Sunday 31st October
An earlier wake-up call was needed today as all showers would have to be before breakfast at eight, in order to give us time to get to the Evangelische Stadtkirche for rehearsal at nine. So the change to Daylight Saving Time was very opportune, as we all effectively had an extra half-hour in bed. The choristers were all ready and waiting in the foyer of the Hostel by twenty to nine, wearing the smart new Choir Sweatshirts which have been commented on by many here.
We were in our places in the organ gallery at the church, robed and ready to sing at exactly nine. Today was Reformation Sunday, a big Festival in the German Church Kalendar, commemorating the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing his 95 theses on the door of his church, sparking off the Reformation. We were joining with Kantorei, our host choir, to sing in the Eucharist, with Mozart’s Mass in B flat. The Brecon Cathedral Choir sang the many more taxing solo passages as a group, and were joined by Kantorei in the Full passages. We first rehearsed the German hymns (which included Morning has broken in German and Luther’s inspiring Ein feste Burg with some unexpected jazzy rhythms). The Brecon contingent were able to give a very convincing account of these with minimal rehearsal, thanks to music copies prepared by Mr Duthie with each syllable under its note in the melody, and a foolproof phonetic version immediately underneath the German one.
It was a new experience for Mr Duthie taking a bilingual rehearsal, and as his grasp of German is rudimentary (if improving considerably), at first Frau Gilbert translated his instructions for the benefit of Kantorei. But it became apparent that the best rehearsal technique was to state the bar number (just within MD’s present capabilities) and then give a vocal demonstration of how it was, followed by how it should be.
The rehearsal was over in good time for all to have a twenty minute comfort break before the service at ten. The Eucharist was a thoroughly memorable and moving occasion, concelebrated by both Dean Klaus and our own Father Michael. There were a number of differences from our own Eucharists, the most notable one being that the service begins with seven minutes of bell-ringing followed by organ piece, during which the congregation are expected to be in their places and silently preparing themselves for worship. And so the first spoken word in the service was at ten past ten.
We were made to feel so welcome at the service by our hosts, and it was a morning none of us will forget. Afterwards, the Pastor gave each of the choristers a box of chocolates and a book.
Nor will we forget the wonderful lunch provided for us at the Health Centre Restaurant! There was a range of delicious hot food on offer, with a wonderful salad bar and puddings as well. Frau Gilbert had arranged for our meal to be paid for, and the choristers were allowed to select their meals, to go back for more, and to have as many soft drinks as they wanted. All ate more than amply, but sensibly.
The walk back to the Hostel was via the Blautopf, which was even more blue that it had been on Wednesday, and the choristers were able to spend some of their remaining euros in the gift shop there.
After all the exertions of the previous day, a more sedate activity was called for this afternoon, and the choristers all watched a fascinating film in the Hostel about the divers who have explored the enormous system of caves accessed through the waters of the Blautopf.
Then down into town for the rehearsal for the day’s concert and back to the hostel for a sandwich tea (none of us could have eaten more after our huge lunch).
The church was packed for our final concert – we had brought from Brecon what we thought was an optimistic 250 programmes, but the audience were sharing one between two. We had noticed reporters at all our concerts so far, and it appears that the rave reviews in various newspapers had attracted much interest in this evening’s concert.
It was a fitting end to our time in Blaubeuren, and as the enthusiastic applause from the audience finally subsided, Wynn Davies took the microphone to give a vote of thanks on our behalf. He thanked our hosts for their overwhelming kindness and warm welcome, and made special mention of Frau Gilbert who had arranged all the details of our tour with such precision and care. Head Chorister Emily presented Frau Gilbert with a small gift from us. Afterwards, all present commented on the beauty of the singing, giving with incredible generosity to the retiring collection which would be used to defray some of the costs of the tour. As we all helped to pack up music and robes, the sense of exhilaration and achievement was tinged with sadness that our time in Blaubeuren was coming to an end, and there were more than a few tears from choristers at the thought that we would soon be on our way back to Brecon. We were each presented with a gift from Frau Gilbert to remind us of our stay.
We were cheered up, though, by the thought of our end-of-tour party in the Youth Hostel. The deal was that each dorm would be able to join the party only when their tidying and packing was done to the satisfaction of the Matrons, and the fact that there was an unalterable finishing time for the celebrations meant that everyone got their packing done in record time. We had decided that this was not to be a Halloween party, as we had far more positive things to celebrate. This proved to be the right decision, as a wonderful time was had by all. Canon Parry had a seemingly inexhaustible repertoire of riotous party games lined up for us, and the Matrons had arranged a selection of party food to boot. All went to bed happy and to sleep in record time.
