Monday, April 16, 2007
Notes 11th April
As we were a small and select band, we basically had a run-through of next week's concert (with substitute soloists where necessary) rather than attempting anything fancy. However we did start off with a cheesy chord warm-up from Ollie, followed by If Ye Love Me as further warm-up. The main things to remember with this one, as in Mihi Autem, are to think of being one voice with your part and to use nice rounded vowels throughout, not just the vowel sounds you would use in speech, even though it's in English. Very nice.
Choreography: the only two occasions when everybody moves are before and after Sovay. Otherwise just soloists and our resident flautist need to move when doing their bit. There will also be some minor shuffling among the altos (caused chiefly by me being awkward, sorry) which we'll finalise on Wednesday at Priestfield.
Aurora Rutilat
Bar 22 shouldn't be p, so if you have this written in, please remove it. This doesn't mean it should be loud though!
Bar 38 - sops & altos watch out, it's pre-nu-un-cia.
Bonny at Morn
This will be without folders so remember where the sheep is. Ollie gives only one bar intro so it's 1,2, in - sopranos be ready!
Don't let the da's go flat.
SMILE!! Ollie will try to smile throughout. We practised smiling while singing it at Claire 1's poor Mum until she felt uncomfortable. Claire 2 suggests that if you get embarrassed looking audience members in the eye while grinning inanely, the trick is to look at the centre of their foreheads.
Sovay
Don't get too carried away with the 'fun' aspect of this one, lest it all falls apart.
Turns should be ON (not before) the first word of the dialogue in each case.
Women - don't forget that the men's verse is still dialogue, so don't turn to the front at bar 26, and keep facing the men throughout their verse.
Remember the dynamics - the 'Next morning' verse should be p.
At end, turn back to the front on the second 'I'd have pulled'. Watch Ollie for the final 'd' of 'dead'.
Mihi Autem Nimis
'Very nice except for the end'.
Try if possible to memorise at least your first three bars so that you can come in without looking at the music.
Make nice round vowel sounds - don't go 'ow', especially if you come from the Manchester area! :-) The vowel in 'autem' should be closer to an 'ah'.
Vårvindar friska
Aargh! No, not a refinement to the Swedish pronunciation, merely an expression of the frustration poor Ollie must be feeling as we continue to slip into triplets. If you know the song from when we did it before, try to banish it from your memory because we always did it wrong. If it's new to you, you've got no excuse! However, we WILL correct it. We have the technology. Try exaggerating the rhythm - hang on to the crotchet and make the semi-quaver like a grace note. If it sounds silly to you, it's probably right.
By the way it's 'friska' as in 'frisky', not 'freeeeska'. Didn't like to say at the time, as everyone was getting stressed about concentrating on the rhythm, but this is starting to slip again as well.
Miks ei mulle tulnud featuring a falsetto Ollie as Susan. And then featuring Jenny as Susan.
Ollie to Jenny: See your nose?
Jenny: Yes.
Ollie: It's beautiful.
Jenny: Thank you.
Ollie: Sing down it less.
This goes for us all - the nasality in this one is good, but in moderation.
Sleep. Please pick up an official copy of this if you haven't already done so. You'll need to sign for it, and transfer all your markings etc to new copy.
This should be fluid, not 'boom boom boom' so don't breathe! (loudly). Phrasing through dynamics is the important thing here, but when singing quietly, don't do so at the expense of tone by putting too much breath in your voice, which as Ollie put it, 'isn't singing quietly, it's just not singing very well'.
Bar 17 - watch the tuning.
Bar 27 onwards should be pp/mp.
Observe all dynamics.
If sopranos need to breathe during their very long note at the end, take a breath while the others are singing 'slee-eep', rather than afterwards, then there will be less of an audible break.
'Not bad at all' considering we were missing lots of people.
Optimist's Song
This will be with folders for this concert.
Very good!
Shirt alert
There wasn't an inspection as we were so few, so if you can manage to bring your shirt to Priestfield please do so, especially if it's not been previously approved. We will take a head-count at Priestfield of who is planning to wear what colour, with a view to getting a reasonable spread across our formation (probably based on the 'parts' formation as that's the one we'll be in for most of the concert). This is just to try to avoid the scenario where we have 17 people in blue and only 3 in green, who all happen to be at one end. Therefore please be prepared to be told to swap shirts with someone else if necessary! It would also be helpful to know who has more than one alternative that they could wear or lend to someone else. If you don't have one at all (long-sleeved, darkish blue, green or turquoise), please could you let Susan know before next Wednesday. Thanks.
Don't forget next week's rehearsal is at Priestfield at 7.45.
That's all folks!
Mirren
