Author Archives: vhk10

a grounded singer

Posted on March 29, 2020 by vhk10

So I’ve temporarily lost all my choirs, including the church one. What do I do for singing? I’d normally try to sing every day, which means individual practice on the days when I have no rehearsal or performance. Now that … Continue reading →

Posted in recordings, repertoire | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

the last concert for a while

Posted on March 18, 2020 by vhk10

I rejoined Gloucester Choral Society to perform Bach’s St John Passion, after thinking carefully about the amount of time and travel involved. I shall never regret doing this, because of the significance that is now attached to it. By concert … Continue reading →

Posted in singing in concerts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fidelio before the curtain fell

Posted on March 16, 2020 by vhk10

By early March tickets were beginning to appear for events that had originally sold out, as people became anxious about the risk of contagion. One such ticket was a good (and hence expensive) one for Fidelio at the Royal Opera … Continue reading →

Posted in going to operas | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oh, Jemima!

Posted on March 15, 2020 by vhk10

I missed going to Bath Opera last year, but this year they won out over the concurrent Bach festival and I caught their production of Gounod’s Faust. This once-popular opera is now a relative rarity. It’s a long work, even … Continue reading →

Posted in opera | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

a belated return to the Barbican

Posted on March 3, 2020 by vhk10

It’s a long time since I visited the Barbican Centre – not within the lifetime of this blog. Even longer ago, I performed there, with the Tallis Chamber Choir (two concerts: Britten’s St Nicholas + carols, and Mozart’s Mass in … Continue reading →

Posted in going to concerts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ho ho ho ho ho ho

Posted on February 21, 2020 by vhk10

I get to about half of the BCS Come and Sing events (there’s one every year, invariably sold out). I made a point of getting to this year’s, on most of the choruses from Dido and Aeneas. I’ve never performed … Continue reading →

Posted in singing - other | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

have I sung everything in the Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems?

Posted on February 10, 2020 by vhk10

I recently claimed that I had, but that claim isn’t quite true. There’s one anthem that I’ve never sung, and it’s probably the least performed in the book: Byrd’s This day Christ was born. The problem is that it really … Continue reading →

Posted in published music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

a weekend with Mathias

Posted on February 8, 2020 by vhk10

I had a busy weekend with two extra services, both of which included anthems by William Mathias. On Saturday I revisited St Mary Redcliffe for the first time in several years, to join a visiting choir for the first Evensong … Continue reading →

Posted in singing at services | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

sudden analgesic motive expressionists

Posted on January 30, 2020 by vhk10

See the previous comment for the source of the title. I decided to begin remedying the fact I haven’t been to any performances of Berg’s music for a while, by going to a cinecast of Wozzeck from the Metropolitan Opera. … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasts, opera | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What is orange? The second sopranos are orange….

Posted on January 14, 2020 by vhk10

The nation’s recording engineers in the field of choral music must have been very busy around now, as several different ensembles I know of have all been recording. Bristol Choral Society (with Music Makers of London, Bristol Youth Choir and … Continue reading →

Posted in singing - other | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments