However, it transpires that it's POSSIBLE I don't know the song as well as I thought I did, and this has been bugging me for days. I have the song in iTunes - I can't remember where I got it from - and when I listened to it, it was WRONG... i.e. not how I remember it. The version in my head starts like this:
but the recording I have starts like this:
If the print is too small, the main difference is that he puts gaps in the tune where I don't think there are any, and the intro has a different chord in it. There are other differences as well, later, but it's the fact that there are ANY differences that's a problem. Not to worry, I thought, I'm going to my mum's house tomorrow, and she has a Frankie Laine Greatest Hits CD. I'll just copy it from that.
But when we listened to mum's CD, we were both horrified to find that THAT was the wrong version too. (In fact, it seems likely that that's where I got it from in the first place, so I suppose it makes SOME sense.) My mum was able to sing the whole thing to me from memory, and her version matched the one in my head. And we wanted to hear Frankie Laine singing THAT version! Luckily at this point Mum remembered that she also had a Frankie Laine LP on vinyl. She found it, and after a bit of struggling, we got her record player working (it hadn't been used in years). Guess what - THAT was the wrong version as well! Argh!
I told mum at this point that I was sure I'd be able to find the PROPER version on YouTube. Well, I didn't - there were many versions, all of them wrong (they weren't even all wrong in the same way - some had EXTRA wrong bits!) - and at this point I found a new horrifying fact. It seems that, contrary to what I'd always thought, Frankie Laine didn't even sing the version that's actually in the film - it was Tex Ritter. Frankie Laine was just the one who had the most successful cover version!
Well, I didn't know WHAT to think. Maybe I am losing my mind. But I haven't given up yet. Here is where I'm up to in my quest to find a recording of the version in my head: I tried Spotify and iTunes when I got home, but all the versions on there are the wrong one. I searched through all my CDs and tapes to see if I had a recording (I knew I did, I just couldn't remember where). Finally I found it - on a 7" vinyl single. I am absolutely convinced that this is the correct version - as soon as I found it, I remembered playing it repeatedly - but I don't currently have any way to play vinyl! Argh!
Oh well. Eventually I will get a chance to play it (next time I go to my mum's house, if not before), and I'm hoping I will be vindicated. In the meantime, do watch the film. I'm hesitant to link you to one of the many wrong versions of the song, but if you want to hear one of them, here you are. And it goes without saying that if anyone has a recording which matches my first line (above), please send it!
Other than High Noon, this week I have been mostly singing Mahler 8. We had two rehearsals, and we got lots done - we've done every note of the piece at least twice this week, and many of them a lot more than that. Even better, we did a couple of nonstop runs of long sections, so that the people who didn't previously know the piece are hopefully starting to see how it all fits together. Actually my only complaint about either of the rehearsals is that at one point on Wednesday we rehearsed the bit on which the 2nd altos (well, all the ladies, but it's not quite as painful for the others) have a very long top G#. We can do this quite convincingly and confidently, but it HURTS. (It probably hurts the listeners even more, but I can't be the judge of that!) So it was NOT a good thing when we repeated those few bars SIX TIMES in fairly quick succession. I can't even remember what the issue was that necessitated the repetition, but I had a banging headache by the sixth time, and it lasted until early the next morning. Ouch. (I like to think that we did that note so confidently that no-one could tell it was hurting us - but it was, and it does, and it will!)
Next weekend we're off to Birmingham for the piano rehearsal, which will be fun - not just because it's a day out, but because it'll be the first chance to hear all the choirs together. Exciting! And the weekend after is the concert. I heard that the open rehearsal on 1st May, which has not (as far as I'm aware) been advertised publicly at all, is almost sold out, which is impressive... if you know anyone who's planning to turn up to that on the day, I'd recommend to them that they get a ticket!
