Friday, November 30, 2012

Singing is my job this month

Or maybe I should title this post "The crazy Munich Bach Choir schedule for December".   I love singing, but if I had more responsibilities here than a household and family, this would be impossible!

Here is our rehearsal and concert schedule for the month:

So
25.11.12
10:00-17:00
MHS Raum 144
Bach Magnificat
Albrecht/Soller
Mo
26.11.12
19:00-21:30
MHS
Weihnachtslieder
Albrecht/Kofler
Mi
28.11.12
19:00-21:30
RSS
Weihnachtslieder
Albrecht/Kofler
Sa
01.12.12
10:00-15:00
MHS
Weihnachtslieder
Albrecht
So
02.12.12
14:00-19:00
MS Klinik und Aufkirchen
KONZERT Weihnachtslieder und Weihnachtsessen
Albrecht
Mo
03.12.12
19:00-21:30
MHS
Bach Magnificat
Albrecht/Kofler
Mi
05.12.12
19:00-21:30
RSS
Bach Magnificat
Albrecht/Kofler
Do
06.12.12
16:45-19:00
St. Markus
HP Magnifikat
Albrecht
Do
06.12.12
20:00-21:30
St. Markus
AKADEMIE KONZERT MAGNIFIKAT
Albrecht
Sa
08.12.12
09:40-13:00
Kulturhaus Pullach
GP Bach Magnificat
Albrecht
Sa
08.12.12
19:15-22:30
Kulturhaus Pullach
KONZERT Bach Magnificat
Albrecht
So
09.12.12
09:15-14:30
Pullach
CD-Aufnahme Magnificat, Nachaufnahme
Albrecht
Mo
10.12.12
19:00-21:30
MHS
Bach WO
Albrecht/Kofler
Mi
12.12.12
19:00-21:30
RSS
Bach WO
Albrecht/Kofler
Mo
17.12.12
19:30-22:00
St. Michael
GP Weihnachtslieder
Albrecht
Di
18.12.12
19:00-21:30
MHS, Raum 33
Bach WO und WL
Albrecht/Kofler
Mi
19.12.12

St. Michael
KONZERT Weihnachtslieder
Albrecht
Sa
22.12.12
09:40-13:00
Carl-Orff Saal Gasteig
HP Bach WO
Albrecht
Sa
22.12.12
14:30-17:30
Chorprobensaal Philharmonie
GP Bach WO
Albrecht
So
23.12.12
13:00
Philharmonie
KONZERT Bach Weihnachtsoratorium
Albrecht


Check out the number of Saturday (Sa) and Sunday (So) all-day rehearsals!  In case you're thinking of coming to a concert ;-) here is the English site for the concert schedule.

[If you're interested:  HP means Hauptprobe and GP means Generalproble, essentially both dress rehearsals, although I think for the GP he's not supposed to stop and "fix things" (but he does).  WO is short for the Weihnachtsoratorium i.e. Bach Christmas Oratorio.]

Part of the craziness is apparently the project to record a CD of Bach's Magnificat, which was originally to happen in the spring, somehow got moved into December (the weekend of the 8th and 9th).  So our director (Herr Direktor Albrecht) has been ultra picky about the Magnificat.  During rehearsals for that, he stops us every half-bar, I swear.  He's good at getting subtle shading and nuances, but sometimes I can't tell the difference from when he's happy versus not happy with a section (and neither can my neighbors... it's not just me).  Some of the altos have been keeping track of the number of times he'll restart the same measure, and I think the highest was 8 times -- but the average is something like 3 or 4 stops for every time we "start" singing...  But we do sound good!
 During these Magnificat rehearsals I'm reminded strongly of my friend Sheldon B.'s joke (during a Peter F. rehearsal many years ago):  chorus interruptus...

OK, on that note, I should get back to practicing the Christmas songs (Weihnachtslieder) which the rest of the group knows so well, but for which I need to practice getting my mouth around all the German.

4 comments:

  1. Bloss bitte beim Singen das Feiern nicht vergessen! Schoene Gruesse zum 1. Advent von Helen und Otto

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  2. Not to worry! Thanks, Otto and Helen for the reminder -- you're right that it's important not to forget about actually enjoying and celebrating during this often hectic season, but I am! More so than I usually do at home, in fact. I guess this post does sound like I might be complaining but I only meant to point out how much time this one choir takes in December! I'm very much enjoying the singing here, and very grateful that my family has the patience this month to deal with it all. Yesterday, actually, we (the Munich Bach Choir) performed at a MS clinic outside of town, then we did a late after noon "1st advent" fundraiser in a beautiful little (and cold) church on the Starnberger See (a beautiful lake, with many rich people living on its shores!). For only 100 or so people in the audience, we raised over 10,000 Euros for the clinic. Then they fed us a wonderful duck dinner (yes, duck) at a nearby hotel/restaurant, including champagne and a glass of wine. I had a LOT of fun. ;-)

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  3. In the right moment it's all "O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnaden bringende Weihnachtszeit!" But sometimes it slips out of control and into the crazy Swedish Christmas scene in Fanny and Alexander, "Nu är det jul igen och nu är det jul igen
    och julen varar väl till påska." One frantic circle round and round and before you know it it's not Christmas anymore, but Easter. I hope your celebrations unfold at the perfect speed!

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