Dress Rehearsal And One Week To Go!

It is now under a week to the concert and the pace is picking up. Yesterday was the dress rehearsal back at our old haunt, the Royal Academy of Music. As the choir has grown in size, so have we outgrown the rooms. One of the few spaces which could fit us all in was the small concert hall in the basement, but with poor ventilation and the cramped conditions, sitting there for two hours I caught more than an intimate whiff of eau de Pinquie.

After the break it was into Duke's Hall for the dress rehearsal. I love the venue. First of all it looks very grand, but more importantly, it is designed specifically for choral performances and is very forgiving. Unlike the rehearsal rooms at the Place for instance, all the voices are almost forcibly melded into one, and the resonance is really audible. The change in venue is significant, and it is a great indicator that we are sounding good when I suddenly feel I could cry because one of the songs we are singing is so beautiful. This certainly was the case for Midwinter: what a glorious song! The choreography was also fine-tuned by the very capable Karin and Rachel, and it is looking slick.

The other thing to say is that it is really wonderful that the formal concert gear has really smartened up in the last few seasons. Whereas before almost anything black was the norm, I noticed quite a few waistcoats and jackets in amongst the mix. That really is the way to do it: my hearty approval.

So, one last rehearsal to polish the music on Thursday, and then it is the concert this Saturday - hope to see you there! Tickets are available in the column on the right.