Schöner Götterfunken, Götterfunken!
 

The wife and I sang in the chorus last night in the second of three performances of Bruckner's Te Deum and Beethoven's Ninth. This isn't the first time on the Ninth for either of us, but it's still thrilling. I sing bass, she sings tenor.

With the New West Orchestra, Boris Brott conducting, and a hundred and twenty-four voices counting the soloists, we sang a heaven-storming performance. Boris and our chorale director were both effusive in praising our performance, the director saying we'd never done it better.

I'm still rather floating around in the heavens on those sanfter Flügel even after a good night's sleep. With the Bruckner as a warmup -- it's a suitable opening act for the Ninth, as it is itself a large, magnificent piece but not so grandiose as to fight with the Ninth for a top billing -- I ended up a bit hoarse by the time the louder measures of the middle of the Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato came around. Arrrgh, I was thinking -- didn't quite budget my effort right, but I managed to work around it, pulling back just a bit. I can sing double-forte a fair bit, but my voicebox's endurance is not preternatural. There's a lot of double and triple forte in the last half of the piece. The dynamics range from p to fff, and that's just for the chorus -- well, the soloists range the same way too.

Well, by the Presto at the end, it was like great sex. Guess that Kuss really is for all the world. I didn't quite weep afterwards, but my heart was very full. Someone at the reception afterwards asked me how I was. I said, "Exalted."

Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I knew such lovely pictures!

Actually, I quite like Beethoven's 9th. I have heard it live only once, but have 3 versions on CD. I had a 4th, but it was stolen.

singing is good for you

Yes, glatt; and we who aren't particularly droogy with the droogies (fuckin' prestoopniks) can have just as much fun as Alex did, by playing the CD on our 'puter while looking at our favorite netporn site or sites.

Ah UG I miss singing in a choir. I found it so rewarding - different than solo performing - less intense but more uplifting. I have never been able to describe to other people the lift you get singing harmony en masse. Especially when the sopranos just lift off and float above you with ethereal voices.

You describe it very well.

SG you're in LONDON FFS ... there are choral societies and local choirs all over the place there. Find one. Please. :)

I know - it's on my list!

Another bass, some years older than me, remarked that to sing the Ninth some time in his life was an item on his Bucket List. I said to him after the last performance that he'd likely do it again a few years down the road.

I mentioned to Boris Brott what John the bass had told me. Boris needed the term explained, but very much agreed in his quiet way.

Nuthin' wrong with checking a Bucket List item two or three times, either.