Tag Archives: Handel

singing Messiah to 3,000

Posted on January 16, 2013 by vhk10

Strictly speaking, I didn’t do this, because the audience was split between the ‘mini-Messiah‘ in the afternoon and a full performance (with a few cuts) in the evening. But singing to a nearly-full Colston Hall was a change from the … Continue reading →

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The muscle-memory Messiah

Posted on December 19, 2012 by vhk10

#MemorisedMessiah Even up North they don’t do this – sing the Messiah from memory. The Bristol Choral Society do it every year, and although newcomers are offered a rather gentler way in I have decided to do it the hard … Continue reading →

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The WholeNote

Posted on June 27, 2012 by vhk10

On a visit to Canada last month I found a copy in our hotel room of a publication called The WholeNote. It’s a monthly magazine about classical music (also covering jazz, musical theatre and world music) in the Toronto area. … Continue reading →

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A citizenship ceremony

Posted on March 23, 2012 by vhk10

I have recently taken part in a ceremony to admit some 30 or so people to British citizenship. My role was to help lead in the singing of the National Anthem after they’d heard from one or two people from … Continue reading →

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Bath Mozartfest 2011 (1): The Sixteen

Posted on December 22, 2011 by vhk10

My first Mozartfest concert was The Sixteen in Bath Abbey. Having missed their ‘choral pilgrimage’ when it came to Wells a few weeks ago I wanted to catch them especially as they were doing Purcell. Purcell is in fact a … Continue reading →

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Wakefield falls

Posted on October 31, 2011 by vhk10

Long-term readers of this blog will know of my ambition to perform in all 42 Church of England Cathedrals, and that since I sang in Leicester in June only two remain. I seized the opportunity to join a ‘come and … Continue reading →

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LPs batch 28: Chopin and other duplicates

Posted on July 8, 2011 by vhk10

This batch contained four miscellaneous Chopin discs: Pollini playing Etudes and Preludes, and two of Nikita Magaloff playing the Polonaises. Quite a bit of duplication because we both had significant Chopin collections. Another duplicate was Zimerman’s Schumann/Grieg concertos with Karajan … Continue reading →

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LPs batch 3: the less popular composers

Posted on March 18, 2010 by vhk10

The process continues apace. I’m afraid at the moment it’s still showing up which are the composers we are less keen on, as I save our favourites for later. I started with another old disc of mine, Holst’s Planets conducted … Continue reading →

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2009 and 2010’s resolutions

Posted on December 31, 2009 by vhk10

I have to admit that 2009 was a quieter year than I’d have liked on the vocal front. There were some highlights: I revisited Spem in Alium for the first time in a long while, and though between New Year … Continue reading →

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Deborah

Posted on July 28, 2009 by vhk10

The Chandos Singers paid tribute to the Handel anniversary by performing this early oratorio. It’s a curious piece, based on one of the biblical episodes that you don’t usually hear about in church; not very much judging under the palm … Continue reading →

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