Author Archives: vhk10

a service and a recital

Posted on October 23, 2006 by vhk10

On the Tuesday of my visit to New York, I felt in need of a reminder of the old country and went to a service of evensong at St. Thomas’ Fifth Avenue, a church known to me from BBC evensong … Continue reading →

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sets at the Met

Posted on October 20, 2006 by vhk10

During a visit to New York last week I went with my father-in-law to a performance of Zauberflöte at the Metropolitan Opera. I thought carefully about which opera to go to, and I was rather tempted by La Gioconda, because … Continue reading →

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don’t pass remarks!

Posted on September 26, 2006 by vhk10

So I was often told – but not everyone in a choir follows this rule. Singing develops certain skills which may have their uses outside performance. One is the ability to control volume precisely, and this can allow someone to … Continue reading →

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how I got into Prom 71

Posted on September 21, 2006 by vhk10

I only just made it to the Royal Albert Hall (the RPO and Daniele Gatti) in time thanks to a delayed train. Having arrived after the concert had sold out, I was prepared to be disappointed and had a reserve … Continue reading →

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a visiting choir at Exeter Cathedral

Posted on September 7, 2006 by vhk10

I rather dropped into and out of the Cathedral Chamber Choir’s week at Exeter Cathedral. This week was keenly awaited because the choir has not (as far as I can tell) been to Exeter before, and had indeed been trying … Continue reading →

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choosing a Prom

Posted on September 4, 2006 by vhk10

The end of the Proms season is nearly here, and I realised that I hadn’t yet been to one of the concerts. I considered Monday through to Friday as possibilities: Monday: after Sunday’s concert was cancelled (and it didn’t even … Continue reading →

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Mass at Sénanque

Posted on August 31, 2006 by vhk10

I’ve been fortunate in finding myself near interesting French abbeys while on holiday. Two years ago it was Solesmes; this time I was a short drive from Sénanque, familiar before I visited because it’s on the cover of our copy … Continue reading →

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walking on Ted Heath

Posted on August 3, 2006 by vhk10

You may now find yourself doing this while processing in and out of evensong at Salisbury Cathedral, which I returned to last weekend with the Erleigh Cantors. Looking back, I see that my last trip there, three years ago, was … Continue reading →

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the land of fruit, hops, cider and poets

Posted on July 26, 2006 by vhk10

Herefordshire, according to the side of a punnet of raspberries in the fridge. I’ve returned from a weekend of services at Hereford Cathedral with Priory Voices. On a visit some years ago, I was collared as I emerged from the … Continue reading →

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a double dose of Pushkin

Posted on July 19, 2006 by vhk10

I was intrigued by Mazeppa when I heard a broadcast from the Met last winter, so I took advantage of the opportunity to go to the WNO performance at the Hippodrome in Bristol. Why is a work of this quality … Continue reading →

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a double dose of Tchaikovsky

Posted on July 5, 2006 by vhk10

I performed Tchaikovsky’s Hymn to the Trinity during an ordination service on Sunday night. There was more choral music at the first mass the following night: I sang Byrd’s Tu es Petrus for the first time and also a rare … Continue reading →

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il metodo pratico

Posted on June 30, 2006 by vhk10

I’ve been rediscovering the ‘Metodo Pratico’ by Vaccai, which I first encountered some years ago with another teacher. It’s a set of short Italian songs, each designed to test at least aspect of technique, mostly articulation (which is what we … Continue reading →

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