Moscow Tour Report- Part 1: Sleepless in Moscow

Moscow Tour Report- Part 1: Sleepless in Moscow

As the saying goes, “there is no rest for the weary!” Hot on the heels of our 11-12 season’s end, we at the Houston Symphony packed our bags and headed over to Moscow. We arrived safely on Wednesday and will have a little time to gather our bearings and familiarize ourselves with our surroundings before our performances on Friday and Saturday evenings as a part of the “Festival of the World’s Symphony Orchestras.” We are excited and honored to represent the United States as the first ever American orchestra to perform as a part of this festival!

Over the next few days, several of our musicians will be sharing their photos and thoughts from Moscow. Below are some photos from our journey thus far, and some thoughts from Mark Hughes, Principal Trumpet.

As you will notice, Mark mentions the wonders of the Internet in his post, and we have another Internet marvel to share: we will be broadcasting the concerts LIVE from Moscow thanks to our friends at KUHA! CLICK HERE to listen to the concerts at 10:00 AM Central Time on Friday and Saturday mornings!

Airport Crowd
Who doesn't love navigating a crowded airport?!
Sheldon Person
Jacek Muzyk, Associate Principal Horn, settling in for a long flight- 11.5 hours!

Musicians on plane
Percussionist Mark Griffith and Associate Principal Cellist Christopher French look excited for the journey!
Dinner in Moscow
Once safely landed, some musicians share our first meal in Moscow... Italian food!

Sleepless in Moscow
By: Mark Hughes, Principal Trumpet

Well, we made it to Moscow, safe and sound! After a long flight of about 11.5 hours, we retrieved our luggage and herded to our busses for the 2+ hour bus trip to our Hotel/home for the next 4 days. As advertised, the traffic in Moscow is seriously bad! I know we all like to complain about traffic in our home city, but this is pretty amazing! As we drove in, I also felt “functionally illiterate,” because there is almost “Nyet” English here. While not surprising, it still makes one feel a tad vulnerable, to say the least!

After checking into the hotel, I met many of my fellow orchestra “comrades” at the very nice grocery store that is next door to the hotel. While things are quite expensive, you can see the great changes that have come to this country during our lifetimes. Shelves were fully stocked with everything you could want and my first experience with being a consumer in Moscow came with no real difficulties!

After a quick bite, and a short practice session, I face-timed with my wife Marilyn. The Internet is truly amazing! (Thank you Al Gore 🙂 ) Then I crashed!

Unfortunately, after about 5 hours of sleep, I find myself fully awake and “Sleepless in Moscow!”

Moscow View
View of Moscow at 5:00 AM
Here is a shot from my hotel room window at around 5:00 AM. While overcast, you can still see that sunrise comes before 5:00 AM. And if you’re wondering, sundown is after 10:00 PM.

Till next time,

Mark Hughes

4 responses to “Moscow Tour Report- Part 1: Sleepless in Moscow

  1. Mark, thanks for the update on your arrival. Missed hearing your trumpet part on Memorial Day at church for “God of our Fathers.” I hummed it anyway. So glad y’all are participating in the festival in Moscow. What an exciting trip and experience. Keep updating with all the interesting news you can email. Thanks. Ann

  2. Mark, thanks for the update on your arrival. Missed hearing your trumpet part on Memorial Day at church for “God of our Fathers.” I hummed it anyway. So glad y’all are participating in the festival in Moscow. What an exciting trip and experience. Keep updating with all the interesting news you can email. Thanks. Ann

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