The course of this blog has periodically been punctuated by performances of Brahms’ German Requiem, either sung by me (with four different choirs) or heard (curiously I’ve never sung it in Bristol though Bristol Choral Society performed it twice there while I was singing with them).
Gloucester Choral Society now can’t have our autumn concert in November and we don’t use autumn half-term, so our performance of the Brahms was pushed into mid-October, giving a compressed rehearsal period. A double-header rehearsal one Saturday eased this a little, although there were a lot of dots to master for the minority who’d never sung it before. I believe I’ve said this before, but I think this is the most physically demanding work for the chorus in the standard repertory, and this may have been the first time I really felt I had the stamina and pacing worked out. Before I get polishing the halo, I also discovered a note I’ve been singing incorrectly all these years which had to be unlearnt and fixed.
Our capable orchestra was the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra. The programme also included Brahms’ familiar Geistliches Lied and opened with the overture to Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. I dedicated my performance to the memory of my friend Richard, who died in an accident in Scotland in the summer.