Our next tour date takes us to the Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden. At 2500 seats, it is the biggest purpose-built concert hall in Germany. Baden-Baden is a beautiful town, steeped in culture and tradition. Brahms wrote a lot here and Berlioz had a premier in the theater within the Festpielhaus complex. The town is also famous for its hot springs and it was the first time I ever saw a hot water fountain, with steam rising high in the chilly evening breeze.
Our concert was an 11am matinee so I managed to gain access to my dressing room the night before. Maxim Vengerov was warming up in the adjacent room and as he stretched out a hand to greet me, I was too starstruck to even say ‘hello’.
At the concert itself, it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise to receive such a warm welcome from the appreciative, morning concertgoers!
Michael Petrov Cellist 