Friday, June 27, 2008
On Friday morning we headed to visit
Windsor Castle.
We arrived
at the grounds and were immediately impressed by its grandeur and history. There was something for everyone: from armor and armory for those Arthurians among us, to historic documents, to grand ballrooms full of masterworks of art and architecture. We arrived in time to witness the Changing of the Guards.
Having already had the surprise opportunity to wave our greetings to the Queen on Tuesday evening, perhaps we should not have been surprised to hear the Royal Guards Fife and Drum Corps playing Copland’s Shaker Melody there on the grounds of
Windsor Castle!
We then wandered through St. George’s Chapel and the Castle to admire the luxurious accommodations, and splendid history preserved within in their walls. Some LSO member favorites included Queen Mary’s Doll House (complete with electricity and functional plumbing!), sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, and a marble sculpture in memory of Princess Charlotte, that was so beautifully convincing, that it was as though the subjects in the piece would stand up at any moment.
After grabbing a quick lunch, it was back on the bus for another hour or so to Basingstoke for our afternoon concert and evening performance. We arrived at the Anvil and immediately began rehearsing. The Anvil, built just fifteen years ago, has a wonderful acoustic that brought out the best in our 30-piece ensemble.
In the audience for the evening concert was the Mayor of Basingstoke who opened the concert with warm words of welcome and thanks to the LSO for traveling to London and for performing for such a wonderful cause.
The final piece on the evening’s program was Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Before beginning the piece, 
there was a palpable energy on stage and off. As we journeyed through the amazing score, there was a level of connectedness amongst the musicians that had never, until that moment, been experienced. It was as though the entire orchestra was one body—thinking, moving, and breathing as one. The evening was simply amazing. Some, indescribable, intangible magic embraced us all for our final performance of the tour.
We headed back to the hotel, to celebrate with what had become the “usual” post-concert meal --a pint of Guiness and beer-batter Fish and Chips!
Check out the rest of our photos here!
at the grounds and were immediately impressed by its grandeur and history. There was something for everyone: from armor and armory for those Arthurians among us, to historic documents, to grand ballrooms full of masterworks of art and architecture. We arrived in time to witness the Changing of the Guards. Having already had the surprise opportunity to wave our greetings to the Queen on Tuesday evening, perhaps we should not have been surprised to hear the Royal Guards Fife and Drum Corps playing Copland’s Shaker Melody there on the grounds of 
We then wandered through 
there was a palpable energy on stage and off. As we journeyed through the amazing score, there was a level of connectedness amongst the musicians that had never, until that moment, been experienced. It was as though the entire orchestra was one body—thinking, moving, and breathing as one. The evening was simply amazing. Some, indescribable, intangible magic embraced us all for our final performance of the tour.
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