Archive for November, 2017
Insane & Stupid Worries
by berberis on Nov.18, 2017, under Choir, Concerts, LCS, Rehearsals
Saturday, 18th November, 2017.
Haydn: Te Deum in C & Motet – Insanae et Vanae Curae
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20
Mozart: Coronation Mass
Forest Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Dan Ludford-Thomas
Piano: Nico de Villiers
Soprano: Susannah Hardwick
This went very well. The orchestra sounded fantastic – better than I can ever remember hearing them. The soprano soloist – a trainee! – was superb, and the audience was the largest I’ve seen at Goldsmiths.
It took me a while to get into the music for this. Normally, as soon as I get hold of the scores for a concert, I listen to whatever recordings I can find – as well as midi-files – to learn the part. I think perhaps the reason I didn’t do the same with these pieces is because there was nothing immediately obvious in any of them that I liked.
In almost every piece I’ve sung, there is a hook. Sometimes it’s one section, sometimes just a few bars – sometimes, it’s only a chord. Whatever it is, once I’ve found it, it’s enough to make me enjoy singing the whole thing. It took me a few rehearsals to find the hook in any of these pieces, a process not helped by uncertainty at work – not just my job, either. The end result was that I was still learning parts of the Te Deum at the rehearsal on the day of the concert.
I volunteered for the semi-chorus in the Coronation Mass, and found it instantly familiar. I like being in a semi-chorus: you have the challenge and responsibility of getting your part right, but with none of the pressure of a soloist; if you suddenly forget how to pitch the next note, you can mime (as long as you don’t pull a ‘shit-I’ve-fucked-up’ face – that’s a dead giveaway); plus, it gives you chance to show off if you’re angling for a solo/duet/semi-chorus again. That said, it didn’t work after the Monteverdi, despite Stefan’s comment.
Nico was – as always – excellent. Watching him play I usually decide to take up playing the piano again…before remembering that I don’t have a piano, have no space for a piano, and have no patience to do the 2-3 hours a day practice. Happy to let Nico do all the hard work and – along with the wonderful orchestra and soloist – take all the very well deserved applause.
