One of the sounds I have heard most since arriving at the Concertgebouw has been the ‘oohs’ of the orchestra as we have wandered admiringly around the hall. And that was before even getting to the stage! There was much excitement at the ‘tuning rooms’ for each section of the orchestra, a luxury not available in any of our usual concert halls. Not only are there separate rooms for us to unpack and tune in, but we don’t have to do that with the brass section doing it right next to us! Funnily enough, the viola tuning room could not initially be found, providing many amusing comments about their lack of need for one...!

We’ve not had much time to explore Amsterdam itself, arriving at our hotel at about 3pm, just over two hours before the rehearsal. However, many of us made the most of those precious two hours, with some squeezing in a visit to Anne Frank’s house, and many simply opting to squeeze in as many Dutch pancakes as possible.

Few of the orchestra members have played here before, and the hall itself has such a history that there was a lot of excitement when it came to the rehearsal. It did not disappoint. The sound is huge and very resonant Stéphane told us not to worry – the famously wonderful acoustic would be achieved when the audience were in, dampening the sound slightly. One of the things that struck me was the list of composers names written in gold around the balcony in the hall. I have heard that they are there because those composers have conducted here, but I will try and find that out for sure before we leave. Mahler, Richard Strauss and Bruckner I can believe, but I’m not sure that Handel and Lully could have done – surely they pre-date the building?!

As I write, the concert is just beginning. No, I do not have a laptop on stage with me. I am in the highly unusual position of being off the first half of the concert. Yes, the members of the second violin section now know what it feels like to be a tuba/harp/percussion player! (The Fauré Requiem only has one violin part). It’s odd, (argh! I can hear them tuning on stage over the loudspeaker in this room backstage – very strange indeed), but I have to say it was very nice being able to sit back and enjoy a pre-concert meal without feeling the need to gobble it down and run back. Quite a few of us Seconds went out for dinner together; something we wouldn’t normally have time to do on such a short trip away from home.

Well, I’m off to get changed and ready for the second half. Will update you on the rest of our time away when we return tomorrow.