I hope you have all thawed out after Tuesday night's "chill fest!" Apologies for the lack of heat in the church however I was told that the church had the heat on! What I wasn't told was that it was apparently set at 15 degrees! Nonetheless, for the first rehearsal in the venue it went really well. And on Saturday we get to sing these incredible texts through one more time before the concert. Remember that for the dress rehearsal you are required to wear your formal attire for the entire rehearsal as the photographer will be shooting the choir while we are singing in order to get numerous poses. (Boys get up early, shave without cutting yourself to shreds and get that eye liner on straight!) I'll see you at St. Pats and will do my damndest to get the heat up to above freezing!
Singing in a venue like St. Patrick's has unique challenges. It compells us to think about diction and text all of the time. You are not used to this and the temptation is to let the room do the work. The temptation to sit back and do what we do in Studio 4 is natural - it's what we practiced for that room in dynamics, phrasing, articulation of text...everything. However this doesn't work and the music comes off as "mezzo." Dynamics have to be taken to the ends of the spectrum to be effective - from the softest ppp in the Tavener to the most demanding fff in the Togni and Vaughan Williams. You have to imagine the audience holding their breath, leaning forward to experience a focussed, well-supported pp in "Give rest or Lord to your handmaid..." and then have them absolutely blown away by the sheer dramatic power of "Come enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you."
Please understand that I can't teach you to sing with passion. It has to come from within. I can't teach you to sing expressively, you have to do that because you believe in the music. At the end of the day what I can do is remind you of the details, remind you of the interpretation, remind you of what we have worked out together to bring these texts alive. But individually, in order for it all to work you have to be out of the score and this needs to be happening from everyone. (I so sound like a broken mp3 !)
Basses when you sing your opening solo of "Even When God Is Silent" it needs to be more confident from the very first sound you make AND from memory! The same with p. 44 and 45 of movement IV of the RVW. Memorize these solos gentlemen, every single one of you, and know them cold for the dress. And lest you think I am picking on only the basses, first sopranos - the pickup to m. 81 of "Many Winters" was still problematic - not together and tentative. (It was fine last week so I know you can do it) And I'm sure the altos and tenors had their places as well but my memory right now is not recalling them.
But in the end it is up to you. You have the tools and the skills to sing a brilliant concert.
Basic reminders include:
- sing to the exit signs - not to me. Use every opportunity to fill the church with sound - some pp, some ff and all gradations in between.
- over emphasize diction, especially consonants at phrase endings.
- my tempi will be slightly broader - you felt that Tuesday night in the RVW. Enjoy it!
- breaks in the music will be longer to allow chords to clear. You felt this in the Togni, and the Tavener on Tuesday. Use the space to prepare for the next chord. If there is a big break, it is for dramatic significance. Go with it!
- careful not to spread the vowels in the ff pasages. Remember the diction coaching we have worked on so carefully. An excellent example of where this happened on Tuesday night was the last page of the Tavener. Look at this text before Saturday and think the IPA. It will be clear where and on what words this happened.
Finally, I cannot overemphasize the need for you to arrive at both the dress rehearsal and ultimately the concert, rested. If you do not, you are letting down your colleagues as you certainly will not be able to give your best. If you are not rested you will make mistakes, you will sound vocally tired and ultimately you will not sing with confidence. I expect that as a member of this choir, you give your absolute best in concert. I expect the same of myself (without the singing part!). But above all, remember to have fun on Sunday night and that together, we will create magic.
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