Our Mahler 2 gig was of course on Radio 3 this week, and it's still on iPlayer until Monday night. But you can download it to keep as separate tracks from my mp3 page, and I'll leave it there for the foreseeable future. I'm glad to see that quite a few people have already downloaded it. I really enjoyed listening to it - I think I will delete my commercially-produced recording from iTunes, our live version is better! And I was surprised how much I enjoyed Crossing the Alps, too. It sounds really good. (Oh, and these commenters on the Radio 3 message board thought so too. Thanks to Graham and Martin for pointing that out to me.)
Classical Iconoclast has a nice post about the Mahler in Manchester series as a whole.
Talking of Radio 3, you'll remember that they recently announced that they'd be introducing a weekly chart; well, it's now up and running, and if you want to keep an eye on what's on it, here's a page for you to bookmark.
Hands up who else is amused that the last night of our proms isn't the last night, even though they're calling it that?
Tom Service talked to the "cultural gurus" of the three main UK political parties and got commitments from them regarding what music projects they will support if they win the election.
Also from the Guardian, news that ENO has invited some famous film directors to direct some of their operas next season. More details here - Terry Gilliam is doing Faust! Mindboggling.
Chris Rowbury wants to know whether you'd rather be over-rehearsed or under-prepared. I can't quite decide which way to lean, so I haven't commented on his post yet, but I think I'll probably end up agreeing with Chris that under-prepared is often better... but it depends so very much on the particular group of singers involved. Not every group is good enough to get away with being under-prepared, but if you have a group that IS good enough, it can be quite exciting, I think.
Via Intermezzo, here's a parrot singing the Queen of the Night aria. Well, bits of it. Who thinks this is real? I can't decide.
Manchester Central Library is in the process of moving all its books into underground salt mines. We knew this was going to happen, but it still seems very weird now that it actually is!
Manchester Cathedral is starting a new venture: gala dinners in the nave.
I was going to tell you about a free talk by Brian Cox at the university this Thursday, but the tickets were snapped up before I got the chance. However, he says there'll be another one in June - follow him on Twitter if you want to be sure to find out about it in time.
I'm fascinated by the whole volcanic ash thing. The Big Picture has some fabulous photos of the culprit, and it seems that people in Knutsford think the whole thing is great.
Currently, from sunset until about 9.30 pm every night, you can see Venus and Mercury low in the western sky, quite close together. Venus is on the left and much brighter than Mercury. If you're not sure what to look for, here's a photo of them taken from Paris a few days ago. Venus is very frequently visible, but it's rare to be able to see Mercury, so do try. (Venus actually doesn't set till about 10.30 pm, because it's a bit higher up than Mercury. You can also see both Mars and Saturn all night, but they're nowhere near as bright as Venus. And if you're up early, you may be able to see Jupiter very low (and VERY bright) in the east from about 5.15 am, but the sun rises not long after that so the sky may be too light.)
I can't quite believe this: a hotel in Bolton sent a fairly new employee out to prune a tree. He leaned the ladder against a branch, sawed that branch off the tree while on the ladder, fell and hurt himself, and SUED THE HOTEL. And, while I don't think he's actually won yet, the hotel has been fined! Unbelievable.
This really amused me: an alternative pain scale.
And finally - what a wonderful day for football today has been! United beat City. Rochdale got promoted. Leeds lost. Chelsea lost, AND John Terry got sent off. All wonderful things. But my favourite thing is this photo of Gary Neville kissing Paul Scholes. Aren't they lovely?
2 comments:
You amaze me...the stuff you can remember! I have trouble remembering what i went upstairs for!
The open rehearsal was mentioned by Jo ages ago and was mainly for people with tickets for the concert the next day hence spaces going but I for once was quick enough to get some so my family can at least hear that if not the actual concert. I am getting excited about Saturday mainly because I am hoping Mark will do his usual trick of inspiring !but also because I won't have to spend my day chasing around after the kids!!
Well, I'm now doubting my ability to remember ANYTHING accurately. I suspect my whole "excellent memory" persona is just a sham :p
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