my first performance in thirty years

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 12 Jun 25 - 07:50 PM

The chorus director says it may be August by the time the video of the performance comes out,
as a lot of editing is required, both visual and audible.
The director was complaining to me that
the mikes in some places picked up
the worst singers in their respective sections,
instead of the better singers in their sections.
It was funny to witness the director imitating the awful noises
that some of the choristers were making.
I know what he means because one of those choristers was directly behind me!
He was bawling in my ear from beginning to end.
Ah, the pleasures of an amateur community chorus.
But maybe my singing bothers someone else just as much, who knows?

I know that my second soprano section includes a singer whom I think of as "the mosquito,"
because her voice whines just like the pesky insect.
There are enough singers in each section who have a decent vocal quality
to support and somewhat mask the inadequate voices.
We are fortunate to have the balance in voices that produces a good overall sound.
And we have a director who is not only a good musician
but has a special gift for finding the best in people and getting along well with everybody,
which I think is somewhat rare.
I hate to think what would happen when the chorus loses the director,
and he is getting old enough to think about retiring one day.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: JennieG
Date: 06 Jun 25 - 02:48 AM

That's wonderful, keberoxu....positive feedback is very heartwarming!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 05 Jun 25 - 06:05 PM

Not to brag, but
all week long people have been coming up to me to say
how much they enjoyed the concert, which feels really good.

The chorus is now off for the summer, to resume in September.
Meanwhile we need a new place to rehearse every week.
For many years, the chorus would rehearse in the same church building.
But the church has come upon such hard times that
the building is all but falling down around our ears.
So we have had our last rehearsal there, after all this time.

The most likely place for us to resume rehearsals is
a rehearsal studio with a theater company one town over.
The theater company is in reasonable health and they take care of their property.
So hopefully we can resume there in September.
The chorus board looked around at other churches,
but nothing worked out.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jun 25 - 04:33 AM

Congratulations keberoxu! A great result built on creativity, musical capability, and working together with like-minded people. A win for all of you!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jun 25 - 07:49 PM

Stilly, there will be a YouTube video, but it will have to be waited for patiently.
The conductor says it will be ready in five to six weeks' time.
They use multiple cameras and it will take some editing,
and the person doing the editing has got a day job which affords him little time.

We just had the performance today,
and I am a funny combination of tired and keyed up.
At least I just had a nice supper out with a friend who showed up to give moral support, and enjoyed the concert.
So I'm not hungry anymore, that's something.

It looked like we had a good turnout of people,
and the applause was warm and hearty, so I think they liked it.
This was not an easy piece to pull off,
and several of us made mistakes with entrances at different times.
We were comparing notes afterwards about coming in at the wrong times.
But it is beautiful music and rarely heard,
so we were privileged to participate in such a performance.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 May 25 - 05:55 AM

what a lot of work, goodonya (all)

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 25 - 07:19 PM

Will this one also end up on YouTube so we can take a look and listen later? Sounds like fun, and a bit less cumbersome than previous concerts.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 May 25 - 06:28 PM

My chorus's big June concert is coming up this Sunday.
Last night we had our first orchestra rehearsal,
and tomorrow night is our final orchestra rehearsal.
We are in the actual concert hall at this point.

I am personally pleased at how well prepared I am for this performance.
Some people in the chorus really get thrown for a loop
by suddenly hearing an orchestra rather than a piano,
or having the conductor so far away.

As is conventional, the orchestra is front and center, with the conductor in front of it.
The chorus is on risers in the back, behind the orchestra,
and happily the risers have chairs, as we sit a lot.
Our repertoire for the concert includes Haydn's The Seasons,
or should I say three of the seasons, as we cut out Winter altogether.
Even with only three seasons, this is a lot of music;
we have a short intermission halfway through Summer.

This work has lengthy passages for a trio of solo singers
who sing in various configurations: solo arias, duos, and trios.
When they have the stage, the chorus stays seated and silent.
Then there are the movements where the soloists begin,
and then the chorus stands up and joins them.
We have had a little trouble learning our cues and entrances.

