Ein deutsches Requiem
Apr. 2nd, 2003 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaalaThe concert went okay. A couple bits could have been better, but there were very good moments and no disasters. I couldn't hear myself at all, being in the front row and directly in front of a person who sings loudly all the time. But for all his over-emphatic conducting and the occasional exasperated look, Dr. E. seemed pleased. Unless he directs a group for fun in his retirement, this was the last musical performance he will ever conduct. Emotions ran high. It was a huge relief to have it over and done with*, but I wish we were still meeting next week to rehearse some more.
After it was over--Dr. E had congratulated and been congratulated by just about everybody in the choir, and the church had been restored to its original set-up--people dispersed in groups, some to bars, some to houses. No one invited me or acknowledged my existence much. Admittedly, I felt left out. The old "blend into the woodwork" effect rears its head. I feel like I should be doing something to mark the momentous occasion. Instead, I'm here at the Conservatory, as usual.
* It was a bit of an endurance test. It's not that huge a work, but the parts are challenging, there are no breaks, and the tempos... well, let's just say that several movements ended up longer than on the Klemperer CD. (First of all, Dr. E generally does not believe in rushing Brahms. Secondly, we were accompanied by an organ; plans to have brass and wind instrumentalists fell through. She had a lot to cover, so it seemed that the more Dr. E tried to pick up the tempo, the slower she played. Vice versa too but not quite so often.)
After much deliberation, it was decided that we would be allowed to take bottles of water on stage with us. The air is unbelievably dry right now and that church is, as Dr. E says, "driest of all." Coordinated swigs were had after movements II, IV, and VI. It must have looked funny, but it was better than not being able to sing by the end.
Our legs underwent an endurance test as well because we (obviously) stood the entire time. I'm not used to standing that long. I made a deliberate effort to shift my weight between movements, and I still didn't realize that two of my toes were asleep until we left the stage.
After it was over--Dr. E had congratulated and been congratulated by just about everybody in the choir, and the church had been restored to its original set-up--people dispersed in groups, some to bars, some to houses. No one invited me or acknowledged my existence much. Admittedly, I felt left out. The old "blend into the woodwork" effect rears its head. I feel like I should be doing something to mark the momentous occasion. Instead, I'm here at the Conservatory, as usual.
* It was a bit of an endurance test. It's not that huge a work, but the parts are challenging, there are no breaks, and the tempos... well, let's just say that several movements ended up longer than on the Klemperer CD. (First of all, Dr. E generally does not believe in rushing Brahms. Secondly, we were accompanied by an organ; plans to have brass and wind instrumentalists fell through. She had a lot to cover, so it seemed that the more Dr. E tried to pick up the tempo, the slower she played. Vice versa too but not quite so often.)
After much deliberation, it was decided that we would be allowed to take bottles of water on stage with us. The air is unbelievably dry right now and that church is, as Dr. E says, "driest of all." Coordinated swigs were had after movements II, IV, and VI. It must have looked funny, but it was better than not being able to sing by the end.
Our legs underwent an endurance test as well because we (obviously) stood the entire time. I'm not used to standing that long. I made a deliberate effort to shift my weight between movements, and I still didn't realize that two of my toes were asleep until we left the stage.
