After the exhausting week last week, it was very nice to get back to a fairly normal week. Leaving Mahler behind, we turned our attention to brushing up on some beloved and familiar pieces, as well as starting to rehearse for our upcoming Messiah concert at the end of March.
Speaking of Messiah, the CD that has been two years in the making, goes on sale this week (March 4). There's the Complete Oratorio version, or the Highlights version. You can find them HERE. In all honesty, it's an incredible recording and should you choose to purchase a copy, you won't be disappointed. Those of you who are local or somewhat local, to Salt Lake, are sure welcome to come to the concert. There's always a standby line if you weren't able to get tickets (I heard they were gone in 10 minutes). What a perfect way to usher in Easter that weekend.
So, as mentioned, the songs we sang today were all familiar, minus the "No Man is an Island" song. Here are some thoughts I had as I sang each of them:
Saints Bound for Heaven (American folk hymn; arr. Mack Wilberg): I couldn't
help but think of my BYU Concert Choir days as I sang this one. Along with relishing in those good memories, I felt excitement and enthusiasm concerning the reality of Christ and how, through Christ's atonement and resurrection, we are certainly bound for heaven if we stay the course and do good with our time on this earth.
I Am a Child of God (Mildred T. Pettit; arr. Ryan Murphy):
From my earliest days of a child, this song has always been a favorite. I always feel a peaceful feeling when I sing it. To know I'm a child of God who loves me is a truth that my heart rejoices in. I also think of singing it to my kids when they were little as I was putting them to bed.
Their Sound Is Gone Out into All Lands, from Messiah (George Frideric
Handel):
This one isn't really familiar, but I enjoyed thinking of what a great thing it is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people.
Somewhere, from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein; arr. Arthur Harris):
Truth be told, this song brought me back to when I played the part of Baby John in this musical, while a sophomore in high school. Striving for the ideal, learning to forgive and love, knowing there's a time and place for all things. Good messages in a great song.
No Man Is an Island (Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer; arr. Michael Davis): So I
hadn't sung this one before, but the lyrics are wonderful. I don't care so much for the tune or tempo, but click on the title link and listen/watch for yourself. The message and depictions of people are worth the 2 min and 45 seconds.
How Firm a Foundation (Attributed to J. Ellis; arr. Mack Wilberg): This is one of my favorite hymns. I love it. It always brings tears to my eyes, and today was no exception. "Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed. For I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand. Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
Until next time, God be with you.
What a long and tiring week.
But as the choir endured what we were called upon to do, several highlights emerged and blessings were felt.
The fun all began Tuesday night as the choir convened for another rehearsal of Mahler's 8th Symphony. A symphony that we have been rehearsing for probably upwards of 40-50 hours (I could go back and get an accurate count, but that's an approximate guess that's hopefully somewhat close). As we met Tuesday, we were joined by the Utah Symphony, The Madeleine Choir School (comprised of elementary/junior high kids), and eight soloists. And Thierry Fischer, of course, as our conductor. We went through various portions of the symphony. And then on Wednesday night and Thursday night, we went through the whole program, occasionally going back to perfect certain parts here and there.
I can say, that despite the difficulty of learning this masterpiece, it was gratifying to see it all come together with the full ensemble. Mack had given us the pep talk way back in Sept/Oct time frame, that learning Mahler's Eighth would equate to "heavy lifting". And heavy lifting it certainly was! There were plenty of rehearsals that were grueling and plenty that seemed to go on forever. But as it all came together this week, I had a new appreciation for this work of art and was grateful to be a part of the overall musical experience.
Our performances were Friday and Saturday evening--singing and playing to a full-capacity crowd. My favorite performance was on Saturday. As a choir, we seemed to have fewer mistakes that night. For me personally, it just felt better. The symphony contains a lot of interesting and emotionally charged sections. But my favorite was the magnificent ending.
It was grand.
It was glorious.
It was moving.
And afterwards, kind Thierry Fischer gave Mack Wilberg and the Madeleine Choir director a big hug for all of their help in preparing the choirs. I was grateful for that, particularly since Mack spent all of that time preparing us and wasn't able to actually conduct us. To his additional credit (and with no surprise), each night he was right there giving us notes on what to improve based on our performance the night previous. Fully invested, he was! As always.
Will I miss it? No.
Will I miss waking up every morning with Mahler's music going through my head? No.
Will I miss rehearsing it? No.
Am I grateful I was part of the performance? Definitely.
After all, it feels good to do hard things, doesn't it? Isn't life itself full of hard things? And each time we get through one successfully, we feel good. We feel like we've grown. And we feel like we've learned.