Monday 1st November
With the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, the Matrons masterminded the final packing and tidying, the eating of breakfast and the making of packed lunches as the Lay Clerks helped to load the cases on the coach. As a result we were ready to leave at nine, a full half hour earlier than planned. Frau Gilbert appeared at the Hostel bearing gifts of extra provisions for our packed lunches, and another lady who had been overwhelmed by our singing at the concert the night before presented us with an enormous bag of sweets for the choristers to help pass the journey. After some emotional farewells and renewed thanks, we were on our way.
The feast of Toussaint or All Saints is an important national holiday in France. Consequently, to driver Dave’s amazement, there was not a single truck or lorry on the road, and we arrived in Reims more than an hour ahead of schedule. This meant that there was plenty of time for those who wished to have a shower (all the rooms here were ensuite) before we re-convened in the foyer to embark on a leisurely stroll along the tree-lined boulevardes of Reims.
Our destination was Reims Cathedral, a vast Gothic edifice in the centre of the city, and the place where French monarchs were traditionally crowned (in that sense, the French equivalent of Westminster Abbey). All were in awe as we approached the West Front of the Cathedral and looked up at its enormous towers, and as the sun set, this significantly added to the overall effect.
The West Front
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We split into our buddy groups, each accompanied by two adults, and entered in awed silence to explore the interior. In the semi-darkness, the many hundreds of votive candles of all colours burning at the various stations gave an almost other-worldly feel to the whole experience, and many choristers were moved without any prompting from us to light candles for loved ones.
The small but well-stocked gift shop was a useful way for those who had rationed their spending thus far to use up the last of their euros.
At seven o’clock, a strange procession through the streets of Reims attracts some interest from the locals. A large group of people wearing identical maroon sweatshirts bearing the legend Brecon Cathedral Choir makes its way along the boulevard leading from Reims Cathedral. Spontaneously, the younger members of the group, walking slowly in pairs, break into song. The strains of Panis angelicus in two parts carry though the still night air, followed some minutes later by the melody line of Cantique de Jean Racine.
We reach Les 3 Brasseurs, the venue for our end-of-tour celebration meal, in very good time. We are shown to La Salle du Brasseur, a private room which has been set aside for us and which is très jolie. The adults sit at three large tables at one end of the room, and the choristers at a similar group of tables at the other end. The adults each chose their three-course meal from a set menu a number of weeks ago, and those who have forgotten what they selected are able to consult Mr Duthie’s master list.
The food is absolutely stunning, as is the famous beer brewed by Les 3 Brasseurs, although a number of adults opt for wine or soft drinks, and Father Michael, as one would expect, orders champagne. But Reims is, of course, the champagne capital of France.
A special menu has been prepared for the children, each of whom chooses from the five or six dishes on offer, supplemented by an unlimited supply of delicious French fries and jugs of cola and other drinks.
Many order and enjoy the flammeukeuches, a pizzaesque delicacy which is a speciality of this restaurant. This is all followed by a choice of ice-creams and waffles, and the whole meal is judged by the choristers to be both 'lush' and 'well good'.
As heavy double doors separate us from the remainder of the restaurant, there is no danger of our disturbing the other customers, so the adults decide to put up with rather more noise from the choristers than is strictly necessary – it is the last night, after all.
When all have eaten to capacity, Mr Parry calls for silence before proposing a number of toasts. Gifts are presented first to our wonderful choir matrons and helpers, and each person or couple receives some local champagne chocolates, as does Mr Jones for his incomparable playing, singing, and general support and good humour, and Dave Weaver for his excellent driving and good company. Finally a presentation is made to Mr Duthie, who responds with votes of thanks to the various groups on the tour – to the Lay Clerks, Mr Jones, Mr Weaver and the Matrons (including Mr Jenkins and Canon Parry). Most especially thanks are given to the Choristers who have been wonderful ambassadors for Brecon Cathedral and for Wales through out the tour, and whose impeccable behaviour when ‘on show’ has been commented on by many people over the past week. A final rendition of Locus iste in four part harmony begins – although the words are rather more suited to a cathedral than to a brewery, it is one piece which we can all sing from memory. Although we had closed the doors so as not to disturb anyone, the waitress opens them again, and a number of diners gather to listen to us.
A pleasant walk back to the Youth Hostel, and all are ready for bed.
Tuesday 2nd November
As we took only our overnight bags into the hostel (our suitcases remaining on the coach) it was easy to collect our belongings after a substantial breakfast and be ready to leave at around nine. The toll roads which we take are relatively traffic-free, and thanks to Dave Weaver’s excellent and smooth driving, we arrived in Calais in good time and boarded the Eurotunnel train half an hour earlier than planned.
As the time on the train counted as the driver's first break, we were able to continue to Reading Services before our first stop in the UK, more than one hour ahead of schedule. An incident-free final leg of our journey, and we arrive in Brecon before six o'clock, both exhilarated and exhausted, where parents, relatives and clergy are waiting to meet us. Our time in Blaubeuren is one we will never forget.