I have a couple of really nice photos of Manoe.
After the next encore I held up one more banner directed to Giedré Mundinaité (Violin) which said.....G G Marry MEeee, which I think caused her to blush. I’d sure like to be a fly on the wall for the next couple of days so I could hear all the zingers the guys in the JSO will toss at her. I have a really nice photo Giedré.
After all the performers came on stage & sang Adieu Mein Kleinner Gardeoffizer, everyone that that was the end of the concert. NOT so.
André brought out & introduced the surprise guest of the evening, Paul Anka.
Besides being a very popular singer with a number of hits in the 60’s, Paul is a prolific song writer & is the guy who wrote Frank Sinatra’s signature song, I’ll Do it My Way.
Paul sang that song & received a standing ovation from a very appreciative audience many of who remember Paul when they were teenagers. Paul’s still got it, with his voice & as a performer. This was a one time appearance for Paul with André.
2241 - The concert was over, people were leaving, the stage was empty except for one guy, Glenn Falize (Percussion). I went up to the front of the stage, look up & asked Glenn if he would allow me to take his photo & he said, of course, my pleasure
I didn’t bother looking to see what my camera took, which was a big mistake. * thanked Glenn & departed with a big smile on my face, knowing this was the best concert yet & this is the 6th time I seen André perform here in Phoenix.
Sadly, Glenn, when I got home & looked at the photo, I realized I totally botch the exposure. I have you on my list to be sure to get a photo of during the next concert here in Phoenix.
All in all, I can now only watch & wait for an announcement of your next concert here in Phoenix, André. Thank you for not only providing me with 6 wonderful concerts here in Phoenix, but for the 30 DVD’s I have at home that is often providing me with background music or entertainment. I bought your DVD’s to watch, trust me they’re not gathering dust. I’ve spent big bucks to buy all your DVD’s & I’m going to get my moneys worth by watching them over & over.
Vela, Joëlle, Margriet, Boris, Arthur, Nicolle, Karin Haine, Klaartje, Freya, are the name of just a few of the musicians I got photos of this evening.....I hope you enjoy each & every one of the 74 photos I took tonight.The girls of Spring Breakers
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