Monthly Archives: March 2016

Call me Al (1): my Assembly Rooms début

Posted on March 30, 2016 by vhk10

A couple of years ago I missed the chance to sing Zimbe! with Bristol Choral Society, as I was doing my bit for mixing musical culture across continents by singing Messiah in India. But it caught up with me, as … Continue reading →

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The Bath Knot

Posted on March 26, 2016 by vhk10

Not a way of tying a dressing gown, but a branch of the The Ancient and Most Benevolent Order of Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick. They hold a service on the Tuesday nearest to St. Patrick’s Day and I was … Continue reading →

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the Evangelist jinx

Posted on March 22, 2016 by vhk10

I wonder whether I should be allowed to sing the St Matthew Passion at all, given that I seem to bring illness with me when I perform it. The first time I did so, the Evangelist was unwell and his … Continue reading →

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Baroque pitch

Posted on March 22, 2016 by vhk10

Our performance of the St Matthew Passion was at ‘baroque pitch’ i.e. a semitone low. I found this hard to get used to, and have been trying to work out why, given that in 2012 and 2013 I performed Messiah … Continue reading →

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rejecting the proof reader

Posted on March 9, 2016 by vhk10

Last year I was approached by a proof reader offering me their services (assisted by a special app which speeded up the process). As a sample of what they and their app could do, they pointed out a couple of … Continue reading →

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three recordings of the St Matthew Passion

Posted on March 8, 2016 by vhk10

I’ve been preparing for a performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, the first I’ve sung in for nearly ten years, and only the third I’ve ever been involved in. I know the notes of my part thoroughly as they were … Continue reading →

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the Scottish opera

Posted on March 7, 2016 by vhk10

I went to Bath Opera again to see Macbeth, encouraged by a friend in the chorus. As last year, I left it to the last minute but they hadn’t sold out, so I was sold a seat in a block … Continue reading →

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