Where has the week gone?
Tuesday at lunchtime, I had the pleasure of listening to Aaron Larget-Caplan play a program of mostly Bach at King’s Chapel. Mostly, because three preludes from the WTC Book I (in Aaron’s own arrangements) were paired with corresponding pieces by Vineet Shende, from his Carnatic Preludes after JS Bach. Although (I freely confess it) I had gone to King’s in order to investigate the house P.A. system, I was (in the first place) planning to listen to the concert, and (in the second) enormously pleased that it was another occasion to hear Aaron play.
Tuesday evening’s k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble rehearsal was all we might wish, getting the two quartets – Pamela Marshall’s Birds on the Harmonic Plain and my Down Along the Canal to Minerva Road – in good order (well ahead of the concert date, as it is). Peter & I meet again tomorrow to work on the duets (Gresham & Leichtling).
I have my folder in order for this Monday evening’s Triad rehearsal, the first for our June concerts. I shall again be conducting Sarah Riskind’s Hariyu. One of the ideas behind the concert is, to revisit some pieces from our first concert, hence the inclusion both of Hariyu and of my Agnus Dei. The thought was, in part, greater ease in preparation; yet, perhaps about half of the group were not yet part of the group back at its inception. Still, there will be a quorum of singers already familiar with about half the program. Which is one way of saying, I have about half of the music to learn, as a singer, myself.
How wonderful not only that the University of Michigan players have again performed Out in the Sun, but to reflect that the piece has now seen three performances in Ann Arbor. I have Charles Peltz to thank for it all, as he passed the score around in his warm enthusiasm for the piece. Of course, I have Charles to thank for the occasion to complete the piece, as well – before his furnishing the opportunity to proceed with composition, Out in the Sun existed as a five-minute exposition, waiting for its next cue . . . .
I feel reasonably sure that, at the time of an earlier Ann Arbor performance, I reached out to see if any other pieces of mine might be considered. I am not sure that I ever received a response. I tried again this time, and a true conversation is in progress . . . and thus I have had occasion to revisit In the Artist’s Studio (There’s a wide world in there), Ear Buds (The dream of a young man in the woods, listening) and the mixed winds version of the irrepressible Saltmarsh Stomp. Still no knowing, as yet; but it is nice to have the chat go live.
Last night, and at last, I saw to the last of my Holy Week/Easter-related compositional tasks, and created handbell supplements (for five ringers) to the LvB Ode to Joy item in our Hymnal (the text here is “Sing With All the Saints in Glory”). Technically I have just a little more work yet, as I need to mark up the five parts. There are four verses; I provided two verses for the handbells.
Tonight is our Maundy Thursday service, and a brief choir rehearsal after (at the conclusion of this evening’s service, we shall have only the two choral anthems to touch on for Sunday morning).
So – there it is.
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