Groovy kind of concert

EDIT: Yet another 5-star Guardian review calls it a "near-definitive performance". Yay!

Well, Nevsky was fabulous! The concert went very well indeed - the conductor seemed particularly delighted (I'm not sure I've ever seen a conductor that delighted!) It was quite hard work physically, mainly because so much of it required us to sing extremely loudly, but it was great fun. All the sections of the choir were on top form. The tenors have sounded great all along during the rehearsals - I kept expecting them to break into a Cossack dance at any moment. The basses seem to have found it more difficult to sound Russian, but they managed it brilliantly in the performance (and the bottom C sharps were spinetingling!) The altos are of course always fantastic. But my favourite choral moment of the concert actually came from the sopranos - they don't have many high notes to sing in this piece, although the end makes up for this... but there's a bit near the end where they come in on a top G sharp. In rehearsals (even this afternoon) I could never hear this note - I could see from their faces that they were singing it, but from where I was standing it was always drowned out by the tenors. But tonight, in the concert... that note was DEFINITELY audible. It pierced the texture like a laser beam!

EDIT: I've just realised I didn't answer the most important question.... Was it louder than the War Requiem? Well, I have to say I don't think it was, although it WAS pretty loud. But maybe it was, from the audience side... and in any case it's a very long time since we did the War Requiem so maybe I've misremembered how loud that was! I do hope we do the War Requiem again soon so I can compare.

My actual favourite bit of the whole piece didn't really involve the choir - it was the Jaws bit that got faster and faster and louder and louder. SO exciting. (Sheena has very kindly given me a copy of the film, so I'm looking forward to seeing that bit particularly!) That's the bit I've currently got on the brain, and it's FINALLY driven out the tune that is a cross between Groovy Kind of Love and the theme from Skins.

In the breaks today and yesterday, many of the choir were obsessively doing the annual quiz from Sale Friends of Cancer Research. Jane brings this to sell every year, and it's always both annoying and fun! I've done most of it now, but there are still a few that are annoying me - does anyone know 44, 45, 57, 60, 61, 69, 71, 86, 87, 89, 92, 93, 99, 101, 102, 104 or 109?

The other thing I enjoyed doing in the breaks was teasing Amy for being a Stoke fan (in case you didn't realise, that's who United were playing today, and United won 5-0). Which reminds me - lots of people seemed not to know until last night that there was a match this afternoon. My online choir schedule with relevant football fixtures included is still where it's always been, and I do keep it up to date. Choir members please email me for the link if you don't have it, but in the meantime you may wish to note that on Sunday 30th November (when we have an afternoon rehearsal) it is the Manchester derby, i.e. City and United play each other. It's at City's ground this time, and the kickoff is 1.30pm. Expect traffic chaos. (There are also football matches on 3rd, 10th and 20th December.)

Oh, and I almost forgot: I was interviewed by the Guardian on Friday (I wrote "yesterday" but I've just realised it's now Sunday!), for an article which is likely to appear on Saturday 6th December, although it might be a week earlier or later (I'll let you know). The reporter could only meet me at 3pm on Friday, so I suggested meeting in the city centre because otherwise I'd have to dash off quite early. We tried the Bridgewater Hall café, but it turned out they shut at 3pm and the building closed to the public shortly afterwards, which surprised me! So I went to ask whether we could go into the Artists' Bar, figuring that if the answer was "no" at least we weren't any worse off - but the answer turned out to be "no problem", so that made things much easier. Except that the reporter had said it would take "a couple of hours" so I thought I'd be able to get some food before the rehearsal, and it was only when the room started to fill with choir members that I realised it was 6pm and the apple I had in my bag would have to sustain me till afterwards!

Anyway, as usual I babbled a lot, so I dread to think how it will come out. But hopefully it will attract the attention of some employer :-)

EDIT: Just remembered I meant to ask - Does anyone have a copy of Carols for Choirs 4 (the S/A one) that they won't be using this Christmas? My band now has 3 (thanks to a kind donation from Martin last Christmas) but ideally we need 5. If you have a copy you could lend me, please let me know - I'd really appreciate it! Thanks.