Tag Archives: Elgar

‘a passionate and sensitive interpretation’

The following Saturday I returned to another work I performed earlier this autumn, The Dream of Gerontius in Colston Hall. Again we had new soloists (ours were Mark Padmore, Susan Bickley and David Stout), conductor (Adrian Partington) and orchestra (Bournemouth … Continue reading

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My Radio 3 début

When I sang in the last English Cathedral last year, people asked what my next ambition was. I didn’t really have a single big one, but I did have a number of other things I wanted to do, among which … Continue reading

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Prom 44: Strauss, Elgar and Berlioz

I don’t think I’ve been in the Arena for a sell-out Prom before. I was sold my ticket with seconds to spare before I squeezed into the Arena. A popular programme, and I heard a fair few Australian accents in … Continue reading

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Singing to Barry Rose

I rejoined Birmingham Conservatoire Camerata for a concert in St Andrew’s Church, Cheddar later in the week. This was sacred and secular choral music loosely grouped by themes and interspersed with some solo items. There were a couple of pieces … Continue reading

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aunts and uncles

#earley The Erleigh Cantors’ concert in St. Peter’s Earley (a new venue for us) had a dual theme of Venice and Shakespeare, though we didn’t actually sing anything connected to The Merchant of Venice. The first half was Venetian, and … Continue reading

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going up the Octagon

I have never been able to go up the Octagon in Ely Cathedral before, but it is now open to the public on guided tours, and some of us in the Cathedral Chamber Choir seized the chance to do so … Continue reading

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a gatekeeper in the house of the Lord

As a resident of Bath I ‘hosted’ the Cathedral Chamber Choir’s weekend at Bath Abbey and this entailed letting people into rehearsal venues and generally shepherding them around. A weekend at Bath Abbey is unusual because it includes Matins and … Continue reading

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Two and half degrees of slope

If you place a coin on its side on the floor of the nave of St. David’s Cathedral, aligned east-west, it will quickly start to roll westwards because of the slope of the building. It’s really quite disconcerting to see … Continue reading

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LPs: batch 19 – trying to finish Shostakovich

I realised I’d been neglecting chamber music, so I moved on to an LP of Mozart’s piano quartets with the Beaux Arts trio, followed by a couple of string quartets performed by the Quartetto Italiano. Representing solo piano in this … Continue reading

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LPs: batch 18 – a tasteless sleeve

This batch was largely orchestral music again. It started with an old LP of mine: James Galway ‘The Man with the Golden Flute’ playing assorted pieces which showcase the instrument. One track is a bit notorious: a Moto Perpetuo by … Continue reading

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