Concert Weekend

I am sitting here all ready to head off for John and Susan’s for my lift to Rosslyn.  At the moment clad simply in two layers (tights and jeans, vest and jumper) I have prepared a bag containing many items of clothing in which to present myself as Michelin Man(ly woman) later on, in the chapel.  I have another vest (thermal), leggings, my regulation black trousers, of course (will have to ditch the jeans though I’d keep them on underneath if I could), two cardigans, gloves and two shawls - though I am the second shawl in case someone else needs another layer rather than to sport them both myself.  They can be tricky little b*****s to deal with and I can’t imagine what sort of tangle I’d end up in if I attempted to manage two at once.

There is still snow on the ground but we have been assured we can reach our venue; reassuring emails have been sent to choir and audience... now we just have to wait and see which members of the latter group are brave and hardy enough to come and listen to us tonight.

12:03 am – home again.  Really quite a reasonably sized audience.  There had been some concern about ticket sales but no need to exercise ourselves about as it turns out.  While not a sell-out in the straining-at-the-seams level which has been the Rosslyn Chapel experience in former times, the place is small enough to look full even when it isn’t and certainly there appeared to be very few vacant seats.   I think the concert went well, though it has to be admitted that there were some raggedy moments and some dodgy, winter-affected voices from time to time.  Some pieces went better than expected and some not so well as they might but this is pretty much the way of live performances everywhere so let’s not be too hard on us!  St Giles tomorrow and a chance to get right that which went a bit pear-shaped and to improve on the things that were close to completely gorgeous.

It was delightful to welcome Helen back into the Rudsambee fold – however temporarily - and well done to her for managing to sing everything even when she’d never sung at least half of it before in her life.  Not something your blogetteer could do in a month of Sundays.  A very small and select group, which included Helen and the BW, gave us a marvellous rendition of Veni, Veni, Emmanuel – sounded glorious in the chapel and it was really lovely to be able to sit and listen for a change.  Anne played her harp for a few pieces and Sebastian played his cello along with her for Nu Tandas and they did a beautiful job.  Thank you, you two.  Fabby.

So, one more concert this year, our Christmas party on Wednesday and then we head into 2012 with some big questions over the future direction of Rudsambee but with a determination on the part of not a few members to move onwards (possibly not upwards but, at the very least, on a steady path) into something new.  This should be exciting.  Let’s be excited.

Please.

Thank you.

I was less of a Michelin Man than anticipated tonight thanks to a new heating system in the chapel.  Not that it was particularly warm; just not perishing.  I left off the thermal vest and the two cardigans (and the extra shawl), but I did wear my leggings beneath my trousers, on top of my tights.  I didn’t take thick socks.  I couldn’t, anyway, have got thick socks into my shoes but stone floors and thin shoes are a bad combination and my (not so tiny) feet were frozen.  Solid.  Ice-blocks.  Horrid.  I sat and warmed them in front of a cosy fire in the pub after the concert but they still feel dampish, even now.  Bed with a hot-water bottle, I think, if I am to be thawed out for tomorrow’s performance.

And more of that once we’ve done it.  Night-night.

And now we have.  And it went very well indeed.  A lo-o-ong rehearsal beforehand; so long that the long-suffering cathedral tea-ladies were getting agitated at our non-appearance.  However, it was worth it for the added confidence gained and, some of last night’s problems addressed, we headed into this concert with much more aplomb.  St Giles is such a lovely place to sing and we always get a huge and appreciative audience... I don’t think we disappointed them.  Tonight we had Tamsin on harp and Anne on piano with Sebastian doing a beautiful job on his cello for Nu Tandas, we sang Seal Lullaby with Anne (and a toy seal) on piano and Tamsin played her harp for Riu, Riu Chiu, with Nikos (much recovered from the op but still a little stuffy of nose, btw) shaking tambourine and Heather banging a drum somewhere in the background.

Great fun.

During the rehearsal an Icelandic friend of Ollie’s (does he know someone of every possible nationality????) came to listen to us singing Immanuel Oss I Natt so that he could give us some hints as to correct pronunciation.  A little late in the day you might think – as did we – but, luckily for us, he was extremely impressed with our efforts and only had about four changes to make.  We pretty much managed to remember them though it isn’t easy to change the way you’ve been singing something for years in a matter of minutes.   I believe there were some Swedish people in the rehearsal audience who offered to help with Nu Tandas and, indeed, I think they did give soloists Rachael and Marie Claire some hints as they both sang some words with unfamiliar pronunciation so well done to them and I hope the Swedes were as happy as our man from Iceland.

