Small and solemn? Don't make me laugh!
Have just got back after a day in church, rehearsing and then performing Rossini's Petite Messe Solonelle. Worthing Choral Society with excellent soloists and my friends Marcus Martin and Donovan Brown on the two pianos, myself on the "harmonium".
The style is pure Opera Buffa, and the concert (with a 30-minute interval after the Creed) lasted two hours. Many thanks to Emmanuel Church, Worthing
for their hospitality. (They don't have a website, or I'd give a link here.)
Rossini wrote: "Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that’s all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise." So it was "cramming for his finals", as one irreverent person called it.
"Harmonium". Well, yes, the sounds were right, thanks to Al Stepney's laptop and some downloaded samples, but it was produced from a speaker and a midi keyboard. The worst moment for him was when the laptop decided to update Windows 10 at the penultimate rehearsal, and took 80 minutes doing it, rendering the keyboard mute, alla Joseph Cooper. I decided to use that rehearsal playing the dumb keyboard. It must have looked good, for Aedan asked me to give a note at one point. My reply "I'm sorry, the harmonium is only 40% rebooted" must be one of the least frequently heard in any choral society.
The church used to be called St Columba's, but when they merged with Shelley Road URC (which closed) (which had been known as "the cathedral of non-conformism" in its day, so well-regarded was that building) they changed their name. However, there was another Emmanuel Church in East Worthing, daughter church of St George's. In one sense, it's just as well that church itself closed and was demolished; the potential for confusion was huge.
A good concert, the choir enjoyed themselves, the soloists too, and so did the accompanists and conductor. The audience were very appreciative, a good turnout despite the weather.
Very grateful to have been asked to take part.
The style is pure Opera Buffa, and the concert (with a 30-minute interval after the Creed) lasted two hours. Many thanks to Emmanuel Church, Worthing
for their hospitality. (They don't have a website, or I'd give a link here.)
Rossini wrote: "Dear Lord, here it is finished, this poor little mass. Have I just written sacred music, or rather, sacrilegious music? I was born for opera buffa, as you well know. Not much technique, a little bit of heart, that’s all. Blessings to you and grant me Paradise." So it was "cramming for his finals", as one irreverent person called it.
"Harmonium". Well, yes, the sounds were right, thanks to Al Stepney's laptop and some downloaded samples, but it was produced from a speaker and a midi keyboard. The worst moment for him was when the laptop decided to update Windows 10 at the penultimate rehearsal, and took 80 minutes doing it, rendering the keyboard mute, alla Joseph Cooper. I decided to use that rehearsal playing the dumb keyboard. It must have looked good, for Aedan asked me to give a note at one point. My reply "I'm sorry, the harmonium is only 40% rebooted" must be one of the least frequently heard in any choral society.
The church used to be called St Columba's, but when they merged with Shelley Road URC (which closed) (which had been known as "the cathedral of non-conformism" in its day, so well-regarded was that building) they changed their name. However, there was another Emmanuel Church in East Worthing, daughter church of St George's. In one sense, it's just as well that church itself closed and was demolished; the potential for confusion was huge.
A good concert, the choir enjoyed themselves, the soloists too, and so did the accompanists and conductor. The audience were very appreciative, a good turnout despite the weather.
Very grateful to have been asked to take part.
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