Wasn’t it good to be back singing yesterday evening?  The scientists amongst us might comment on the free flow of endorphins induced by the heightened collaborative socio-neuro-emotive-physical activity of singing.  Most of us would just say that we had a good time and felt much the better for it.

It was really good to catch up with colleagues after the break from rehearsals, to see some folk who have returned after a year or so’s lapse, and to see some new faces in our ranks.

Jim Abraham, standing in for Carlos, master minded a rehearsal which saw us focus on just two items, and finish with singing How lovely are thy dwellings fair quite creditably and very satisfyingly.

Brahms is a very interesting character, as his Wikipedia entry shows.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms )  It is intriguing that he called the piece A German Requiem, not The German Requiem.  He almost called it A Human Requiem, which would fit very well with his unusual choice of Biblical extracts for the libretto.  It is also intriguing that he uses German words to indicate the nature of each piece, in and amongst the usual Italian.  For example, No 4 has the indication Massig bewegt, meaning moderately expressively, presumably not too much, not too little – just in the middle. This is reminiscent of Karl Jenkins in Stella Natalis – do you remember Piously and Quirkily?

At the end of the rehearsal, I had decided that Brahms was not just beckoning.  This music, and all it represents, sucks the chorister – and eventually the audience – into a spiritual world of deep meaning and resonance.  This session promises to be one full of  enjoyment and satisfaction in equal measure.