Back to rehearsals

Well, after our jollies in the Czech Republic we are now back to work in Rudsambee with a great load of new music. Veljo Tormis dominated last night, and may continue to do so. My favourite is definitely the wacky 'Ronis harg kuuse otsa' (or for those without fluent Estonian, 'The Ox Climbed a Fir Tree') which discusses the plight of an ox who climbed a tree (clue is in the name huh?) in mittens and boots. Tormis' lyrics are as weird and wonderful as those on the second best album ever made Abbey Road. Think Octopus' Garden with a Baltic twist - nice!


We also began our work on a couple of jolly Gaelic songs. We definitely missed Peter's linguistic skill but it all sounded rather nice. Arvo Pärt's O Morganstern was also on the agenda last night. Now, imagine that you are singing two completely different songs with different keys, rhythms etc... put them together and hey presto! you have O Morganstern. Advice given by Ollie for both this and the Ox: Don't, under any circumstances, listen to anyone else in the rest of the choir. Sing with your fingers in your ears if necessary. You should hear this (difficult perhaps with your fingers in your ears so remove them for a moment please)! There is actually a moment when it sounds like a normal (ish) song but this only lasts two bars and the final bar is very peculiar. The sopranos made faces at each other... although this isn't realyl unusual, it must be said.


Also of note last night was the return of Kay. It should be minuted that actually she didn't miss a rehearsal, due to our month's break. Dedication to the cause, Kay! It is great to have you back and we are pretty sure that Baby will be fluent in Hebrew, adept at Estonian cat sounds and able to hit the top note in 'O Magnum Mysterium'. We are actually looking for a bass... maybe it is a bit soon.


Anyways, that's all for now. More Czech stories coming very soon...

CSW


[Chris says] No sign of the Ox or the Pärt, but here's one of the other Tormis pieces we were making a start on: