CDs, Carols and a Cuppa

Morning all,
To fill you in on last night's rehearsal...After a challenging concert (a la last Wednesday), the next rehearsal is always a cheery, freedom-filled affair and last night was no exception. Queue quite a lot of laughing (including at one stage me and A-L literally crying with mirth). If you had inadvertently walked into the Wexler's abode at about 7.50pm, you would have discovered fifteen (ish- lots of illness!) grown people with books on their heads (I got a Chalet girl novel, A-L got 'The Secret Garden', I was jealous...) attempting to do a basic celiedh dance while singing barely recognisable notes. What larks! Our new tenor, Oliver (yes...another one) joined us and wasn't put off by this general madness. WELCOME OLIVER!

And so on to the rehearsal proper. We concentrated on two pieces- the Betinis 'Run, Tobogan, Run' which has A LOT of words and a jazzy tune, and Part's 'Bog off'. The former has a lovely easy soprano line and a really tough alto line so we sit there looking smug. It sounded very good and it will be fun to sing at Christmas. The latter is exciting, mainly because, as Robin so eloquently put it, 'you get to sing loud'. Well, indeed you do, very loud! It is the dynamic change that makes this piece so interesting...that and the fact that in true Rudsambee style, it is in Russian. Ol has decided to leave 'Deck the Halls' etc for November. Singing proper carols before that seems wrong somehow, like stores that have their advent calendars in before the end of August and shopping centres that insist on playing Cliff (who I love btw) in October.

Anyways, the final half hour was spent talking about the new CD. Had you been in the Rudsambee email inner ring this week (not quite as exciting as it sounds actually), you would have had an inbox full of correspondence relating to this very topic. It is the big discussion point of the week (forget the stoopid American election...this is where it is at). Actually I think we got away quite lightly as no one threw anything, stormed out or took umbrage, and we made decisions. Hoorah! Helen is working jolly hard on the recording while our resident Roger Dean-alike, John, battles with the design. Look out for it folks- it will be there in time for Santa to bring you a copy.

It was great to see Alison back last night. We missed you very much and are really glad you are up and about. Lots of illness in Rudsambee right now so get well soon to all who feel sick, especially Kay who sounded dreadful. Final chat went as follows...Peter Kay, the remarkable similarities between his joke song and the new single from lovely Leon Jackson, the Biblical book of Ezra, the problems in our academic system, the little green frog song and Alice the camel. For a small fee, I will perform either of those final two.

Felicitations
CSW