Behold the Sea! – “exhausting
but exhilarating” – a view from the second altos
I usually sing in the
back row of the second altos, but for this concert found myself on the front
row between Adrienne and Barbara – and behind the trombones! I felt very exposed
but, like everyone else, I was determined to do justice to this exciting
programme. I’ve always enjoyed sea songs and sea/water inspired music, so I was
really looking forward to this concert. I’ve been a member of ACS long enough
to remember singing the Stanford and Vaughan Williams 20 years ago – but the
Britten was to be a real bonus.
We were a bit
tentative at certain points during the afternoon rehearsal – trying hard to
hold ourselves back so that we had something left for the evening. Singing with
a live orchestra is very different from practising with a recording. And so
much to remember! But Steven, our Musical Director, as well as conducting the
51 piece orchestra, managed to give us far more help than we’d been led to
expect. Like everyone else I was counting furiously, trying to get the entries
right despite the changing time signatures, and watching Steven even more than
usual. We were all ready for our tea!
In the evening concert
itself I was particularly looking forward to hearing and seeing ‘live’ the Four
Sea Interludes from ‘Peter Grimes’. The start of ‘Dawn’ with the violins
playing so high is a real goose-bump moment – and didn’t disappoint. ‘Storm’ is
loud and discordant, wonderfully conveying the violence and energy of a storm at
sea – I felt I was actually in it! Britten’s superb
portrayal of the sea in all its moods – he lived by the sea and knew it well –
was given an excellent rendition by the Manchester Philharmonic.
James Rutherford’s
voice really suited both the Stanford Songs of the Fleet and the Vaughan
Williams – clear and accurate with an engaging variety of tone and expression.
And a special thank you to Sally Harrison for stepping into the VW role at two
days’ notice. Her first entry needed to be arresting – and it was! Goosebumps again. Her voice really soared – lovely. Super performances from both of them in solo and duet passages.
Some of my guests thought that the orchestra was a little too loud for them at
times – but were most enthusiastic about their delivery.
As for ourselves, it
wasn’t a flawless performance, but I felt we lifted ourselves and performed
with great commitment and conviction. All the audience comments I heard were
exceptionally complimentary – “very evocative of the sea in all its changing moods,
absolutely stunning, real wow factor when both orchestra and ACS were at full
volume, wonderful contrast with the quieter choir-only sections”. (And thank
you, VW, for some lovely alto passages).
It was all over too
soon. I couldn’t believe it when I turned the last page – already! After the
jitters and teething problems of the afternoon, I felt it was an outstanding
concert. All the hard work, extra rehearsals, listening to the CD’s and
practising at home had paid off. Thank you everyone for giving me such an
exceptional evening, and especially to Steven for holding it all together and
continuing to inspire us. I am so glad I was able to be a part of it.
PS And thank you, Anne
Bullock, for an interesting and appropriate display in the foyer. Always worth
a look!
Jenny Williams – Alto
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