Author Archives: vhk10

BLOOD on my back

Posted on December 31, 2017 by vhk10

Not as bad as it sounds. Some of our church choir were part of a group singing carols at Sainsbury’s in Chippenham in aid of the Freewheelers, popularly known as the ‘Blood Bikes’, volunteer bikers who transport blood supplies to … Continue reading →

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Observing St Cecilia

Posted on December 10, 2017 by vhk10

St Cecilia’s Day at church was marked (I think the schedule was unintentional though) with a concert by the Bath Community Big Band, in which a couple of choir members play. I’m not an expert in this area but I … Continue reading →

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I had that Barry Rose in the back of my congregation once….

Posted on December 4, 2017 by vhk10

This happened to me once before, quite recently. This time the occasion was a memorial service at church for Martin, who sang in the choir until a couple of years ago. Martin was musically well connected (he’d been a recording … Continue reading →

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Bath Mozartfest 2017

Posted on December 1, 2017 by vhk10

We didn’t do much about getting tickets in advance, partly because there were lots of good concerts and we were happy with almost anything that didn’t sell out. Imogen Cooper is a regular here, though it was a little surprising … Continue reading →

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Cheerful Mahler: dodging cymbals in the 2nd Symphony

Posted on November 26, 2017 by vhk10

I’ve almost lost count of the times I’ve passed up opportunities to sing Mahler 2. When I first came to Bath I was invited (via the Chantry Singers) to sing it in the Bath Phil’s Mahler cycle, but I declined … Continue reading →

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how to commemorate 370 people

Posted on November 20, 2017 by vhk10

I sang Fauré’s Requiem at an All Souls’ Day service and was told afterwards that some 370 of the faithful departed had been commemorated by name at it. All Souls’ Day does seem to have caught on in the Church … Continue reading →

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hearing your own choir

Posted on November 16, 2017 by vhk10

I dashed over to Colston Hall from Wells to Bristol Choral Society’s concert. I didn’t arrive in time for the first half (Schumann Lieder) but went for the second half – Brahms’ German Requiem. I had had a nasty cough … Continue reading →

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a rub from Pangur

Posted on November 11, 2017 by vhk10

This autumn seems relatively empty musically. I think this is partly in comparison with last autumn which was exceptionally busy, with three concerts over and above what I’d usually do. By contrast, this year there is one event fewer, because … Continue reading →

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Constructivism but no umbrellas

Posted on October 25, 2017 by vhk10

Suddenly realising that we were on the point of missing WNO’s Khovanshchina performances altogether, we grabbed tickets, leapt in the car and drove off to Cardiff to see it (as often with more ambitious repertoire, it wasn’t coming to Bristol). … Continue reading →

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Gloomy Mahler (2) – Kindertotenlieder

Posted on October 13, 2017 by vhk10

The Bath Philharmonia and Jason Thornton brought Mahler back to St Swithin’s Church. For the conductor, Jason Thornton, this marked the point at which he had conducted all of Mahler’s orchestral works We had Mahler’s orchestration for strings of the … Continue reading →

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