Tag Archives: Handel

Amen to that!

Following on from the canticle and anthem ‘World Cups’, Twitter has recently been enlivened by a similar venture to find the setting of the best setting of the word Amen. I followed this from the start and indeed nominated a … Continue reading

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in praise of … the pieces that swallow rehearsal time

I’m not sure I’m really praising these, as in fact they are a nuisance. We have all encountered them – the pieces which seem innocuous and straightforward, yet which consume the lion’s share of rehearsal, possibly leaving others unprepared. How … Continue reading

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Other recordings I’ve made

As I’m on the verge of recording a CD, it’s time to look back at other recordings I’ve made. The new recording with Bristol Choral Society will be the sixth professional one I’ve made. The others (mostly recorded when I … Continue reading

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this blog’s first Mozart Requiem

It was gratifying to sing once again to a full Cathedral for Bristol Choral’s most recent concert. Our first half was a piece I’d never sung before: Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum. I recall this being quite popular on concert programmes … Continue reading

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my Clifton Cathedral début

I could have performed in Clifton Cathedral on a number of occasions – for example, if I’d joined the Bath Festival Chorus – but have never actually done so. The Cathedral doesn’t host many concerts, and I believe that Bristol … Continue reading

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the penultimate night of the Proms

Time was when this was always Beethoven 9. This year it was Handel’s Theodora with Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo, and as I was in London that day I decided to go. Theodora is an odd one out among Handel’s oratorios. … Continue reading

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the harpsichord playing of my dreams

I didn’t want to miss the Bath Bachfest lunchtime recital of Mahan Esfahani and Michala Petri, either of whom would be a draw on their own. They came to the Guildhall with a programme of music by Handel, Bach, Telemann, … Continue reading

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Opera at the V & A

I caught the V & A’s exhibition Opera: Power, Passion and Politics 10 days or so before it closed (which it has done now – sorry), and found it thought-provoking though not in the ‘unmissable’ category. The exhibitions centres on … Continue reading

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Walking with YouTube

Last week I sang Handel’s ‘Where’er you walk’ at a graveside ceremony for a member of my husband’s family. I shan’t write more about the occasion here, but instead talk about my use of recordings in preparation. This aria used … Continue reading

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Messiah back on the book

The annual Bristol Choral Society Messiah came round again. The choir started singing the piece from memory while Adrian Partington was musical director, building it up with a few more choruses each year. With a change of conductor and an … Continue reading

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