L. Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 8 in F major Op. 93 1 - 4 October 2010

We were particularly happy to be involved in the educational project that the Elbphilharmonie is developing with schools within the area; a few of our members had the chance to meet the musicians of the Friedrich Ebert Gymnasium orchestra, talk to them about our work, and rehearse the third movement of Brahms’s 4th Symphony with them: leading sectional rehearsals and playing along with the younger colleagues. The students then had the chance to meet the whole Spira mirabilis on the day of our concert, which was held at “The Docks”, an important rock club in the Reeperbahn (Hamburg’s red light district). There, we had the chance to see a rather different audience to the one you usually get in a formal concert hall; but nevertheless, we felt that our work as "regular classical musicians" was truly respected and well perceived, without being regarded as some hip 'new trend', as our performance environment suggested! Despite the unusual venue, the music and performance retained the same significance and importance as in a concert hall: that's the way we like it.