Romania Day 10 - The Last Concert

Our last full day in Romania began with a morning rehearsal to learn a completely new piece.

Afterwards, we went on a HopOn - HopOff city tour to get an impression of Bucharest.

First, we had a glimpse of the huge Parliament building, which we would visit the next day. Of course, we took the obligatory 'Grubbafoddo' photo in front of this backdrop.

After a short ride, we visited the Athenaeum, which reminds us of the Romanian piano and violin virtuoso, composer and conductor George Enescu. There, we tested the acoustics of the concert hall and admired the paintings on its walls.

Then Bogdan took us to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he gave us an insight into Romania's revolutionary history. He particularly brought us closer to the era of the socialist regime under the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. His term lasted from 1965 to 1989 and ended with his execution by soldiers. Shortly before, the revolutionary idea of freedom had spread in society, ultimately leading to the downfall of the regime.

After this impressive history lesson, we needed some refreshment and went for an individual lunch in the city.

After having some free time in downtown Bucharest, we drove back to the hotel, where Bogdan finally said goodbye to us with a heavy heart.

About an hour later, we set off again for our last concert in an Orthodox church. There, we met the Corul Solemnis and sang together with them the 'Kyrie Eleison' that we had practiced in the morning, as well as Bruckner's 'Locus iste'.

After this final successful concert, we had dinner together with the other choir and gave a dignified end to the last evening of our trip.