Friday 19 April 2013

Practise makes perfect....

The weekend rehearsals for the Verdi Requiem was a game of two halves. Friday night, due to the new venue and the difference in having an orchestra with us was a bit challenging, (from my point of view, mainly from having a kettle drum in my right ear) though improvement was made towards the end and we were sounding much less tentative. Saturday afternoon was much more impressive and we also got to hear our fabulous soloists for the first time.

Saturday night also went very well, the orchestra sounded amazing and there was some really wonderful musical moments. And if I say it myself, the choir didn't sound too shabby either. It was nice to hear the months of rehearsal come together so well. Our audience, although smaller than we would have liked, seemed to enjoy the concert very much if the applause was anything to go by.

It was business as usual on Tuesday with a first bash though some of the pieces for the June concert - a festival of Britten. I haven't come across much Britten yet, and its some of the most challenging music I've yet encountered with the Chorale. I'm having faith, it'll turn out alright in the end!

Thursday 11 April 2013

Tickets Please!

A quick reminder that tomorrow is the last day for Verdi tickets to be available at the advance price of £12. Any tickets bought on Saturday, at rehearsal or on the door, will be £14.

The first rehearsal of this week went really well, we have to concentrate on enunciating now to really make the words stand out. I think tomorrow night's rehearsal will be excellent, it's the first time we'll be running it with the orchestra and according to Paul, there's quite a lot of them, so it'll be an amazing sound. I'm just hoping it's not so loud you can't hear the choir!

Friday 5 April 2013

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky

So it was the coldest March on record! Thankfully Spring seems to be getting back on track and the snow seems to have pretty much melted.

Stainer's Crucifixion is probably going to be put on the back burner for a while now, as it seems a bit odd to be doing it at any other time of year. We are hoping that a couple of pieces will find their way into the Summer Concert, as it would be a shame not to perform any of it this year.

Verdi's Requiem is now frighteningly close, 3 more rehearsals, then its show time! To me at any rate, we're sounding quite good, and even though we've yet to run it all the way though (or even in the right order) this concert should be something special. We've got a rehearsal next Friday with the orchestra, which is very exciting. I'm fully expecting to lose my place because I'm too busy listening to the wonderful music.

Tickets are still available through the usual sources, and if in doubt, head to the website for details.




Two musical titles from the same piece, I'm getting lazy......