Dear all
Many thanks for the rehearsal on Tuesday – just one more left before the concert!
We started with a sing through the Cantique de Jean Racine. This is a piece the choir knows well, but we must ensure we are not complacent with it – it relies on big shifts in dynamics to make it effective. Please pay particular attention to the crescendo on pages 2-3 (near the beginning, so sets the tone for the piece) and the ‘subito’ (sudden) pianos on page 5 (especially sopranos) and page 9. Basses – remember to sing through the note in the third bar of page 7 and breathe after ‘O Christ’.
We next looked at the two pieces from the Rutter, both of which are sounding very confident now. Number 3 needs a bit more tidying at the end, and number 4 needs more confidence during the loud bit (penultimate page) which we will work on next week.
Then we sang through the Mozart Ave Verum. This is a more simple piece and, again, one the choir knows well, but it’s the sort of music that can be dull if not performed well. Remember to breathe ANYWHERE except after the second ‘Ave’ at the beginning – I want to hear ‘Ave verum corpus’ as one phrase! Also remember that I will stop the music (briefly) before the last bar of singing (between ‘mortis’ and ‘examine’) – make sure you are not the one person who carries on through the silence!
We managed to sing through all 6 of the Choral Dances from Gloriana very effectively. As I said last week, wee need to be ready for the very different character of each movement before we start. Movement 2 is very difficult to keep in tune and I would like to do it without piano if possible – we will work on this next week, as well as movement 3 which needs more tidying.
Finally, we sang through the Antiphon by Vaughan Williams, which is now a very exciting and accurate performance! Be ready for the slightly different timings at the end – it will surprise you if you are not prepared!
Have lovely weekends all round,
Dave
