Concerts survived

[owlmoose]

Today's show went really well. It might even be the best I've ever felt about a performance. In the top ten, for sure.

And now I get a couple of weeks off from singing, which is good because I really need to recover, before we do it all again at the end of May (although that should be a little less hectic, and I'd better not still have this cold in a month).

Off to drink lots of water and put my feet up for a bit...

Comments

I

[kunstarniki.livejournal.com]

Brava! I hope you recover quickly both from your cold and the exhaustion of the performances. Did the conductor discuss his goof the first night?

Re: I

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Yes, he came by during our warm-up. First he reminded us of something he said during dress rehearsal: "'Watch me closely, and then any mistakes will be my fault.' Well..."

We had a good laugh and then he admitted that he accidentally turned two pages at once, thereby losing his place. He applauded us for going with the flow and getting back on track. When we got to that part in yesterday's show, he looked up at us with a sheepish grin, and I couldn't help but smile back.

After the maestro left, our choral conductor also complimented us on our recovery, and made the excellent point that people come to see live music because of its unpredictability. "If they wanted perfection, they would stay home and listen to their CDs." Which also made us laugh. Not that this means we shouldn't strive for perfection, of course. I suspect that's part of why yesterday's show went so well -- we were mindful of the night before, and therefore just that much more attentive.

And of course we all got a good story out of it, another addition to our choral folklore: "the night Maestro Cai skipped half of 'In Trutina'" ;)

I

[kunstarniki.livejournal.com]

Could this be why so many conductors memorize their scores? It is fascinating to hear the behind the scenes stories. I hope you are feeling better today. ;)

Re: I

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't think I've ever had a conductor work from memory, except possibly in high school where we mostly sang short pieces. These larger-scale choral/orchestral works have so many cues and meter and tempo changes for the conductor to keep track of -- I would be in awe of anyone who could do it. :) I am a bit in awe of conductors anyway, given how many balls they have to keep in the air.

I am feeling better, thank you, which is good because the librarian who works tonight called in sick. :P Good thing I have lots of student minions today...