Sorry.
Someone should keep a word count because I’m sure my blogs contain that particular adjective more than most.
I decided against an update last week as we were due to have a very exciting and exacting day on Saturday which I though would make far better news than the goings-on on Wednesday evening. However – life then took over and I couldn’t find time to follow through with my plans. And now I am here and in a rush AGAIN – (off to Germany in a while and not prepared, naturally). Aaaagh!
Yes, yes, I know – it’s all my own fault. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
So to Saturday. What a day we had. Met at the Reid Concert Hall at 9.45ish and then worked very hard indeed – with a short break for tea/coffee and birthday cake (more of that later*) and a short break for lunch – until about 4.15. We rehearsed and recorded and rehearsed and recorded and we got through everything we had to do in a pretty disciplined manner, let me tell you. Ollie only had to look pained a couple of times and raise his voice about once. We were so good. And that is a rare and beautiful thing. It has paid off, apparently, as Ollie announced last night that the recordings sound amazing. Yey! Can’t wait to hear them.
We now have Dormi Jesu – Abbie Betinis; three almost-impossible-to-get-hold-of-a-recording-of Armenian folk songs by Komitas; Une Puce – Le Jeune; Dieu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder – Debussy; Bogoroditsye Dyevo (probably spelt wrongly but I know it off-by-heart and lost my copy long ago and usually just call it ‘Bog Off’ anyway) – Arvo Part (with an umlaut) and one of our swing songs (done as an extra for fun and because we are cleverer than the men) down for posterity and I, for one, will proudly distribute copies to friends and family whether they want them or not.
(Red-squiggle Central after that).
*Anne’s birthday. She had to bring her own cake (delicious it was) and demand to be sung to. After all she does for us, too. Shameful behaviour. We devoured the cake and yelled a duly tuneless ‘Happy Birthday’ – eventually.
Having had a wee bit longer break we hurried (ran, in my case – I never used to be late for anything…blame all my friends who have kept me waiting over the years and worn me down) back to the hall for our evening concert. A short warm-up (or cool-down for me) and then downstairs to await our huge and avid audience…
…..of 20.
Yes, that’s right. 20. Only a few more of them than us – and usually we’d have been about on a par but there were a couple of absentees in our ranks.
What happened? Well – it was a beautiful evening, Andy Murray was playing tennis, people were selfishly busy graduating and there were several marches all jostling for a bit of Edinburgh road space so no wonder we were overlooked, eh? And, oh! such a quiet audience they were too until Anne bravely pointed out that they should feel free to applaud – which they then did as loudly as 20 slightly awkward-feeling people can. They looked happy enough – honest. And considering what a day we’d had we didn’t do too badly either – though we’ve been better. Anna Lauren forgot to come in at one point (too busy counting the audience though really that’s a poor excuse as it should have taken only about a milli-second), Helen saved the day but then dropped her music all over the floor (luckily at a point when she didn’t really need it any more), Jenny didn’t appear to have any music judging by the way she had to keep nudging closer to me and looking over my shoulder and there was a long silence in the middle of ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ when the small group members forgot to keep singing between verses. Ah well! Some things the audience wouldn’t have noticed and others they seemed to forgive us for so all’s well that ends with us vaguely in tune.
Last night we started some new pieces and got on really well – they will be fun to sing. And Jenny gets a chance to holler really loudly (so much so that Susan was concerned for her glass-wear and her neighbours’ comfort – but, hey, the notes weren’t high enough to threaten the glasses and the neighbours can put up with a thundering Jenny if they can put up with the rest of us at full throttle) and she will sound quite extraordinary in St Giles acoustic so you’d better be there to witness it. (29th August, 6pm).
Other excitement – the appearance of a new alto – Natalie by name, so maintaining the Rudsambee tradition of including at least two people with the same moniker at any one time as a mode of spreading confusion amongst members and fans. Natalie 2 is lovely. Used to be an actress like yours’ truly and may be again one day for all we know but is working for a charity at the moment – a much worthier job, I have to say! She seemed to enjoy herself and promised to be back next week. So there’s one vacancy filled. More newbies to come before too long, we hope.
Jen enjoyed herself hugely by telling John he had a leak under his car. I thought she was looking expectant and mischievous. When John returned wielding a rather phallic vegetable I understood. She then tried to get the leek back. What cheek. Finders keepers as someone (Susan, I think, who stood to gain from the acquisition of said veg) quite rightly pointed out.
Much hilarity. Jen purple.
Must dash. xx
ps This just in: pictures from last week's concert courtesy of Ally:
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