I could have danced all night...

So I've realised that the Little Jazz Mass and the Birthday Madrigals are catchier than I first imagined. Normally the music we're rehearsing starts playing on repeat in my head about a fortnight before the concert, when we're confident in all the notes and are putting the finishing touches to it.  I've had the Jazz Mass and the Madrigals in my head all week, after only 3 rehearsals. I'll be going (even more) bonkers by the time the concert comes round.

We started learning the Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes this week, and they are tricky. Not just because they're in German (which we didn't even attempt on the first go), but because they repeat from funny places, and you have to really concentrate to know what you're meant to be singing. I'm sure they're great when you get in the swing of them, it's just quite hard work at the moment, and I'm anticipating more when we start on the actual lyrics (languages were never my strong point, German especially).

vorwärts und aufwärts, as they say....

Smile, and the world smiles with you

Laugh in the face of adversity, the saying goes, and last week I took that advice rather too literally.

Chilcott's Little Jazz Mass is really quite hard in places, especially during the first few rehearsals, where you're trying to anticipate where you're going next. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong, and sometimes you get the giggles when it does sound a bit 'off', or at least, I do. I'm blaming too much Easter chocolate...

Lots of progress was made though, we've note-bashed the majority of the Jazz Mass now, and the parts we've run a few times were actually sounding pretty good.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.....

Sorry for the delay in this post, life has gone a bit crazy recently.

So the concert went well. Our soloists, Martha Hayward, Rowena Thornton, David Heathcote and Donald Stephenson were all on fine form, and Alex Woodrow managed to get his fingers around more notes than I think I've ever heard played on an organ before. The choir were also sounding really good in parts.

Maybe it was just me, but it felt a bit flat at times - I don't think anything went particularly wrong, there were just little moments that didn't feel as amazing as they have done. I think I was probably alone though, as the audience seemed to enjoy the music very much.

We've already started rehearsals for the June concert (we don't hang about) and I'm feeling a bit like I did when we started the Britten stuff a while ago, overall, a bit dazed. First rehearsals are always difficult though, and I'm sure that the more practice we have at the Chilcott Little Jazz Mass, the more things will fall into place.

Happy Easter!