Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - Brussels, Belgium
The Orchestra traveled from Amsterdam to Brussels by bus, a two-hour ride. Our bus driver was very funny, at one point saying during his introduction, "If you have any questions, you can always find me at the front of the bus. If you don't find me at the front of the bus, you may want to worry." Once we were out of Amsterdam, the scenery was much like driving the Turnpike through central Pennsylvania, with farms, country roads, trees, and fields. A highlight of the drive was when we saw windmills, which came out of nowhere and were suddenly right there, lining the road. They were GIANT power windmills -- I'm not sure whether they have a particular name but they were definitely the ones used by electrical companies to supply power. This quintessential Dutch sight perked everyone up right away.
The audience reaction
was extremely enthusiastic in Brussels where the crowd leapt to their
feet for Gil Shaham and began clapping rhythmically right away. Gil actually
performed two encores because the audience was so enthusiastic and wouldn't
quiet down otherwise!
Erik Michael, Assistant
Director, Corporate Sponsorship
Orchestra
homepage
Copyright
2004 The Philadelphia Orchestra
web@philorch.org