For those of us sitting in Sydney wondering how our colleagues were getting on in New York, here is a report from Naomi, written after, she confesses, too little sleep. 

Well, here we are.  The morning after the Big Event.  There was such a long build up to it.  Then the long flight.  Then the getting together for rehearsals with 300 people from 13 choirs.  The adrenalin shot up instantaneously.

I found the rehearsals exhilarating and exhausting.  I felt somewhat on edge and very aware of the comfort of Carlos’ relaxed and warm style of directing us.  I wondered whether this was taking us to uncomfortable heights.  Are we coping?  How will we measure against some of the big voices around us?

And then the big day came.  In Carnegie Hall, first the general rehearsal with the orchestra, then a short break, then the concert.

Just standing there, soaking up the atmosphere of that beautiful, historic hall and reflecting on the greatest voices and sounds performing on the stage on which I was standing, sent shivers down my back.

And then Maestro Griffith lifted his baton and ‘Selig, Selig ‘ sounded softly through the hall, and I sensed immediately the power and joy of the Manly Warringah Choir.  Yes, it was an amazing experience to sing in that hall. Yes, it was so good to sing that gorgeous Ein Deutsches Requiem again but for sheer enjoyment of singing, being moved by the music and identifying with its meaning, the event in the Cardinal Cerreti Chapel is the winner.  I know from conversations I had that many of us share this view.

So these for me are the two highlights:

First, comments made by members of other choirs in chatting at the post-concert dinner, and I almost quote: “I could feel that you guys were so well prepared” (thank you, Carlos!) and “It was great standing next to people from your choir and being supported!”) And second, the camaraderie amongst us twenty MWCers.  Hugs, laughter, sharing the New York experience, getting to know some folks better – that was precious.

I think I can speak on behalf of all of us in saying: it has been an awesome experience; it will be fabulous to return to Sydney and the MWC.

And those of us in Sydney eagerly await your return, to hear more of this wonderful experience, and, of course, to have you all singing with us again.

Click here for more pictures from New York.

Twenty members of the Choir are in New York to join other choirs in singing Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem at Carnegie Hall.

Friday and Saturday were rehearsal days.  On Saturday, there was an exhilarating but exhausting rehearsal lasting three hours with all choirs – 297 choristers all together.  Naomi reports a good spirit of camaraderie amongst the singers, and says that the MWC contingent are holding their own.  John Beck took this photo after the rehearsal.

This weekend sees MWC performing in two venues on opposite sides of the world:  Carnegie Hall in New York, and North Head, on the shores of Sydney Harbour.

At North Head on Friday, twenty one members of the Choir led the singing at the Warringah Australia Remembers Ceremony, accompanied by the Manly District Band.  Wreaths and books were brought to commemorate the 21 sailors who died in 1942 when three Japanese submarines entered the Harbour.  The Chief of Defence Staff gave a moving account of the events surrounding the incursion, and a local high school student returned as one of the sailors who lost his life.  Both spoke of the need to remember past events whilst maintaining safety and security for present generation Australians.

Meanwhile in New York
Twenty other members of the Choir are preparing to sing Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with members of seventeen other choirs in the wonderful acoustic of Carnegie Hall.  The other choirs are mainly from the USA, with one from Canada, one from England, one from Germany and one from Christchurch, New Zealand.  They rehearse on Friday and Saturday, and the performance will be at 8.30pm local time on Sunday.  For anyone wanting to sing along at the same time, that equates to 11.30am Monday here in Sydney.  We send our very best wishes to our members for a wonderful time, both in rehearsal and at the performance.

What a contrast!  From the grandeur of Brahms to the intimacy of Schubert and the earthiness of Ramirez.

There was not much time for musing during last night’s rehearsal, but I could not help but be struck yet again by the contrasts in the music we sing.  Especially for Choir members going to sing Ein Deutsches Requiem again in the concert promoted by Distinguished Concerts International New York, the sounds and feelings associated with our recent performance continue to resonate in our minds.  Indeed, I have a diary entry which reminds me that, after we sang the Brahms in 2013, the music was still buzzing around in my head six weeks later.

As we tried last night to sing the Schubert Mass with grace and style, and to engage with the complex rhythms of the Missa Criolla, it struck me that the nature of each piece could be represented by the ideal venue in which it should be performed.

The orchestral version of Ein Deutsches Requiem would sound best in the florid grandeur of a 19th century concert hall such as the Musicverein in Vienna, or in the vast acoustic of a Gothic cathedral, for which the Cardianl Cerretti Chapel is pretty much the next best thing available to us.

The Schubert Mass…..well, I can hear a small choir and a minimalist orchestra singing that in the comfort of the grand salon of a French chateau, or in the modest chapel of an English country house.  Its apparent simplicity and its transparency would fit well with the domestic surroundings.

Missa Criolla would sound great sung outside in a natural amphitheatre.  The rhythms, the energy, the sheer joie-de-vivre of the music might even encourage listeners to get up and dance.  It is very engaging music, and although, as we found last night, it is complex to put together, it is very easy to listen to.

But back to Brahms.  Some of our members have already left for New York, and others will be going during the course of the next week.  I am sure that everyone in the Choir will join me in wishing them safe travel, an enjoyable time in New York, and a thrilling experience singing Ein Deutsches Requiem in the wonderful Carnegie Hall.

It was just turned one o’clock yesterday afternoon when I heard it.  From somewhere in the house, what sounded remarkably like the first movement of A German Requiem.  I went to investigate: it was indeed the Requiem, being broadcast on ABC Classic FM.  It was that time of day when they might have been doing just a single movement, or perhaps an entire performance.  There was a long pause at the end of the movement.  What would be next?  The announcer’s friendly voice telling us who had been singing, or the funeral march at the start of the second movement?  After an agonising wait, there came that unmistakeable deep, gruff, double bass note.  It was indeed the second movement.

At that moment, whatever else I was doing could wait.  Re-living last Saturday’s concert was the only thing to do.  Hearing the music was overwhelming.  The words, now I have some understanding of them, continue to be extraordinarily moving.  The music draws out and colours the words so well.  This is indeed the work of a genius and of a human being of great humanity.  I was also overwhelmed by the fact that our modest, unauditioned community choir had managed to put on a very creditable performance of this wonderful work, and that I had myself been a part of it.  What a privilege!

Then the phone rang.  The much awaited electrician was on his way to quote for some repairs.  Could he come now?  I suggested he might like to stop for a coffee en route, but he was keen to get on.  At least he had the decency not to arrive before the end of the sixth movement.  Regular readers will know that one of my favourite moments is when the trombones and tuba sweep upwards on arpeggios spanning three octaves, and we basses get the thrill of singing along with them.  So at least I got to do that again.

Then the electrician rang the door bell and I returned to earth with something of a thud.

Maybe last night we were all still in awe of last Saturday’s wonderful achievement.  Maybe that is why the rehearsal seemed a bit scrappy.  No doubt in a couple of weeks, although we might be unconsciously still humming tunes from the Requiem, we will be well down the track with the grace and style of Schubert and the ragged rhythms of Ramirez.