What I’m doing and what I’m thinking.
When I’m learning big pieces of music, I like to submerge myself in recordings so that I have a deep sense of how my part fits in with everything else that’s going on. Normally, picking a recording is quite a straightforward process, but choosing which version of Monteverdi’s Vespers to listen to has been a bit more of an adventure.
A blog post with some musings on making choices about what to listen to, as I confront the awful fear of becoming too set in my ways.
Things suddenly got very real and serious a couple of weeks ago when we had a workshop with Robert Hollingworth to introduce us to the Vespers.
There is no way that I was going to be able to sing in a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers without blogging intensively about it… so here in the first installation of my rehearsal diary, I write about the early preparations, the poster design and the day we finally got to open the score for the first time.
My recorder teacher has finally let me loose on some French baroque music, so here are a few musings on what I’ve learnt so far about battement and flattement.
I’d always assumed that masterclasses were really only for other advanced students, but an afternoon at the Samling Artist masterclass at Sage Gateshead showed me how fascinating they are for anyone who is interested in how great musical performances are put together.
I’m singing Rachmaninov Vespers with Durham Singers at the moment, and although I don’t have to battle with the language, I’ve had to overcome the effect it has on my spirits. Two Russian words sum up the musings in this blog post: ‘toska’ and ‘radost’.
Some key Church Slavonic vocabulary from Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil (Vespers).
Some musings on music and light and science that have been floating around my head as I rehearse lots of magnificent music inspired by light, for a joint music and science event with Durham University physicists.
Music in Durham brings you classical music listings, previews, reviews and news for Durham, with a bit of random blogging thrown in. The concert listing pages bring together classical music events from across the City and the University, so whether you’re looking for a great concert to go to, or if you’re planning something and want to avoid clashes, this is the place to look.
