20 hours in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s Usher Hall with the Edinburgh Castle in the distance

A lovely juxtaposition of old and new architecture at Usher Hall

Alisa Weilerstein is reunited with the Orchestra in rehearsal for Elgar’s Cello Concerto

Alisa connects with Acting Concertmaster Sarah Kwak during rehearsal

Doug Wright, principal trombone, warms up outside the stage door at Usher Hall

Musicians gather in the tight backstage hallway to read newly posted reviews - you can read them in the tour press section of this site!

Alisa Weilerstein takes a bow after performing the Elgar Cello Concerto in Usher Hall Edinburgh

Osmo Vänskä shows his appreciation for the musicians' collaboration with Ms. Weilerstein

Maestro Vänskä leading the Orchestra offstage after the encore

The Orchestra arrived in Edinburgh in two shifts Sunday afternoon.  There was just enough time to check in at the hotel, grab a quick bite to eat and get to rehearsal.  Conveniently, Usher Hall is directly across the street from the hotel, so on-the-ground transit was significantly simplified.

Rehearsal was really just a touch up for the Elgar Cello Concerto with Alisa Weilerstein and Beethoven Symphony No. 7  - 30 minutes to cover transitions and tough passages, and the rest is left up to the consummate musicianship and teamwork of everyone onstage.

The capacity audience in the elegant hall responded to the electric performance with uniform enthusiasm, earning an encore from both Ms. Weilerstein and the Orchestra.  A tired, but very pleased Maestro Vänskä lead equally spent musicians offstage.

Tomorrow it’s back onto buses and planes to reach Amsterdam and the final concert of the tour.