I have to say I've rarely seen a performance so over-rehearsed as to be wooden (nor have I ever been in one--(as far as I know--admittedly I'm not an unbiased observer.) I've always felt we could have used more rehearsal--in virtually every concert. The Christmas concerts by Choral Arts in particular are amazing--we sometimes get new music 2 rehearsals before the concert. Now however I've been in the group long enough that even new music at Christmas is often music we did a few eons ago.

The Mahler is definitely one which needed all the rehearsals we had. Just figuring out which line to sing was sometimes a challenge to start with--there are 2 separate choruses plus a childrens' choir and soloists--and Mahler sometimes, for instance had the basses-- or basses from one chorus but not the other--drop out and come back in pages later. Then there are also divisions between 2 balcony choruses and a stage chorus. And we had to cut through a massive orchestra--loaded with brass. Fortunately the conductor immediately realized that--and told the orchestra to not assume that his expansive gestures --so all the singers could follow him from anywhere in the hall they were stationed--meant the orchestra should pump up volume. Mahler is very clear about which voices should predominate at a given time--and when the orchestra can come crashing through.

Evidently at the first performance there were 600 kids in the childrens' choir--that gave them a good start towards 1,000--and they did have over 1,000. So it's called the Symphony of 1,000. But we'll only have about 500--Jan says that's against the Trades Description Act (in the US, Truth in Advertising).