mothwing | Dohnányi

...no, not Klaus von Dohnanyi, the composer Ernö or Ernst von Dohnányi (whose grandson is, incidentally, the Chief Conductor of the NDR Sinfonieorchester in Hamburg!! [/useless trivia of the day]).

The concert will be tonight at 7:30.
Will the altos be able to sing their parts?
Will they manage to find a tuba for the Vaughan Williams - in which there are quite a number of tuba solos?
Will there actually be someone there to hear the concert?
Will there be more people than the fifteen regulars who always attend service and some bored random parents and husbands who have been dragged along?

The concert is drawing nearer - but since hardly anyone will be there, there is no reason to worry. We are doing his Missa In Dedicatione Ecclesiae - which I absolutely love. Sadly, the audience will be consisting only of the say, fifteen people who are regulars to the services on Sundays, in which the hard-working members of the Chapel Choir generally outnumber the congregation.

It is really a shame. The orchestra (especially the third trombone *hearts*) have been working so hard for this concert, and so have the choirs, both the Chapel Choir and the Choral society, but hardly anyone will be there to hear it. And really everybody should, it is a great piece, and the other pieces the orchestra will be doing, all by Ralph Vaughan Williams are absolutely great as well. The only thing one really shouldn't pay much attention to is what the first Altos are doing. Well, better than the Basses ("Psst, where are we?" - "Figure 74." -"No, which movement?").

Tonight, to keep confusion to a minimum, thanks to the foresight of James, our beloved conductor, our single row of altos is absolutely sandwiched between the other voices.
Sopranos to left of them,
Sopranos to right of them,
Sopranos in front of them,
(Basses behind them)
Into the valley of death... Well, and there's the huge orchestra in front of us. Well, and the huge organ on the left. Which means that most of the time I do not even hear myself or the person next to me. Well, I do hear the soprano next to me who apparently harbours dreams of becoming a soloist. Singing in this choir is fun!

James loves us for it of course, as shown in the remarks he makes to his Chapel Choir - they are of course the crème de la crème (especially the first sopranos, of course). He always praises our efforts, as he did today, right before service, when the Chapel Choir were doing the Dohnányi which we have been practicing since the beginning of the semester:

"We are going to sing the Dohnányi in service today. I'd like to hear it in tune at least once."

He is one of the most arrogant people I have ever met. Ok, he is a brilliant, dedicated choir conductor - for choirs with near-professional members like my wee cherubim - but not for amateurs like me, who dare to venture into a choir because they like singing. Was stupid, I know. But his behaviour still makes me wonder how he can fit through doors with that swollen head of his.

But there are moments when I just want to walk up to him and hug him. For example when he cried after a concert of his Chapel Choir. So sweet. But then, those sentiments are rare because usually he is a bit of an idiot. He never makes proper announcements, you have to wrench bits of information like when and where the extra rehearsal on Saturday is or if there's a dress code for the concert from him as though he was guarding them with his life.

Somehow, I'll be happy and sad when the concert's over. Sad because it's such a great piece, and happy because there Chapel Choir have invited everybody to come along to their Ceilidh, so maybe I'll go.

No, wait, there is that unfinished Psychology essay. Hand in date: tomorrow. Fiiine. No Ceilidh for me.

I hope we're going to do the piece justice - it is so beautiful! It has one of the most beautiful Kyries I have ever heard, so if someone finally bothers to record or perform it and you have the chance to hear it, do so! It's so beautiful.

Ah, well. Off to select a text to bring along to the Writing Society tomorrow...

*hugs* to all!