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Hi everybody,
You worked really hard this afternoon, and for the most part things went well. Oddly, though, some things which were solid last Tuesday weren't that clear this afternoon. (Having four singers gone in both the soprano and alto sessions may have contributed.)
Incidentally, we've gotten out of the habit of having our dress rehearsal the day before the performance, which was the pattern for many years. But for the past few years we've actually had the dress rehearsal on the last Tuesday before the performance, giving us a Saturday afternoon to do one final woodshedding on our own to nail down tricky places. (Don't even ask why we had to go back to our old pattern this time. Too complicated.) This year we don't have that fall-back luxury!
That's why I'm writing tonight, to give you some reminders in preparation for tomorrow's sound check. I certainly don't want to drill you and wear you out ahead of 4:00! We can also expect some adjustment issues as we find ourselves in a different space.
Movement I
- There was some rushing particularly on quarter and eighth notes. This was particularly noticeable in the tenor section. It is crucial, as we adjust to the stage, that you follow me, not your ears. Eyes out of the books as much as possible.
- Please look now at m.345 (p.22, final measure at top of page), the one whose fermata has been giving us some grief (pun intended). Note that the choir's fermata is on BEAT 3. Look up at Les's solo and notice that he moves in time on the second half of BEAT 2, and then we all arrive at the fermata on BEAT 3. You tuck your little note following his movement on 3 1/2.
Movement III
- Be sure you've crossed out the dots, to allow space in the hooked rhythm: E-Ah Ma-ter. The orchestra's notation shows slurring, and we'll let them do that. Do not follow their lead! And please, please remember at all times A is pronounced AH, not Uh! It was disappointing to hear some voices slipping back to the lazy mouth that doesn't drop on that vowel. (That's you, sopranos and altos.)
Movement V
Movement VII
- Keep track, and come in on your final phrase. It lasts as long as noted. I'll try to be clear in cutting you off: the orchestra has a fermata on the last chord. In other words, it outlives you!
Movement X
- I'm going to play it safe and pull back on the lickety-split part. It's been a fun, wild ride, but we want to line up our beats and have a meaningful ending. I'll rehearse the transition so that you and the orchestra have a chance to get it all together.
- MEMORIZE THE QUANDO CORPUS SECTION SO YOU CAN WATCH ME! You know those words, you really do.
I'm so proud of all our work together. There are a ton of details, aren't there? That's what makes it so beautiful.
See you tomorrow.
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