It's hard to believe I have been here in Sydney for a little over five days. When I arrived it was hot and humid. It stayed that way all weekend and for the majority of Monday as well. The weather here has been so interchangable. I think I've possibly experienced all four seasons this week. Mind you, at least it stayed the same for the whole day, unlike in Melbourne where the weather has more mood swings than a woman with PMS!
While I've been here I have been incredibly fortunate to stay with two of the nicest people I could have imagined. Bronwyn and I go way back (in fact I believe I took her to her first orchestral concert). Although we reconnected a couple years ago, we hadn't seen each other face to face for at least 15 years. When she said I could stay with and her fiancee, Ben, I was totally stoked. They have been wonderful hosts, allowing me to eat, sleep and come and go at all times of the day and night. The fact that they have opened up their hearts as well as their home will never be forgotten by me.
Of course, the reason I'm in Sydney is to perform in the Mahler 8th Symphony with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Mahler's music has been the soundtrack to my life for the better part of twenty years now and to sing in this monumental work, with the SSO and Ashkenazy at the Opera House was an opportunity I would not pass up. The rehearsals have been great (although the backstage area is like a labyrinth- I'm sure there have been more than one or two Spinal Tap moments from visiting artists). The singing has been first class and I can't wait for the performances tonight and on Saturday. That has definitely been the highlight for me.
Sadly it hasn't been quite the sightseeing adventure I had planned. The major thing I wanted to do was visit Martin Place and see Sunrise being filmed. That I did! I even met Mel, Kochie and Nat. Kochie's first to question to me after he found out I was from Adelaide was whether I barracked for Port Power. Sorry mate, no I don't. It's interesting to see the actual size of the studio in real life. It's a lot smaller than I imagined it was. And the fun thing about seeing into the studio was being able to see the hosts do things like scratch their bums and wash their glasses when they think nobody is looking.
The reason it hasn't been quite as glorious a trip as I had planned was that on Monday, after a LOT of walking around Sydney, I developed rather bad blisters on my feet, not to mention that the pollution and humidity has played havoc with my voice. I think also the fact that the touring party is basically split up into two groups- the over 55's and the under 25's (of which I am neither)- has meant that I really didn't fit into any group activities which meant that I am pretty much on my own when it comes to sightseeing. It has been a little depressing but I am refusing to let these setbacks bring me down. I will continue to bathe in the sunshine Mahler's music brings me.
Anyway, I shall finish my ruminations on the sydney trip once I get back to Adelaide.
Until next time blogrollers!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Ace Frehley- HQ Feb 2010
If there is one thing the Kiss Army is, it's loyal- especially to the four original members of Kiss. So when Ace Frehley originally announced only an east coast tour of Australia to promote his new album "Anomaly" the fans elsewhere kicked up a stink. Ace relented, and not only added new dates for other cities, but also cancelled the earlier tour so he could do it all in one fell swoop.
The Kiss faithful were not disappointed when the original Space Ace took the stage to the strains of his instrumental "Fractured Mirror" and then launched into "Rocket Ride" from "Alive 2". Over the next ninety minutes he let his music do the bulk of the talking (save the usual thank yous and the odd off-colour Michael Jackson joke). The bulk of the show was made up of songs from his days in Kiss and included such rarities as "Hard Times" and "Talk To Me" as well as a number of songs sung by other members of Kiss. Frehley had no qualms in letting his exceptional backing band do the singing either- his drummer doing an excellent impersonation of Gene Simmons on "Shout It Out Loud" and "Deuce". Frehley also let loose some songs from his earlier solo records including his self-titled debut. Although only a handful of numbers from "Anomaly" were played, they were received with as much warmth and love as any of the others. It also showed that Frehley still has the ability to write great riffs and powerful hooks. The relatively small but vocal crowd walked away feeling that they had seen something quite special.
The Kiss faithful were not disappointed when the original Space Ace took the stage to the strains of his instrumental "Fractured Mirror" and then launched into "Rocket Ride" from "Alive 2". Over the next ninety minutes he let his music do the bulk of the talking (save the usual thank yous and the odd off-colour Michael Jackson joke). The bulk of the show was made up of songs from his days in Kiss and included such rarities as "Hard Times" and "Talk To Me" as well as a number of songs sung by other members of Kiss. Frehley had no qualms in letting his exceptional backing band do the singing either- his drummer doing an excellent impersonation of Gene Simmons on "Shout It Out Loud" and "Deuce". Frehley also let loose some songs from his earlier solo records including his self-titled debut. Although only a handful of numbers from "Anomaly" were played, they were received with as much warmth and love as any of the others. It also showed that Frehley still has the ability to write great riffs and powerful hooks. The relatively small but vocal crowd walked away feeling that they had seen something quite special.
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