I am singing with my choir in a couple of concerts at the Opera House on November 1 and 6.
We've started rehearsals and from the sound so far, this one is going to be fantastic. If you have never been to a choral concert before, and you have even vaguely thought you might go one day, this is one worth turning up for to find out what it's about. Here's the ad.
The Dies Irae from Mozart's Requiem was used for an ad a few years ago, might have been the Melbourne Grand Prix, might have been Firestone tires; you will recognize it even if you aren't a classical music buff. Spine-tingling. Here 'tis on YouTube.
I can get cheap tickets for you (15% off A res, B res or C res) if you let me know soon enough, just respond with a comment and mark it Not For Publication if you don't want it to appear on this blog.
9 comments:
Graham Abbott conducted the State Secondary Schools Choral Concert crowd in excerpts from Mozart's Requiem sometime in the 90s.
The kids adored it, and sang the Dies Irae so lustily.
Got to know the Requiem and a lot of other Mozart music through Amadeus.
Terrific stuff.
I like classical music, though I prefer it without the singing, probably because it often sounds too much like opera (which I hate). I'm a Philistine. That one sounds great though.
I'm not saying there ought necessarily be a problem there, but do you feel any incongruity between your views of the Mass and singing a Requiem?
Hey the pook,
The short answer is no, with a long answer possible.
The slightly longer answer (but still not the longest possible) is that it's in Latin, and so far the only bits I've managed to decipher say something like 'Christ have mercy', which I'm OK with. The rest I'm deliberately avoiding attempting to comprehend.
The longer longer answer involves context, Opera Houses, absence of priests claiming a mediatorial role, and quite a bit more!
As far as I recall, the text of the standard mass is pretty orthodox stuff.
I think your actual requiem mass might have a few bits Protties would sniff at.
But the music is wonderful for many of 'em, and especially Mozart and Faure's.
Hey Mr Pook:
What's the difference between opera and rap?
Opera is people singing when they're sposed to be talking
Rap is people talking when they're sposed to be singing.
I think what people don't like about operas is the fat lady singing solo.
I think a lot of people would love the choruses, though.
I'd be keen to come! I will see if I can rustle up some more takers ...
I only just discovered that you had my poem in your reader (I stay below the radar with RSS feeds on blogs). Yikes! Thanks - I think. It's very hard to judge a poem of one's own.
Anyway, will get back to you re the concert. Sounds like a fine evening.
hey Mr Mac. That's a good one. Too true. I can't stand both artforms, though if I had to choose I'd go for Rap or Hiphop over Opera any day, on account of the lower screech factor and the fact that at least its intelligible (which isn't the same as saying that it makes sense!).
I'm with whimsical Suzanne Vega soundalike folk singer Christine Lavin on this one, where she sings about Opera "I can't understand a word they're singing, even when it's English..."
Rap [which has a silent C] would not seem to have the variety that there is in opera.
How much opera have you heard, Mr P? I am guessing you might enjoy male solo singers more than female, and choruses more than solos.
Nope. I dislike all Opera equally. Ballet also. Like I said, I'm a Philistine. In fact, apart from Les Miserables which is brilliant, I hate musicals too as a general rule, especially American ones.
One of the few things that Voltaire got right was that "anything too stupid to be said is sung."
Post a Comment