Weekend Concerts

We are in the midst of a busy concert season (hence the lack of blogging), with many recitals and concerts to go in the next ten days or so.

Last weekend I sang with the Arrowhead Chorale for our Requiem concert.  It was one of our best performances ever, with magical music that was deeply meaningful, music that penetrated down to the toes, and sent shivers down spines.  For me it was a worshipful experience.

I count myself  blessed to get to sing such beautiful music with people who work so hard to make it sound beautiful.

Our concert was at a church that built a brand new gigantic organ just a few years ago.  Every time I get an opportunity to go hear that organ, I do!  It is truly magnificent.  For this concert I happened to be standing in the back row, right underneath the organ pipes, almost behind the keyboard.  It was such an interesting place to stand, because I could see all the rods move as they opened up pipes above me, and on one fast piece, I could literally hear the pipes opening and closing right above me, the air whooshing in and stopping.  There was one moment when the organ played an incredibly low note with this truly unique stop, and you could feel it rattling in your bones.  Literally.

During first half of our concert we happened to be singing the Kyrie from Durufle’s Requiem.  A few years ago we sang this entire requiem, and I fell in love with the Kyrie.  I always love the Kyrie best of any mass, but this one is extra special, and it is my favorite of all the Kyries I have ever sung.  I am so lucky to have gotten to sing it twice in my life!  It’s breathtaking.

During the second half of our concert we sang Dan Forrest’s Requiem.  It’s a recently composed piece, and the first time I heard a recording of it I gasped and teared up.  It’s THAT special.  And it was a stunning experience to sing with instrumentalists in person.  Recordings are great, but a live performance that brings music to life is so much better in every way.  It’s like the difference between looking at a picture of a painting in a book, and seeing it up close and in person.  It’s so much more when it’s happening right in front of you. Even better when you get to be a part of it.