Concert Week Schedule

A reminder that all rehearsals concert week are in the Alys Stephens Center. You can check times and dates online at http://concertchorale.org/addendum/schedule.html. Also, ALL REHEARSALS THIS WEEK ARE MANDATORY! This is a standing Chorale rule that has been reinterated for Carmina week by Maestro Brown.

Artists Incorporated

The BCC's own Barry Ivker invites you to see his and other local artists' work at Artists Incorporated. Visit their website at: http://www.artistsincorporated.com/.

The Morning After

You might find this interesting . . . a conductor talks about what it feels like the morning after a great rehearsal:

David Griggs-Janower gives us this wonderful summation of "the morning after" a great evening rehearsal or a long teaching day:

A conductor, like a teacher in a classroom, is always "on" in rehearsal. Up, vibrant, alive, enthusiastic, making people glad to be there, making them work hard. Making them appreciate the repertory, from the large-scale greatness to the extraordinary subtleties. From the beauty to the intellectual conception. The greater the piece (like Bach’s St. John Passion), the greater the sheer amount of wonderful things to discover.

And every second on the podium you are doing at least three things at once in three different time zones: preparing by your gestures what’s coming next; showing in your hands, face and body what you want the sound to be like as it happens; and listening and reacting to what you just heard. And also planning ahead as you hear it how to fix what wasn't right. And deciding which things to fix, and whether to stop or not and fix now, as opposed to later, while you are doing all those other things. Because music happens in time, time is intrinsically involved all the, uh, time.

You never get to stop and breathe while conducting. If you do breathe, there are 70 people sitting there waiting for you to say something. And if you let them relax, some momentum is lost, some edge. You also have to plan your stops, to allow the relaxation when it's necessary, but avoid it when rehearsal momentum is needed.

And so on Wednesday mornings I wake up absolutely exhausted.

Fortunately there are some heavy-duty drugs available: I drink two cups of coffee!

Read the whole post here.

Next 3 rehearsals

Our next 3 BCC rehearsals are:

Monday, January 12
Thursday, January 15
Monday, January 19

All at Briarwood from 7 - 9pm.

A possible Thursday, January 22 rehearsal will be determined later.

The earlier proposed Saturday rehearsal is cancelled.

Upcoming rehearsal plans

Monday, January 12:

• #8 Chramer, gip
• #10 Were diu werlt
• #18 Circa mea pectora
• #20 Veni

Thursday, January 15

• #22 Tempus
• #24 Ave formosissima
• #25 O Fortuna

We WILL REHEARSE on Monday, January 19th, even though it is Martin Luther King holiday.

Oh No! Rehearsal Schedule

The BCC will have a supplemental rehearsal for Carmina Burana on Thursday, January 15th in our regular rehearsal space at Briarwood. Time is the same as Mondays, 7-9 pm.

There is also a tentative additional rehearsal scheduled for the following Thursday, January 22nd, same time and place. The decision on need for this rehearsal will be made and announced later.

Please be aware these Thursday rehearsals are in addition to our regular Monday rehearsals, not in lieu thereof, and the earlier proposed Saturday rehearsal is cancelled.

Carmina Notes: January 5 rehearsal

Here are some notes from last night's rehearsal:

Primo Vera

• study the words on your own . . . we are fumbling and we have to know them well.
• i encourage everyone to write down the translations of the words they are singing.  plenty of resources for this - and here is one.
• nearly every phrase in Primo Vera has a slur over a break.  Our default will be to observe the Slur, not the break.
• Pay close attention to dynamics of each verse.
• Exception to SLUR rule will be at Circle 18.  Break between avivum/silve

Ecce Gratum

• 3 before Circle 25:  make sure the S of tristia comes on the 8th note:  Tri - sti - a.
• 2 after Circle 32:  Emphasize K consonant sound on qui, conantur, and Cupidinis

Floret:

• ms. 3 break after Floret
• carry silva-nobilis (m. 4-5)
• After circle 45, put the S of floribus on the &
• 8 after Circle 45, put quarter rest at end of both measures with half notes
• Circle 46:  S comes on the & of every Foliis.
• Two after Circle 47:  change from rehearsal decision.  Put the S of antiquus on b. 4 (don't carry like I said in rehearsal)
• Three after Circle 47:  sing like this:  me - u - sa.  The S is elided to amicus.  We will do the same in all places like that.
  

Rehearsal resumes January 5

Carmina doesn't wait!

See you there at 7:00 p.m.