A Night at St Giles

Evening blog fans. It's a Sunday and I'm writing a fantabulous post for Relative Pitch, so it can only mean that we had a concert tonight. So it was the first in our Christmas series - St Giles at 6.

As always we had a great audience. In fact the place was packed and we even sold two CDs before the concert! The couple bought the recording on the basis of our 4pm rehearsal. That's proper showbiz - only the big bands sell merchandise before the gig. Lots of familiar faces in the audience including the entirety of the blogstress' family on the first three rows.

But as always it's the behind the scenes goss that the blog fans really want. So, I realised at 11pm last night that I was missing two whole pieces of music! Susan, of course, saved the day by bringing a couple of new copies. But, you ask, who made the biggest mistake of the night? Did Angus forget to bring the right shirt again? Did Maestro Boy lift his eyebrows a little too frequently (see numerous earlier posts)? Well, the culprit was Rudsambee's resident Whitacre wannabe Jen who brought the regulation black shoes... but two completely different black shoes. Genius!

So how did the concert go? Well, I must say very well. We even managed to crack the jazzy bit of Deck the Hall much to Maestro Boy's evident surprise. His face was an absolute picture - such pride... and astonishment! Everyone clapped a lot (after the whole concert not just for Deck the Hall...even though it was great) which I always think is an encouraging sign.

If you are a Rudsambee groupie (and who, I ask, isn't?) you can even hear us on the radio tomorrow night. Check out me and Maestro Boy as we become the radio stars that video certainly didn't kill. 9pm on Leith FM. Fantastish! Our second concert is Wednesday night at Priestfield Church on Dalkeith Rd. And then, of course, we have the full shebang (not just the abbreviated version you got tonight, folks) next Saturday night at Augustine Church on George IV Bridge. Blimey, how can you keep up! Apologies, btw, for performing at three venues where parking is virtually impossible. Not intentional.

Do check us out at some stage this Christmas. Oh, and a CD makes an excellent Christmas present - compact, easy to wrap, provides entertainment beyond boxing day and won't make you fat. Brillig.

CSW

A jolly night at St Giles

Good evening folks. An extra blog post this week to fill you in on this evening's concert. Singing at St Giles is always a "generally entertaining" experience as you have the double fear of the sheer amount of spectators and the acoustic which, though beautiful to listen to music in, is tough-as-you-like to get right. After running through the festival crowds (including negotiating a man on a tall ladder) we arrived in time to have a bit of a warm-up, beginning rather ambitiously with Bogoff.

After a cup of tea, Angus realising he had brought the wrong shirt (so he wore pink all night - hee hee!), usual lost folders, and Anne handing out her customary politically-incorrect sweeties (probably best not to ask about this if you don't know what on earth I'm talking about) we were off. So, the actual concert went very well. Sfogava was a wonderful (if hair-raising) singing experience; Man, the acoustic made a huge difference. Even Tormis' swingy girl song passed as a piece of music. And Kay and I managed to fumble our way through the Thuma Mina/Akanamandla link without too much bother. We finished with possibly the world's quickest ever version of Jede Sedlak. Maestro Boy fancied a challenge methinks.

As usual, the audience were very encouraging and St Giles proved to be a crackin' venue - as always. So on Wednesday, out come the bells, the tree and the baubles as we start on our Christmas music. I know, I know. However, I am slacking off for the week but hopefully there will be a blog post - I'll leave it in the safe (relatively safe) hands of our resident Editor.

Thanks to all who came to support us tonight. It would have been a bit dull without you all... and we would have felt a little foolish, especially when it came to the bowing!

Until next time blog fans

CSW

"It's very entertaining"

...an opening quote from Kay there, an apt description of the rather jolly 'Star of the County Down'. The small/large group - affectionately known as Rudsam-wee by this blogstress - singing the piece were not entirely sure how to take that. But it was very entertaining, as was our warmup led by none other than Maestro Boy himself. We began with singing our reactions (squeals of delight or groans of frustrated horror)to the all-encompassing Edinburgh festival. For those not in an EH region, Auld Reekie has been taken over by, well, the entire world it would seem, who flock to the Capital to see Art, good and bad. Legendary theatre director Tyrone Guthrie suggested that "Everyone enjoys it, except my Edinburgh cousins who complain of the phenomenal and outrageous rise in the price of carrots". In our contemporary-carrots-for-pennies-you-can-even-get-them-ready-sliced world I must admit the price rises in the vegetable sphere largely do not affect me. The traffic, people stopping abruptly while walking on pavements and the endless leaflets do. Yet I will not turn Scrooge. It is still an exciting city to be in at present.

So last night was our final rehearsal before St Giles. Even the Tormis swing song was "entertaining," i.e. according to soon-to-be-teacher Robin, it actually sounded like a piece of music. Huzzah! And (in an even bigger shock - hold the 'phone!) the Monteverdi is beginning to sound like a real piece too. This is going to be magnifique in St Giles and will be worth the ticket price alone... especially since it is a free gig!

As is our custom at present, Rudsambee chunked (see previous posts) and mixed up which really helps with tuning. And, since Rachel was standing just in front of our Editor Christopher, she provided him with a perfect music stand, folder balanced on her head. Yet even with the chunking last night you could largely tell where the sopranos were as for some reason Mummy Elaine, Alison and Helen all wore Rudsambee uniform of black and red. I wore pink just to be difficult! And to clash, but only visually not musically.

The African set was interesting last night as I entirely forgot how the piece even went. Excellent, considering that Kay and I are leading off. Don't panic blog fans - I will wander about singing it for the next couple of days and all will be well.

Just to fill you in on last Saturday, the wedding went off without a hitch. Helen's Ave Maria was spectacular, and we all started on the right note for Irish Blessing but that was probably because Anne was belting out a Bb on the organ as loud as possible. The congregation didn't really join in with the responsorial psalm but they all nodded so maybe 'response' meant just that ('Ah yes, quite right' nods) rather than actually singing along. They didn't have the words anyways so it might have proved a little difficult. Congrats to the happy couple and to Douglas who looked pleased as punch (eh? What sort of a saying is that?) all day.

So we look forward to Sunday evening. It should be a great concert so I'd recommend it - I'd be a bit foolish not to.

As usual a post-concert blog update is to be expected...

CSW