But the orchestra sounds great, and the solo singers are excellent,
we have a wonderful soprano who has a big solo aria to sing.
I have hopes that the concert will be a good experience --
an unwieldy one, but a good one.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 Dec 24 - 06:41 PM

So far, nobody else came down with the choral director's cold,
and I just spoke with him: he has his voice back and is feeling much better now.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Dec 24 - 06:20 PM

That sounds wonderful, Keb! And keep an eye on the child doing the conducting - perhaps in the future he or she will really be doing that!

I hope people don't catch the choral director's cold.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Dec 24 - 06:13 PM

It's done, the last holiday/Christmas concert.
Our poor choral director was hoarse with a bad cold of some sort.
It was so cold outside that we just barely succeeded in
getting the church sanctuary warm enough for the concert.

We had a good turnout, in spite of everything.
People brought children with them, which made things livelier,
there were some crying babies of course,
and one child in the balcony mimicking the choral director
by conducting in the air.

The sing-a-longs were vigorous and enthusiastic.
The entire event was two hours, with the brief intermission.
And I came home in time for supper.
I'm tired, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 08:50 AM

This chorus has next to no funding. We operate on a "shoestring".
If we had the money, perhaps we could have receptions.
As it is, we just have people come up to us to say hello.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 03:42 AM

well done

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Dec 24 - 09:41 PM

Congratulations on progressing through the seasonal performances! After the concerts are there receptions so you can socialize with the other singers and/or the audience? It seems a good opportunity to boost morale.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 15 Dec 24 - 05:38 PM

Two concerts down and one rehearsal plus one concert to go.
We did the second concert today.
Tomorrow's rehearsal will no doubt focus on what we got wrong,
but the concert in general went well.
Best of all, these concerts are very well attended,
we need that ticket money!

It's that time of year, for Christmas concerts,
and some choristers in my chorus
are singing in multiple groups/events.
I've only got this one chorus that I sing in, that's enough for me.

And thankfully the weather has cooperated
and conditions have been clear, if cold, for attending concerts.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 30 Nov 24 - 03:28 PM

goodonya to keep going

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 30 Nov 24 - 01:28 PM

Our Berkshire Lyric Chorus is performing three concerts in December.
All are in honor of Christmas, but the emphasis differs.

The last concert, on the 21st, is going to be popular/Broadway/Tin Pan Alley Christmas music, and one of the basses will make a special appearance as Santa Claus, fully costumed.

The first two concerts will have more sacred music.
There are at least three different settings of the Ave Maria in Latin,
plus a setting of the Eastern Orthodox variation on the Ave Maria
which is sung in Old Church Slavonic. Tongue twisters in the lyrics!

I get a little tired just thinking about the repertoire list,
as it is a lengthy list of short songs/pieces.
A few classical composers: Bruckner, Brahms, Praetorius, Paert, Warlock, Biebl, I forget the others.
It's going to be a workout.
And yet, I wouldn't miss it.

For some strange reason, my favorite part of every chorus season
is the rehearsals, I enjoy them more than the performances.
Maybe because we get to sing sitting down, and
I'm feeling my age when I have to stand for a lengthy period of time.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Jun 24 - 02:03 AM

well done choristers, musicians, conductor & audience!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jun 24 - 10:43 AM

Well, the Berkshire Lyric Chorus had its spring concert yesterday,
and we choristers are recovering from the strenuous performance.
Thankfully the concert was well attended
(to cover the rent paid for the hall, and the orchestra),
and people in the audience have let us know they liked it.
Actually the Bruckner Mass made a strong impression,
at least on those people who didn't think it lasted too long.
Some of them were in tears, they were so deeply moved.

There was concern on my part that
I would feel too emotional while singing the music;
not the case, I was working too hard and
concentrating on the conductor too closely to get emotional about it.

There may be a video of the performance,
but it will be a while before it is ready for YouTube or wherever.

I'll see the conductor socially tomorrow night,
and we'll see if he is still exhausted by the whole thing.
Actually I think it was a big charge-up for him, unlike the chours.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 24 - 10:58 AM

It sounds like fun - I hope everyone has been able to rehearse free of various respiratory diseases making the rounds. Post any follow-up articles if you make it to the local arts publications or channels.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jun 24 - 10:19 AM

Our chorus got in the newspaper. We got a story covering
our performance tomorrow afternoon.

