{"id":1172,"date":"2013-02-13T11:27:13","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T11:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/cantusfirmus\/?p=1172"},"modified":"2013-02-13T11:27:13","modified_gmt":"2013-02-13T11:27:13","slug":"the-days-last-sigh-final-rehearsal-before-the-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/cantusfirmus\/2013\/02\/13\/the-days-last-sigh-final-rehearsal-before-the-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"The day’s last sigh: final rehearsal before the concert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next time the Chamber Choir meets to rehearse for Friday night’s concert in the Cathedral Crypt, we’ll be in – the Cathedral Crypt.<\/p>\n

Last night was our final rehearsal before Friday, and I have to say, it went like a dream. We sang through the entire programme, and Carina also performed the two pieces for solo marimba which she will be playing as part of the concert, to get a grasp of the geography and scale of the programme, to get a feel for the flow of the pieces and how they stand in relation to one another.<\/p>\n

The Choir was in top form; intonation spot-on, pitch reliable and constant; there’s a wonderful unity to the ensemble now (as I said, the Choir is working like an accordion, breathing and relaxing together throughout the pieces) that means we are really feeling the works as a combined group. There’s lots of scope for us to be flexible according to the atmosphere on the night in the Crypt, to be able to respond to the richly-resonant acoustics, to dwell on particular chords, to push through individual phrases, and to linger as the final notes recede.<\/p>\n

\"Ch_Choir_last_rehearsal\"

In final rehearsal<\/p><\/div>\n

The new mixed-formation ensemble line-up has really taken hold, with the overall sound much richer (and blending better) as a result – a bold decision taken two weeks ago has really paid dividends, and yielded a much more sonorous and mature sound. As a few of the members observed, we’ve started to enjoy ourselves to the point where the ppp<\/em> passages aren’t perhaps quite so ppp<\/em> as they were before – a sign of how much we’ve relaxed into singing, but something to make sure we’re mindful of when we perform on the night.<\/p>\n

We’re ready to go: see you on Friday…<\/p>\n