It has been a long time coming, but at last night’s rehearsal, the Opera Choruses seemed to start to come together.  Many of us have missed a few rehearsals, due to combinations of extended travel and sickness, and for these people, there has been a lot to learn in a short time.  But at last it is all beginning to feel like music rather than a set of notes represented by bewildering tadpoles distributed unevenly across the page, sung in languages that are in most cases anything but English.

I suspect that we had all thought that learning a set of Opera Choruses would be like a walk in the park compared with the complexities of the St John Passion.  How wrong we were!  Once again there are all sorts of nuances in the notes, both rhythm and pitch, and once again we are called on to play a different part in each chorus.  One minute we are singing a rollicking drinking song, the next we are grieving our exile from our homeland; then we have to circumspectly watch a seductress charm her target, then to mourn the death of our beloved.  And this only happens when we know the notes sufficiently well that we can anticipate the expression marks in the score and look up and follow Carlos’ directions.

It will be a great concert.  No doubt we will each have our own favourite chorus.  I can’t chose a favourite at present, but I have to confess that the suite from Porgy and Bess sends shivers down my spine at several key moments.

It will be very satisfying during the next few rehearsals to feel the music becoming more dramatic as we ease our way more deeply into each role.  For me, the key is to learn the words at home so as to be able to focus on the music on Thursday evenings.  It is amazing how much even a little preparation pays dividends!