This wasn’t a particularly notable year with obvious high points, rather one in which I revisited places (Truro Cathedral) and works I had not encountered for a long time. The latter included three Requiems (Mozart, Brahms and Howells’), the last’s anthem Take Him Earth for Cherishing and Vivaldi’s Magnificat.
But there were some pieces that were new to me: Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum, Copland’s In the Beginning and, at last, William Byrd’s Great Service (see below). I performed in Christchurch Priory for the first time. Various solo opportunities cropped up during the year.
I got to opera performances at Covent Garden and WNO, but didn’t do so well for concerts.
A couple of awards:
Obstructive Fellow Singer Award. I wish there wasn’t an obvious candidate for this every year. This time it was someone whose folder blocked out my view of the conductor in performance (we hadn’t used folders in rehearsal). The person concerned didn’t seem to understand why this should bother me. On the other hand I proved to be the obstructive singer to someone whose hearing aid objected to anyone singing above an F near them.
The Poulenc Gloria Award For unconnected chances to sing the same piece at around the same time. Byrd’s Great Service has been top of my church music wishlist for a couple of decades, and then I was invited to sing it with two different groups within the space of a month. (Fortunately I was able to accept one of these invitations.)
2020 I hope has some interesting developments in store, to be revealed in due course. It begins with making my first professional recording in a long time, a return to St Mary Redcliffe after some years, and a new work to me: Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms.