By Scott Kinmont, Associate Principal Trombone
For me, Macao and Portuguese heritage meant one thing – adding the search for the perfect Portuguese tart to the search for the ultimate dumpling! I did find tarts to rival anything in Petersham and I am glad they are here and not in Sydney. The dumpling odyssey has already guaranteed a few extra kilos even despite daily gym visits.
I got lost looking for the renowned Ruins of St Pauls but found wonderfully quiet gardens complete with a mid-17th century church a 19th century lighthouse and a WW2 bomb shelter.
Lunch for me was one of those great experiences where no one spoke any common language and after circling like a hungry dog building up the courage to go and order, I was finally invited in and managed to figure out something. This was one of the best meals on the tour for me so far – a simple stir-fry chicken with broad noodles, bean sprouts and some interesting local spices.
Our instruments arrived at the venue late due to some border security issues. When the announcement was made at 4pm that the bus trip from the hotel to the venue would be shifted to 5.30 the orchestra dispersed with lightning speed in search of tarts.
The rehearsal started at 6pm and the performance was at 8pm. It’s at moments like these we realise how fortunate we are to have a conductor like Ashkenazy who is so comfortable in his own skin that when we are under pressure he still radiates confidence and it’s only ever about the music.
After a hurried rehearsal the concert was very alive and fresh due to our first performance on this tour of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The performances thus far on the tour have all been extremely exciting and we are getting used to the reserved manner in which the local audiences show their enthusiasm.
As far as the hall went, it’s almost impossible to design an acoustic less than our own in the Opera House. It was difficult from the point of view that there was not a lot of resonance but we could hear each other very clearly.
Having never been to Macao, I had no expectations but was surprised to find a city with so many different elements to it. This is the first time on the tour that I have dared to have a coffee and was rewarded handsomely for my patience. The really interesting thing about this city is all the European architecture and the remains of European settlement mixed in with an Asian culture.
We are now about halfway through the tour and so far it has been a lot of fun with some hard work mixed in. I am eternally grateful to skype for giving me the chance to stay in touch with my wife and 3 kiddies . I am very much looking forward to the next stage of trip of the trip. My only disappointment is we won’t have much time to shop in Hong Kong.
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