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The RV Week with Phil Kates and Friends (May 15 - 21, 2004)

Wednesday, May 19 - Day Five: Rehearsals, concerts, dinners, and head for the hills

Word was out that Maestro Muti was in town rehearsing for coming concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic (Carmina Burana), so Phil and I rose early to partake of his rehearsal. Phil had been Muti's first hire as music director back in 1980, and I had been one of his later hires in 1989. (One is always grateful and partial to your hiring boss.) Maestro Muti's rehearsal was scintillating, and the playing and singing simply fantastic - what a hall, what an orchestra, singers, and great music making.

At the break, Phil, Larry Grika, and I joined Muti in his resting room for a chat and reminiscence. We had a grand time sharing memories of past concerts together, and he invited us, and a few others who had visited his previous day's rehearsal, out to dinner after our last concert in Vienna.

This would become complex as Phil and I were hoping to park the RV outside the Hall, and head out for the Austrian Alps after the concert. We went back to the campsite, packed up, emptied the gray water tank, and the black water tank - whoa ... pew! We started our engine and lurched out into the street heading in to a very traffic-laden Vienna. There we eventually made it to the Musikverein, and decided to park the RV right in front of the Hall for a time - a pedestrian area - and hope for space to open up on the street by the hall. Fortunately we were not ticketed or towed but got plenty of strange looks on the mall - we didn't care. A space actually opened up where two cars would park right there next to the hall! I got out and held the parking spots while Phil commandeered the RV through traffic to get to the spots. (He couldn't back up at this point, as a car had blocked us into the pedestrian area. Phil bravely rumbled through the crowds across the pavement to the next street on the other side lurching down from the curb onto the street - pure Phil!)

Safely parked, we were ready to get ready for the concert - that night we played a rocketing Beethoven Fidelio Overture, then the otherworldly Messian (with a few hair-raising moments - tough piece). The Bruckner 7th was a highlight of the tour in many ways: perfect hall, really fine playing from us, the Philly "band," and inspired, spirited leadership from Maestro Eschenbach. I even found some lost sheet music I had been searching for from the previous night in the Hall - it was a perfect night.

Now afterwards we were to meet with Maestro Muti, but Phil did not want to leave Paul Roby (associate principal second violin), who was joining us in the final days of the trip, alone while we dined ... so Phil graciously and unselfishly stayed back with Paul until I returned from that wonderful Italian meal with our old boss.

By 1:30 a.m. we were cruising on the highway out of Vienna towards the Tyrolean Alps for an eventual end of the RV, return to Frankfurt for drop-off, and quick flight to London.

Don Liuzzi, Principal Timpani