Russian around - or not

Categories: music

Date: 27 April 2008 23:09:59

The concert of Russian Choral Masterpieces took place last night in the Abbey and was very well received. The applause went on for ages and, for a British audience, was really quite enthusiastic.

We made a few little mistakes - but I hope these were not too obvious. There is one place in my music where I have noted that the conductor wanted us to sound like trumpets. A soprano behind me had clearly made the same note and she blasted away for all she was worth (she has a very good voice) - but unfortunately she must have lost count as she came in two beats early while the rest of the upper voices were silent. I live in fear of that happening to me but she was clearly confident as she continued to give it her all with the rest of us when the trumpets were required.

Today I have not been rushing around as I was completely pole-axed after rehearsing for the whole afternoon without a minute to take the weight off our feet and then only an hour's "rest" [which involved dashing home to change and eat] before returning to the Abbey to perform.

I have been drifting around the house in my pyjamas for half the day....Dahlings! you may not have realised that I am such a sensitive arTISTE! You'll be pleased to know I got dressed 10 minutes before going to church this evening where I was on the welcome team.

During the concert, I thought of Orthodox Ian celebrating Easter and of my friend's sister who had suffered a stroke the day before (she's far too young for this sort of thing) and was concentrating on the music as well, of course!

All I have managed to do today (apart from do a translation which didn't get finished on Friday and has to be with the client by 8 a.m. tomorrow) was to inspect the progress of the Russian vine I planted earlier in the week.
I bought it because I had read it was very tolerant of pollution - and its special place is opposite the gas flue. I have since read that Russian vines are a menace and grow according to their common name of "Mile a Minute" -both above and below ground. I'm now hoping that it will do what I want it to do (cover a bare wall) and be happy to do so confined as it is in a large pot.

G'day! to my Australian visitor looking for "Russian swearing translations [mild]". My Russian has not really progressed despite doing this concert. I can now sing a pretty authentic-sounding "All-lee-loo-ya" but I think I might have had a bit of a head start on this word, all things considered. And it doesn't really come under the heading of swearing. But who knows what the future holds?