Author Archives: vhk10

Holy Week and Easter 2016

Posted on April 20, 2016 by vhk10

Coming soon after an extra licensing service for our new priest in charge, Holy Week was put together largely out of works already in our repertoire. I missed Maundy Thursday but otherwise was kept busy with Palm Sunday (Weelkes’ Hosanna … Continue reading →

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Call me Al (2): Ahoy!

Posted on April 11, 2016 by vhk10

Another week, another cantata by Alexander l’Estrange. This time it was Ahoy! for the Mary Rose, performed in Colston Hall as part of Bristol Choral Society’s outreach programme. Choir members were joined by a large crew from several Bristol schools, … Continue reading →

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the original Boris

Posted on April 8, 2016 by vhk10

We went to the cinecast of the ROH’s Boris Godunov. As I go to more of these, I realise there is a dedicated audience that I keep seeing at them, several of whom are known to me through other musical … Continue reading →

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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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the sun but not the moon

Posted on February 24, 2016 by vhk10

For the first time in ages I went to evensong at Bath Abbey, sung by a visiting choir in residence for the weekend, in this case the University of Bristol Church Choir. They proved to be one of the better … Continue reading →

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Bath loses a music shop – again

Posted on February 19, 2016 by vhk10

After a little over three years, Music Dynamics in Broad St has closed, as the parent company has gone into administration. I didn’t find it quite as useful as it ought to have been. As with its predecessor, Duck Son … Continue reading →

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