3.10.2005
whew!
So it's been a long week. I mean, a really really really long week. And it's only Thursday. Yesterday marked the end of a nine-day run in which I had a musical concert or service every night.
Tuesday, 1 March: Evensong at Magdalen College
Program: White - Christe qui lux es et dies; Sermisy - Magnificat (Tone iv); Senfl - Nisi Dominus.
Wednesday, 2 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Gibbons - Short Service; Monteverdi - Ave Maria
Thursday, 3 March: Concert at The Queen's College
Program: Monteverdi - Vespero della Beata Vergine, 1610
Friday, 4 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Morley - Short Service; Tallis - Litany
Saturday, 5 March: Concert at Christ Church Cathedral
Program: Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (playing bassoon)
Sunday, 6 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Morago - Jesu Redemptor; Jackson - Canticles in G; Brito - Heu Domine
Monday, 7 March: Concert at Somerville College (playing bassoon)
Program: Grieg: Morning & In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt); Strauss - Perpetum Mobile
Tuesday, 8 March: Evensong at Magdalen College
Program: Lassus - Audi benigne conditor; Lassus - Magnificat 'Praeter Rerum Sierem'; Jacquet of Mantua - Salve Regina
Wednesday, 9 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Howells - Collegium regale (Canticles for King's College, Cambridge); Durufle - Notre Pere.
So yeah, I'm pretty tired. This while getting all of my work done as well. The Brahms Requiem was pretty disappointing at the first rehearsal (of two). I love the piece so much, and it's really so amazing when it's done right. But there was no committment from the orchestra, and the chorus was atrocious. But, in true last minute Oxford fashion, it came together in the end. Which is not to say that it couldn't have benefitted from, say, another five rehearsals, but at least it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in rehearsal. The Somerville College one was a joke. These are kids who'd have been beat by any decent high school orchestra. Awful. I was subbing for my friend Liz, whose friend runs the orchestra. Liz, an excellent bassoonist and soprano, just recently started going out with Johnny, who conducts the Keble Choir. The choir was going to St. Paul's on Monday and were really short on Soprani, but Liz needed to get out of this committment, so Johnny asked me to play at Somerville so that Liz could go to St. Paul's. Complicated, yes, but it all worked out pretty well in the end, I think. Just don't ask me to play there ever again.
The real star, of course, was the Monteverdi, which was outstanding. It is so emotionally taxing and draining that when you finally flip to the final 'Amen' which is its own full page at the back of the score, you really do feel that weight coming off of your shoulders. What a wonderful piece of music. It was incredible, and our soloists sang wonderfully and the orchestra, the London Handel Orchestra, was fantastic. Overall, we couldn't have been happier.
I've been really priviledged to have all of these musical opportunities open to me. Incidentally, the full termcards for both Magdala and Queen's Choir are up. And even if they turn out to be awful, like Somerville, at least it's another chance to play and to make music. Term is winding down (two more days!), and then I'll be on my six-week Easter holiday. It'll be a relaxing time of reading, some writing, some travel, and a whole lot of nothing. I need it - term has been incredibly tiring these last few weeks. It kind of hit during Torpids and never fully relented.
Tuesday, 1 March: Evensong at Magdalen College
Program: White - Christe qui lux es et dies; Sermisy - Magnificat (Tone iv); Senfl - Nisi Dominus.
Wednesday, 2 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Gibbons - Short Service; Monteverdi - Ave Maria
Thursday, 3 March: Concert at The Queen's College
Program: Monteverdi - Vespero della Beata Vergine, 1610
Friday, 4 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Morley - Short Service; Tallis - Litany
Saturday, 5 March: Concert at Christ Church Cathedral
Program: Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (playing bassoon)
Sunday, 6 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Morago - Jesu Redemptor; Jackson - Canticles in G; Brito - Heu Domine
Monday, 7 March: Concert at Somerville College (playing bassoon)
Program: Grieg: Morning & In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt); Strauss - Perpetum Mobile
Tuesday, 8 March: Evensong at Magdalen College
Program: Lassus - Audi benigne conditor; Lassus - Magnificat 'Praeter Rerum Sierem'; Jacquet of Mantua - Salve Regina
Wednesday, 9 March: Evensong at The Queen's College
Program: Howells - Collegium regale (Canticles for King's College, Cambridge); Durufle - Notre Pere.
So yeah, I'm pretty tired. This while getting all of my work done as well. The Brahms Requiem was pretty disappointing at the first rehearsal (of two). I love the piece so much, and it's really so amazing when it's done right. But there was no committment from the orchestra, and the chorus was atrocious. But, in true last minute Oxford fashion, it came together in the end. Which is not to say that it couldn't have benefitted from, say, another five rehearsals, but at least it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in rehearsal. The Somerville College one was a joke. These are kids who'd have been beat by any decent high school orchestra. Awful. I was subbing for my friend Liz, whose friend runs the orchestra. Liz, an excellent bassoonist and soprano, just recently started going out with Johnny, who conducts the Keble Choir. The choir was going to St. Paul's on Monday and were really short on Soprani, but Liz needed to get out of this committment, so Johnny asked me to play at Somerville so that Liz could go to St. Paul's. Complicated, yes, but it all worked out pretty well in the end, I think. Just don't ask me to play there ever again.
The real star, of course, was the Monteverdi, which was outstanding. It is so emotionally taxing and draining that when you finally flip to the final 'Amen' which is its own full page at the back of the score, you really do feel that weight coming off of your shoulders. What a wonderful piece of music. It was incredible, and our soloists sang wonderfully and the orchestra, the London Handel Orchestra, was fantastic. Overall, we couldn't have been happier.
I've been really priviledged to have all of these musical opportunities open to me. Incidentally, the full termcards for both Magdala and Queen's Choir are up. And even if they turn out to be awful, like Somerville, at least it's another chance to play and to make music. Term is winding down (two more days!), and then I'll be on my six-week Easter holiday. It'll be a relaxing time of reading, some writing, some travel, and a whole lot of nothing. I need it - term has been incredibly tiring these last few weeks. It kind of hit during Torpids and never fully relented.
