Friday, September 8, 2017

Wrapping it up

   
Prince Matthew, Princess Julia, and their castle
       Amazing how things come together.  We were practically sight reading much of this music, and the line between rehearsal and recording became blurred.  However, we have stellar readers in the group as well as people skilled in the style.  Hopefully flying off the cuff will give the recordings a fresh, spontaneous quality, which I see as the soul of this music.


Recording with Ulf Wellner and Christopher Greenleaf



         We enjoyed working with Ulf, who keeps a slow, methodical pace all day with several different projects.  Christopher Greenleaf is extremely fastidious and makes me think of a musical James Lipton.  The pastor of the church was kind enough to show us the bell tower and lecture us on the church's 1000 year history (half Catholic, half Lutheran).  And of course Cheryl Ryder was the one who brought us all together, and was clearly overjoyed to be making music with us.

View from the bell tower of Martinikirche

     I'm trying to think how I would describe a Lutheran style of singing--perhaps homely, spontaneous and spirited, music of the people.  Even the music of Bach, which the average person can't sing, seems to speak to the average person in their own language. 


Impromptu rehearsal outside the church

     Yesterday we returned home, inspired to keep singing in German and to pursue authenticity, and also to keep new and old friendships alive.  Please feel free to share your thoughts about this trip in the comments.  Until next year, Auf Wiedersehen!


Our last celebratory dinner.  What better way to celebrate? #enchilicious

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Recording in Minden

Peter and Paul Church, Preetz
    We're farther from civilization now (by which I mean no usable Wi-Fi in the hotel).  So I'm finding it harder to contribute to this blog.

Small town dog, likes to hang out with us at breakfast.
       We made a recording last night of Puer qui natus est, a recently discovered piece by Hieronymus Praetorius.  It is the first recording of this piece and, like much of our current repertoire, is about John the Baptist.

Many windows in German towns are populated with cute animals.  The town of Hameln embraces a rat theme.  The town of Minden... Corgis?

       Between rehearsal and recording we have gone on short day trips--the first, a towering monument Kaiser Wilhem had built (to himself?  Remind you of anyone?)  The second, today, a towering rock formation in the midst of beautiful forest by a lake.  Germany towers over us.  And we do our best to sing this music from morning to night.

Recording at Martinikirche

Sunday, September 3, 2017

The Power of Connection (plus more photos)

Holstein Gate

       I have felt it.  Riding the wave of good energy when you know the audience is with you.  It's like your energy is plugged in to the crowd and magnified, filling the room with warmth and light.
      Last night's concert was like that.  The people in Preetz responded to our music with generous applause, words of thanks, postcards of thanks and rose wine.

The first clockwork mechanism

       "Moments like this are the reason I do music," Nate said.  "To make people happy."
      Later, we got into a discussion about the importance of connecting with our music and the audience.  Karin said,
      "It's the most important thing when you're performing."
       Paul said, "The thing people love about Canto Armonico is that we emote.  The audience will be drawn to certain singers.  I've had people come up to me and say it was like I was preaching the music to them."

Scale models of Lubeck ships

       As we bond more on this trip, mostly through eating and drinking and wandering aimlessly, we also are becoming a more cohesive ensemble.

Executioner's sword.  Flat at the tip, as it was only used for slicing.  Hope it was sharp!

We have a couple of kids with us on this trip, Matthew and Julia.  They are models of good behavior for all of us, "like saints," somebody said.  
In Preetz, I saw they were having some fun.   We rode home and discussed whether German deer speak German and how funny the word Ausfahrt is (that was the adults.)  

So goodbye Lubeck, we enjoyed our time here.  Hello Minden, a whole new set of music, and recording! 

Scale model of Lubeck.





   

Friday, September 1, 2017

Arrival in Lubeck


           Greetings from Germany!

           We arrived in Lubeck yesterday afternoon, a group of about 20 singers who traveled from Brooklyn, D.C., Austin, Baltimore and Boston.  Three cars.  Four guest houses.  There's beer to be drunk and music to be made.
     
         Some highlights so far:

        The bat that flew around the Jakobikirche as we sang Palestrina and Byrd.  "Fledermaus!" the opera fans cried, exercising our limited German.

         Anti-Muslim graffiti overwritten with the word "ANTIFA" in the alley outside our houses.

       This menu of "Things Spiritual."  It's not just a beer game in Lubeck.
   

A little slice of divinity:  On the flight to Dusseldorf, listening to Schlummert Ein as we descended through the clouds.  Air Berlin has Iestyn Davies' latest album.

That's all for now.  Bis bald!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Our first review! And it was glowing!!




Click here for the link to the full text



Good Eats, Part 2: Gelato

Post-concert ice cream. Yaaaaas.

This would be called "Heisse Liebe" (hot love) if there were whipped cream on top.
Oh, the Gemrans. Gotta love 'em.


Matt and his amazing "Shokokuss" at the Schloss
Close-up of the "Shokokuss"