Unfortunately, only newspaper subscribers online can view the story,
so I can't link to it. It's in the Berkshire Eagle.

The report interviewed our director about the music we are performing.
They also interviewed the soprano soloist,
as she is a former chorister who came up through the ranks,
beginning at the age of fifteen, with our group.
So she is a local girl made good, getting her first solo gig
with three other singers who are from out of town, in the quartet of soloists.

I'm getting excited about our concert tomorrow.
Tickets are selling well, and the weather should be good.
(It's not an outdoor concert, though,
we are performing indoors in a concert hall.)

Jack Campin, thank you for your enthusiasm about the Bruckner.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 May 24 - 08:14 PM

I will spare you Friedrich Schiller's original text
(unless someone insists on asking for it) to
Nänie, set to music by Brahms.

Here with much help from the Wikipedia article
is a modest attempt at an English translation.


Even beauty must die! That which subjugates men and Gods alike,
Moves not the steely heart of the Stygian God Zeus.

Only once did love come to soften the Lord of the Shadows,
And just at the threshold, sternly, he called back his gift.

Nor did Aphrodite stanch the bleeding wounds of that fair youth,
Torn savagely by the boar in his delicate body.

Neither was the godlike hero rescued by his immortal mother,
When he, at the Scaean gate, falling, fulfilled his fate.

But she rises from the sea with all the daughters of Nereus,
Raising a lament over her glorious son.

Behold! The gods weep, all the goddesses weep,
That the beautiful perishes, that perfection itself dies.

But a lament in the mouth of those who loved the departed one is a noble thing,
For that which is ordinary goes down to Orcus in silence.



That's Schiller for you, and Brahms has the last word in his interpretation,
going back to the penultimate line with which to close the piece:

"Auch ein Klaglied zu sein im Mund der Geliebten ist herrlich."

The music is ineffable, it moves me to tears.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 May 24 - 08:13 PM

That Bruckner mass was one of the first classical pieces I ever heard live - monumental, overwhelming work. (Dorian Choir, 1960s, New Zealand). It's incredible that mostly-amateur choirs can do stuff like that.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 May 24 - 07:58 PM

Da Pacem Domine has a Latin antiphon for its text. It reads:

Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris:
quia non est alius qui pugnet pro nobis,
nisi tu, Deus noster.

The Book of Common Prayer version reads:
Give peace in our time, O Lord.
Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 May 24 - 02:07 PM

The Berkshire Lyric Chorus, which I sing in, will perform two weeks from today.
We're opening with Da Pacem Domine, a short a cappella work by Arvo Part.
Then it's Brahms's Nänie for chorus with full-scale orchestra, although the work is short.
Finally Bruckner's Mass no. 3, long enough for an entire concert in itself.
(Our director likes lengthy programs for some reason.)

The performance will be in Seiji Ozawa Hall on the Tanglewood campus in Lenox, Mass.
I am hoping the weather will not be too hot,
and the director is hoping we sell enough tickets to pay the rent on the hall.
(The Tanglewood season has not started yet, and our chorus always gets their performance in
before the start of the BSO season.)

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:08 AM

The next program for the chorus I sing with is
Anton Bruckner's Mass no. 3 in f minor,
which is a massive undertaking.
We are rehearsing it now and it is very difficult, moreover it is long.
At least the text is Latin,
as opposed to last year's Brahms which was all in German.

And my hair used to be auburn-red, since you ask, paperback.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:56 AM

Are you Black Irish, keberoxu? They're known to go prematurely gray. It's not so bad, at least people hold the door for you ( - :

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 05:07 AM

well done, it is important to keep at it if you can, if one doesnt then the nerves can take over for a lot of people, and it becomes harder the longer the person doesnt do it

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Mar 24 - 09:12 PM

It is a nice performance, given a little time it lets you watch it as a spectator, not remembering standing there. And there are several caps of white hair in that group.

What will you be singing next?

