Sunday 10 March 2013

Getting stuck in

Yes, I am still alive. And singing. There was a bit of a lull once Christmas arrived and the country went on summer holiday, and I allowed myself to be lazy and not practice properly. But now we are back into it, indeed we are. I'm talking like the Queen. I shall revert to first-person so you don't have to curtsy while you read this.

I already have several performances lined up for the first half of the year. First up is a Concert South concert on 17 March. You may remember the Concert South concert I was preparing for at about the same time last year and my dalliances with metaphorical rose bushes. There's still a thorn or two lurking to catch me this time too, but my bicycle doesn't wobble as much when it spies a top C or in this case a top C#. I have been asked to sing Les Filles de Cadix as well as be part of a trio for two songs - Lift Thine Eyes from Elijah and Handel's Where E'er You Walk. I'm doing the middle part for the Handel and I'm having to concentrate mightily to fight off the tendency to sing the tune. I also get to repeat Les Filles at Womens Club about 10 days later.

Hard on the heels of that is Easter and a full programme of music starting with a service on Holy Thursday evening and finishing with Easter Vespers on the Sunday afternoon. I've got some nice solos amongst all of that including the Mozart Ora Pro Nobis.

On April 28th as part of the Southland Arts Festival, A Capella Singers is doing a programme of Rutter music with the main work being his Magnificat. It's a very approachable work but, dare I say it, could do with a little editing here and there. Is that heresy? If this blog post stops abruptly at some later point, with little whisps of black smoke curling up from the last few words, you can assume I have been smote. Or should that be smitten? Either way it ended badly. 

But despite this potentially terrible fate awaiting me, I shall bravely soldier on. The work calls for a soprano soloist and our director decided that she would divvy up the three solo bits amongst choir members. We were asked to audition, preparing one of the three solos. I worked on the Misericordiae, which is the hardest of the 3 (for me anyway) but, fortunately as it turns out, also had a look over Esurientes. I turned up for my audition and the director said "Right let's do Esurientes!" I got through alright - it's a piece that lies nicely and suits my voice. The director apparently agrees with me as that's what I have been given.

And finally in June there are two concerts with a mixture of choir work and solos. So plenty to work on, and I'm right into singing lessons again picking up new repertoire. I'm doing a gorgeously lush-almost-to-the-point-of-corny French song Les Chemins de l'Amour by Poulenc. Listen to this version by Veronique Gens. This is very different from the Poulenc I know! 


I'm also learning one of Richard Rodney Bennett's 'Dream Songs' - The Song of Shadows, a lovely atmospheric piece.

I had a session with the voice therapist yesterday, which prompted some interesting thoughts as I drove home. But that's for another blog post.

3 comments:

  1. Hi honey, oh how I love your blog posts.. you remind me of ''me'' the way you write! It's as though you are talking to me face to face, lovely!! I can't wait to catch up when we're in Queenstown in May, yay!!
    I'm so excited re the gorgeous pieces you are singing. How I'd love to hear you - truly I would! Is there any chance you could send me an audio bit of you on a cd or something? Seriously I'd love it. I miss singing so much especially glorious choral music! Blissful sigh!! Hugs with love xxx

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  2. p.s. that gorgeous French piece is lush indeed.. DIVINE!!

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  3. What a wide range of pieces, Bella! Lovely plans. I don't know how you do it all, but you do, and well. : )

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