Poor Heather was feeling awful, as was Chris.  Kirsty has been feeling very under-the-weather, too and suffering from lack of voice but she is off to Canada on Wednesday to spend Christmas with her daughter and was looking much brighter tonight, no doubt buoyed by that prospect.  Anne had almost completely lost her voice but Ollie persuaded her to join us and sing what she could and mime where she couldn’t and I was very glad indeed to have her by my side to help me with the little alto solo (duet) in Amuworu.  I really had very little idea what I was doing due to lack of practise and lord alone knows what would have happened if I’d been left to myself.  (It’s only two bars and about four notes but the timing’s awkward and it really needs belting out which is difficult if you have no confidence in what you’re doing).  Tamsin was hacking and coughing away but managed to sing her solo line in Steal Away as beautifully as usual, so - very well done to all our brave little soldiers.  Marvellous.

Well, more after the party if I can remember anything.  Sorry if this is a bit boring but we’ve been very serious recently what with having to try and sing things properly for people willing to pay good money to hear us do so.  Next concert, February.

 And after that... who knows???

Turn me back for one minute and...

I’ve been in Munich visiting the old man.  When I left Edinburgh on Friday morning the weather was really quite good.  I had a pleasant walk down to Waverley Bridge – no coat, just a jumper; clear skies and only a little chill in the air.  I spend a couple of days away in a city which is quite often perishingly cold at this time of year but which was also rather clement this weekend and I return to FREEZING air and what looks alarmingly like the remains of SNOW on the ground.   What the...?

Not good.  This is not at all what I want.  I would like the white stuff to stay away until after Christmas and Hogmanay so that I can go and do all the things I’ve arranged to do without interruption, thank you.   And, also, we had to cancel our Rosslyn Chapel concert last year and really don’t want to be doing the same thing again this.  Ticket sales are looking a little dodgy, apparently, which is hardly surprising as our many fans are by now accustomed to missing out on hearing us warbling in this venue, so many years have passed since last we were able to do so.  If you are reading this and know anyone who might like to come and swell our audience numbers please encourage them to apply for a ticket or two.  Merci.

If that request is to bear any fruit at all I had better get on with this epistle so that it can be made available to you as soon as possible.

Wednesday – so long ago – Ollie was away so had asked Arno to step into his (rather small) shoes which he did admirably and with very little sign of squished toes.  We worked very hard and got quite a lot done considering we were sans Lord and Master. 

At one point John got very narky about our habit of talking between songs having, he said, missed some important part of a discussion some people were having about something important.  He was really very impressive; quite like a schoolmaster.  Cowed all us gossipers good an’ proper.For a minute or two at least.

Whether or not we are all entirely happy with everything we will be singing at the weekend, I can’t say.  Somehow the preparations for these concerts seems to have been a little rushed and we are missing personnel to an alarming degree in the soprano section, especially as I think Tamsin is unable to sing with us on Saturday.  Nikos was off to have an operation on his throat/nose??? So is unlikely, I imagine, to be recovered enough to sing and Kirsty was decidedly croaky and snuffly on Wednesday – there’s bound to be at least one choir member struggling with a cold on Saturday evening.  Still, if anything can be said for Rudsambee members it is that they come up trumps at concert time no matter what adversity they may be suffering, so no doubt all will be well in the long run.  We are to have some extra rehearsal time this week and I for one will be having a glance through my folder to identify those awkward moments on which I wish to work.  And I know there are words I need to look at –  foreign ones I don’t know well enough to look confidently at Ollie whilst singing.

Does that last sentence make sense?  Ach, well.  Nevermind, eh?

I had a moan on Wednesday as Ollie had left me (and a few others) off the quartet list I was having a moan about last week.  Bit previous that first moan but I do like to make my feelings clear well in advance.  Anyway, the L&M sent round an email to say that he’d overlooked the presence of a third verse that needed to be quarteted so now I DO have a part to sing as do other previously left-outers.  Yey!!  It’s not the same verse I sang last time so I will need to learn even more words but I’m not complaining –

she says hastily.

Lacking time and inspiration. Apologies. More later in the week.

Kisses.