Germany: Mahler, Dreikönigskirche concert, and Dresden
Hallo,
So the Mahler was incredible. The second movement was especially fun, a little German dance movement that was cute and bouncy. We sang only on the fifth movement, and it was glorious. The orchestra was good, but I was suprised to hear some tuning problems. It marred one of my favorite moments in the entire symphony, a low brass chorale near the end of the fourth movement. When it was over, we sat through over ten minutes of continuous applause - I am probably not exaggerating. The chorus was seated in the balcony, and Cameron, Kris, and I were able to beat the crowds out of the cathedral, head back to the hostel, and change clothes before anyone else even got there.
It's been pretty unfortunate that we've had to eat a lot of McDonald's because by the time our concert was over, nothing else was open.
Last night we sang everything we know except "The Lamb" and the French songs at the Dreikönigskirche. (Dry-cone-igs-keer-shuh) This was an event designed to draw attention to the Gemeinde Christi Dresden (Dresden church of Christ). It was very well-attended, and the Dreikönigskirche is a beautiful place in which to sing. The church held a "Meet the Chorus" reception with free Bratwurst and ribs earlier that afternoon, but not many people came to that. The concert went very well. I've been switching to a lower voice part for this group, which is presenting some unique challenges. Let's just say it's unusual to go from singing 2nd and sometimes 1st tenor on the front row of Concert Choir to singing 1st and sometimes 2nd bass and a few times 2nd tenor on the back row in Chorus. Vocal versatility is my newfound friend.
In about an hour, we leave for Chemnitz, where we won't be staying very long. I'm supposed to preach a 15 minute lesson (in English, with a German translator) on Sunday, so I'll probably work on that on the bus.
Coming up: Chemnitz and onward!
So the Mahler was incredible. The second movement was especially fun, a little German dance movement that was cute and bouncy. We sang only on the fifth movement, and it was glorious. The orchestra was good, but I was suprised to hear some tuning problems. It marred one of my favorite moments in the entire symphony, a low brass chorale near the end of the fourth movement. When it was over, we sat through over ten minutes of continuous applause - I am probably not exaggerating. The chorus was seated in the balcony, and Cameron, Kris, and I were able to beat the crowds out of the cathedral, head back to the hostel, and change clothes before anyone else even got there.
It's been pretty unfortunate that we've had to eat a lot of McDonald's because by the time our concert was over, nothing else was open.
Last night we sang everything we know except "The Lamb" and the French songs at the Dreikönigskirche. (Dry-cone-igs-keer-shuh) This was an event designed to draw attention to the Gemeinde Christi Dresden (Dresden church of Christ). It was very well-attended, and the Dreikönigskirche is a beautiful place in which to sing. The church held a "Meet the Chorus" reception with free Bratwurst and ribs earlier that afternoon, but not many people came to that. The concert went very well. I've been switching to a lower voice part for this group, which is presenting some unique challenges. Let's just say it's unusual to go from singing 2nd and sometimes 1st tenor on the front row of Concert Choir to singing 1st and sometimes 2nd bass and a few times 2nd tenor on the back row in Chorus. Vocal versatility is my newfound friend.
In about an hour, we leave for Chemnitz, where we won't be staying very long. I'm supposed to preach a 15 minute lesson (in English, with a German translator) on Sunday, so I'll probably work on that on the bus.
Coming up: Chemnitz and onward!
posted by Allen J P at
04:36
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