travelling cupcakes

Thursday, 23 April 2009

If you haven't made plans for the coming bank holiday weekend -
If you have, cancel whatever you're doing -

Come and listen to
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER CHORUS
Performing
Benjamin Britten's WAR REQUIEM
with soloists Amanda Roocroft, Allan Clayton and Roderick Williams

Sunday 3rd May, 2009
Starts at 7.30pm (no interval)

The Bridgewater Hall
Lower Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3WS

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Box Office (0161 907 9000)
https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/performance/13793.aspx

Friday, 6 March 2009

yesterday I got the Chorus CDs (Orff's Carmina Burana, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, and Mendelssohn's Elijah), and when I play the Elijah CD on the computer, I was like 'oh my God. That's us - that's me - singing'. I had chills running down my spine, especially when we belted out the magnificent, yet desperate plead for help from the Lord (at about 4:30) -

Introduction, Overture and Chorus 'Help, Lord!'

'Help, Lord! Help, Lord! Help, Lord!
Wilt thou quite destroy us?
The harvest now is over, the summer days are gone,
and yet no power cometh to help us!' (Jeremiah 8:20)

We're pleading for help because Lord has decided to punish the people of Israel for worshipping the non-existent god, Baal, and thus prophet Elijah says 'there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word' (1 Kings 17:1).

But we fickle people of Israel do not learn from mistakes and continue to ignore Elijah's words. Elijah challenges the power of Baal and 'we shall see whose God is the Lord'. Thus we dramatically calls upon Baal - 'Hear and answer Baal!' - but all we received was silence.

Chorus 'Hear and answer, Baal!'

I must admit that the Elijah recording is my favourite. Although we sang equally well in Carmina Burana and The Dream of Gerontius, Elijah is the most recent and so the memory of performing it at the Whitworth Hall is still fresh in my mind, and it's the only recording (so far) where I've played a little part in the administration of it. Being on the committee is a lot more work, but I enjoy it very much because I can get involved and devote myself to do something I really love.