Izabela and Xi Yang came over to Carol Woods to rehearse the Martinu. This retirement community has a marvellous assembly hall with great acoustics and they are very generous in allowing musicians from the community to use it. They have a very busy concert schedule with a Summer Music Festival, a Winter Concert Series and miriads of teachers' student recital, mine included! It is the only hall around that will accommodate 18 or so cellists.
It gave us a good opportunity to get the feel of a larger hall and we had a good rehearsal - several people wandered in to listen and asked us when we were performing it. I had hoped we could play it there at my students' recital in May, but unfortunately as it turned out, Izabela was quite ill on the day.
April 2
Dress rehearsal at the Museum with the singers as well. The hall had good acoustics and felt comfortable. I was glad we had been able to play at Carol Woods. I was excited to play the Arvo Part, I love the Stabat Mater, and my friend Rogers Covey Crump had given me some last minute tips on performing it. It is a taxing work for singers having to sustain the long notes and keep up the pitch. We spent quite a long time working on the ensemble and all in all it went well, but us string players felt we could have had more time going through the Martinu. The Museum closed at 5pm and we had to be out.
April 3rd
Concert day! We warmed up on stage with the singers and then the Martinu and felt good. The auditorium was full. Each piece on the program was paired with a tryptic from the museum. We didn't get to hear much of the William Byrd Mass for the three singers as we were in a room behind the stage, but by the audience's clapping response, it had gone well. Then it was our turn with the Martinu and it went like a dream, just flew by, like a good ride on a safe roller coaster. I felt so happy that it went so well and the audience loved it. The Stabat Mater had its moments, but may have been too much for the singers after singing the 25 minute Byrd Mass. It lost its flow momentarily in the middle and intonation was not always impeccable. However, it was well received by the audience, and we all were given many compliments at the reception that followed. Due to some miscommunication in the arrangements, there was no recording. I was disappointed as I hoped to put a clip and the review on this blog. The organiser had told Maggie " It is such a shame there will not be a review". For whatever reasons, this series of concerts are not given reviews.
with Xi Yang -viola, Izabela Spiewak -violin after the Museum concert.
April 5
Rehearsals start for the Durham Symphony Pops Concerts. The Program is Arensky -Overture from Egyptian Nights, Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st mvt., Strauss Blude Danube Waltz, Shostakovich-Festive Overture, Vaughan Williams English Folk Songs 1st movement, Coleridge Taylor Danse Negre, Herbert American Fantasy, Lloyd Webber Evita
April 8
The Emerson Waldorf All-School Orchestra and Band Spring concert on the Southern Village green. A big undertaking, starting with all levels together playing an arrangement of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. The middle school orchestra played an arrangement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony and the Purcell Chacony. The High School orchestra is still very small, but they did play the Telemann Viola concerto with Matt (the violin/viola teacher) playing a movement and two students playing the other 2 movements. The HS Jazz band was fun to listen to.
Certainly the music department has come a long way since Jason became the music/choral director.
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| The cello section |
One of Musica's favorite gigs, the annual Duke Reunion Brunch in Duke Gardens. The gardens are in spectacular bloom and the music of 10 strings wafts over the gardens courtesy of the Duke sound sytem experts. Duke alums wander around drinking mimosas and enjoying the upmarket box lunches (we get them them too, but the mimosas have to wait until we are finished playing!) Wisteria covers the Pergola at the top of the gardens, beds of tulips going down to the Fishpond which has had a revamp, and where we sit close to. Sadly a tree that used to give us shade was taken down to provide room for a patio. Better for us to play but we missed the tree. Fortunately it wasn't too hot this year. We play for 3 hours with a break in the middle. The program is varied, something for everyone - light classics, Rhosymedre is an annual favorite, Handel's Entrance of the Queen of Sheba, Vivaldi Summer, Stamitz orchestra Quartet, pop - Beatles, Joplin rags, Moon River, La Vie en Rose, and we always end with Orange Blossom Special
The Musica String Ensemble
Later that afternoon, after popping in to Kate's 7th birthday party, I went on to the monthly meeting of the Carolina Chapter of the Viola da Gamba Society of America. We played from Book 4 of the Jacobean Consort music, Orlando Gibbons, Five part in Nomines and Coperario Fantasias in 4 parts. All good practice for Dartington!
April 11
Group cello rehearsal of the Beethoven Rondo.
April 15
Rehearsal for the UNC Consort of Viols concert on May 1st. Last time we will all be together before the dress rehearsal, as people will be away for Easter.
April 16
A wedding ceremony at the Carolina Inn. The bride had luck on her side, North Carolina was hit by a huge number of tornados that ripped throught Raleigh and south eastern parts of the state, killing many people and huge amounts of damage. Trailer parks and neighborhoods were decimated. In Chapel Hill we had a tremendous downpour, I thought it would come my bathroom skylight, but fortunately didn't. It blew over after about 20 minutes so I was able to make to the Carolina Inn. Although the ceremony was moved inside, the bride got her wish of having her wedding photos taken outside, and it turned out to be a gorgeous evening.
April 17
The Durham Symphony Pops concert in Hillsborough went ahead, and it was a beautiful day. I love to play outdoors, there's nothing like it on a good day. The house of our conductor who lives in Raleigh was in the neighborhood that sustained so much damage and he went rushing back after the concert to see if his house was still standing. It was.
April 19 & 20
Rehearsals for the Easter program at Muir's Chapel, Greensboro. We were a string quartet - Suzanne, Laura, Kitty and me, and Suzanne drives us the 50 miles each way, so we have good conversations and catch up time. The work is a contemporary Christian cantata "Who do you say I am?" by Larson and we ended with the Halleluia Chorus. The Choir Director, Chuck , did an excellent job of training the choir and putting it all together. We have played there on many occasions. Chuck's wife Susan was the choir director of St. Matthews Church in Hillsborough before they married. We have also played there many times over the years. It's a tiny Episcopal church over 175 years old, built when the British were there.
April 22
UNC Viols rehearsal
April 23
The Durham Symphony Pops concert at the Central Park Pavillion in Durham. A very stormy morning, but cleared up by 3pm. Enthusiastic and large crowd.
April 24
Easter Service at Muir's Chapel in Greensboro. The church was packed and the music was very well received.
April 25
Cello group rehearsal. The Rondo is coming on well.
April 28
Rehearsal in Duke Chapel for the Womens' Voice choir concert. Directed by Allen Friedman we are playing the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi and the "Cradle of Fire". We are a small string orchestra with harpsichord and harp. The Cradle of Fire has lush instrumention and the movement has a beautiful duet for the two cellos.
April 29
Final UNC Viol rehearsal before the concert.
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