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 24 Mar 24 - 07:24 PM

Very late response to Stilly's question,
if I could see myself in the concert video,
because I just now reviewed the video myself.
I am visible because I have this cap of short white hair
surrounded by women in solid black dresses.
The white hair really stands out -- like a fake wig or something!

And, you know, we really did sound good.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 05 Jul 23 - 01:11 PM

What a nice looking group

Tea & Melba Toast, please

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 11:53 PM

This is your performance link. The Brahms Requiem. Nice sound in the video; did you like the acoustics? The camera pans the chorus at this point; do you see yourself? (You don't need to point yourself out.)

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 07:45 PM

I seem to have forgotten how to make blickies. However,

my amateur group, the Berkshire Lyric Chorus,
has its own YouTube channel,
where you can hear our concert this year
as well as videos of concerts from several previous years.


https://www.youtube.com/@berkshirelyric1600

---

Link added. ---mudelf

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Jun 23 - 09:36 PM

I'll second that

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jun 23 - 09:26 PM

Too bad about that drummer! It sounds like a lot of work, but it also sounds like time well spent.

Let us know when the video is released, please!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jun 23 - 07:15 PM

The chorus director and I see each other at least weekly,
he comes and provides music in the place where I am staying these days.

So he and I have reviewed the performance,
as people do who have been thick in the battle of it.
There were many things that pleased the director.

But he has some justified animus towards the tympani player.
The stage was so crowded that the tympani had to be positioned,
not on the same level as the rest of the orchestra,
but on a platform well above them, where the drums were clearly heard.

And in spite of the director's constant signals to play more softly,
the tympani player kept a big ****-eating grin on his face
and played as loudly as ever.
It was so bad that a flock of singers in the alto section,
unfortunately positioned right next to the tympani,
abandoned their posts in order to move back and center,
away from the drums, where they could hear themselves think if not sing.

I believe there will be a video online at some point of the concert,
but it is in production this month, if I heard right.

I miss those weekly chorus rehearsals,
but I am glad the performance is over!
The chorus does not meet again until September,
when we start rehearsing the annual Christmas concert.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Jun 23 - 06:10 AM

as person with chronic lower back & leg pain, I salute you! In the 90s a friend sang in classical choir with an injured foot which she propped on a brick or something to lift it up.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: JennieG
Date: 06 Jun 23 - 12:29 AM

Well done, keberoxu - you certainly earned the hot chocolate and the collapse after that!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Jun 23 - 06:40 PM

Well, the Brahms Requiem has been performed. It was yesterday.
The day was very cold for the first Sunday in June,
and some of us turned up wearing winter coats over our concert blacks.
But at least there was no rain, and the sun came out.

The performance went very well, I think.
It's hard to tell how it actually sounds when you are in the thick of it.
We choristers were behind the orchestra, and
the orchestra was facing away from us, toward the audience.
So we literally did not hear what the audience heard.
But what I could hear sounded good.

I can't say it was a transporting experience for me.
No, I was working hard the whole time,
more perspiration than inspiration, for certain.
Watching the conductor's baton, glancing at the musical score and turning pages,
taking deep breaths in the right places,
spitting out all that German diction . . .
in the meantime the soles of my feet went somewhat numb
from standing for the better part of forty-five minutes
before there was a place where the chorus could sit down for a time.

The hall had a few empty seats but it was largely filled, and it's a large hall.
So we had a good turnout, and we were warmly applauded,
you can't ask for more from the audience
(they listened very attentively, with no disruptions).

Afterwards I met up with a dear friend
and we went out for cups of hot chocolate at a nearby cafe.

Then I went home and collapsed!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 23 - 10:49 PM

I'm glad you got to hear the chorus with the orchestra - when there's an audience it will be more exhilarating. Enjoy the experience!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 03 Jun 23 - 06:46 PM

Last night we had our final rehearsal, which was long and tiring,
my energy flagging the whole time.

Then when rehearsal ended and we headed from the concert hall for our parked cars,
the heavens opened up and the rain absolutely poured down.
The rain was in the forecast, so I had come prepared (umbrella, waterproof footwear),
but many of my fellow chorus members were totally unprepared for rain.

