A Glass and a half in every bar
by berberis on Mar.09, 2008, under Choir, Concerts, LCS, Rehearsals
Saturday, 8th March 2008, St Paul’s Church, Deptford.
Philip Glass: There are some men/Quand les hommes vivront d’amour/Pierre de soleil (part)
Leonard Bernstein: Extinguish My Eyes/When My Soul Touches Yours/A Simple Song (from Mass).
Eric Whitacre: Lux arumque.
Samuel Barber: To be sung on the water/Adagio for Strings arr. for organ by William Strickland
Michael Tippett – Five Spirituals from A Child of Our Time: Steal away/Nobody knows/Go down, Moses/By and by/Deep River
Aaron Copland – Old American Songs: The Boatmen’s Dance/The Little Horses/Zion’s Walls/In the Beginning
Soloist: Rebecca Afonwy-Jones. Organist: Andrew Dutson. Conductor: Stefan Reid.
I can clearly recall four things from this concert. The first is that my hubby, who’d come along on the strength of there being Philip Glass on the programme, made his excuses afterwards and spent the second half sitting in the car listening to the radio. The second is that Whitacre’s Lux Arumque, a sublime, shimmering piece, was spoiled somewhat by the soprano who missed the top G by at least a semitone. Thirdly, Barber’s Adagio should not, in my opinion, be played on the organ. Finally, and despite much practicing, I took my eye off Stefan at a crucial moment during In the Beginning and was, for a bar and a half, at least 2 bars ahead of everyone else.
It sounds as if I didn’t enjoy this concert, doesn’t it? Actually, I did. One bum note does not a disaster make, and I doubt that anyone else noticed my over-eagerness to finish the Copland before the rest of the choir. In the Beginning is a lovely piece; full of dips and swells and rich harmonies (lots of high notes for altos) and a rousing finale. I can ignore the ridiculous creationist text, in much the same way that I can accept the overt religiousness of the spirituals, which I really loved singing. This was a surprise to me if no one else.