It had been such a hot day -- triggering these thunderstorms --
and the road pavements were steaming in the rain, looked like fog.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jun 23 - 04:36 PM

We had our first rehearsal in the concert hall, with the orchestra.
Nobody warned us that the hall would have the air-conditioning and the fan going the whole time.
It was so cold and drafty in there!
I was thankful that I had brought a jacket and worn shoes and socks,
even though the daytime had had sandals temperatures.

The orchestra is in front of the chorus,
and the conductor is in front of the orchestra --
so there is a distance onstage between conductor and chorus.
That was enough to disorient some of the chorus members,
who are used to being up close and personal.

The Brahms Requiem sounds so beautiful with the orchestra!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 May 23 - 09:49 PM

Keb, a friend of mine in New York City loved to sing with groups. He was active with at least one barbershop quartet. We were both park rangers at Ellis Island, and one day he came out with his group and the stood on the balcony of the Great Hall and sang a couple of songs. The acoustics were amazing! Brooklyn has a robust Norwegian population and he also performed with a Norwegian male choir. In my part of the Puget Sound where many Scandinavians settled there were lots of these groups, and I heard a few as a kid. I went to a concert Joe performed in and it was like seeing all of my cousins and great uncles there on stage - tall, thin, pale Norwegian men. The fact that my friend was a fairly brown skinned, black haired Italian meant that he was the raisin in the oatmeal up there. And after the concert he said they surprised him by listing a song he hadn't practices, so he did the lip sync thing the whole time. We wouldn't have known if he didn't tell us.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Helen
Date: 25 May 23 - 07:22 PM

And keberoxu, I hope your performance goes well. Even the lip-syncing.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Helen
Date: 25 May 23 - 07:20 PM

Sandra, we recently bought a new musical washing machine too. It's kinda fun.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 May 23 - 07:13 PM

The same amateur chorus, with which I performed on the weekend of St. Patrick's Day with the Irish theme,
is performing in the next ten days.

This time it is "ein Deutsches Requiem" by Brahms, with soloists and a very full orchestra. So full, in fact, that the chorus director has a little anxiety about the chorus not being full enough to match. A bigger chorus would be more standard towards a performance of this piece. But we are going to attempt it anyway. The performance will be on a Sunday afternoon, the first Sunday in June, and although the performance is indoors, I am hoping that the weather will cooperate.

I'm having to pace myself carefully in rehearsing the Brahms and most probably in the performance to come.
For one thing, I don't have the high notes that I used to have, and I am singing second soprano.
There are places where I simply lip-sync and let the other second sopranos carry the line without me. It's a dirty trick, but it works.
The Brahms Requiem is seven movements long and lasts over one hour.
So I feel justified in doing whatever I have to in order to not burn out my singing voice.

This coming week, we will have a piano rehearsal on Memorial Day evening, and then there will be rehearsals every other day, two of them with the orchestra; the performance is two days after the last rehearsal.

I hope the experience is a happy one. There is good reason to be hopeful of this. It's still a big undertaking and if I am honest, I have a little fear about how all of us are going to get through it.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 09:56 PM

Good on you Keb.

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 08:38 AM

my washing machine just BEEPS, but as it's dying I might look for a new one that plays music!

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 05:55 AM

I'm a little late to the party.

First, congratulations on finding some rewarding outlets for your talents. Long may it continue. I'm much the same age as you and rather frustrated at the moment that I don't have such an outlet.

Then two things about the "Trout".
1) Many years ago I took my eldest son to one of Hilary James' and Simon Mayor's "Musical Mystery Tour" shows, and after that all my children got great pleasure from their cassettes (I said it was many years ago). One cassette included this wonderful treatment of the "Trout Quintet" with non-Schubertian lyrics The Slippery Slimy Trout - hopefully some others will also enjoy it.

2) More recently we got a Samsung Washing Machine and also a Tumble Drier from the same manufacturer. When they finish a cycle, they play a short burst of the "Trout" which always makes me laugh and break into Simon's song...

Subject: RE: my first performance in thirty years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 03:29 AM

I'll second that!!