The next morning, being very tired (following each performance, there was a recording session we had to stay for), we prepared for Music & the Spoken Word--singing some personal favorites such as "Redeemer of Israel", and "Arise, O God, and Shine". Afterwards, we stayed for filming of the Virtual Choir project. I had no idea this project was so BIG. I don't think I've personally seen so many cameras and lighting equipment and monitors, all in one space. We were joined by several dozens of "extras"--non-choir members who had applied to come sing with the choir for this project. Men and women from a wide range of ages and nationality and individual uniqueness. Once they took their places, we sang "Hallelujah" from Handel's Messiah, many times, as cameras took footage after footage.
You can see some pics, below. AND, here's a great summary/feature story from a local news channel that will give you a better appreciation of how the filming went and what the project is all about.
Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see the final product once it's released next month. As always, I was grateful to be a part of the experience. Anything that is designed to promote good, uplifting music and to help others feel included and inspired is always great to be a part of.
Until next time, God be with you.
(some photos courtesy KSL)
An interesting morning with the Choir, to be sure.
As I wasn't at the Thursday rehearsal, I had to be content observing the choir's performance from the side balcony benches. I'll admit, it's hard to just watch. I know some choir members who don't think twice about it--they are actually grateful to take a break and enjoy just sitting and listening. But honestly, I'd much rather be singing. It kills me to be "benched."
Sitting there, waiting for rehearsal to begin, a good friend came over to say
hello and talk a bit, which I was grateful for. Then, about 20 minutes into rehearsal, Dave Gheris (the seating manager) came over and pointed to five of us and motioned us to come over. He then said to go down, get into our tuxes, and go to the horseshoe (a practice room underneath the Tabernacle).
As I proceeded to go downstairs with the others, I asked the others what this was all about--thinking maybe, just maybe, they knew something I didn't. But no one knew a thing. Are they going to have us sing something? Are we going on a field trip? Is there a new meet-and-greet-the-audience program that I missed hearing about? I couldn't for the life of me figure it out.
Once there, we were finally told what was going on.
Bonneville Communications has organized this "World's Largest Virtual Hallelujah Chorus" project (to promote our upcoming Handel's Messiah concert)
in which people from all over the world can submit a video of themselves singing the Hallelujah chorus (in whatever part they sing). They will then be digitally placed into the choir as they sing the chorus. See more details HERE.
Anyway, as part of that, the few of us choir members who had congregated in the horseshoe (women included) were asked to stand in front of some cameras and get our picture taken in various facial poses. They will then take those photos and insert us into the choir video shoot happening next week--which is all part of this virtual chorus project. I'm not entirely sure where, exactly, we'll appear in the final project. But when the whole thing is complete, the video will be posted for all to see.
Out of my tuxedo and back to the benches, I observed the choir singing various patriotic numbers in honor of Presidents Day. I think my favorite number was "This House I Live In" by Earl Robinson. It asks the question "What's America to me?" It got me thinking of what America means to me. And I appreciated the opportunity to think about that question. Especially during a year of such heated politics.
After the broadcast, we spent the next two hours rehearsing Mahler's 8th, but
this time, with the actual conductor who will be conducting the concert--Thierry Fischer. It always takes time getting used to a different conductor, but Thierry knew what he was doing, of course, and made some suggestions along the way that seemed to resonate with all of us. At the end of rehearsal, he was very complimentary and said that he couldn't wait for next time.
And speaking of next time, this coming week is one of THOSE weeks where we get to be at the Tabernacle every night. Both for rehearsals and then for the actual concerts Friday and Saturday. As with all performances though, it'll be fun to see it all come together.
Will I miss the Mahler rehearsals though?
No, probably not. :)
Until next time, may God be with you.
As we began rehearsal this morning, Ryan Murphy challenged us to think about missionary work and missionaries that we knew, while singing one of our songs "How Lovely Are the Messengers" by Felix Mendelssohn. The main lyrics of the song are based on a scripture in the Book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 52:7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
I was grateful for the challenge, since one my nieces, Rachel, just left to serve a mission a couple of months ago, to North Carolina. And a nephew, Tanner, just left last week to serve in Argentina. They are the first niece and nephew to go, and many more will follow--including some of my own children, I'm sure. (For those of you not as familiar with missionary work within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can read more HERE.) As my wife and I, along with my kids, have started to pray for Rachel and Tanner, we're daily reminded of the importance of missionary work and how wonderful it is that we can all be missionaries and let others know of the teachings of Jesus Christ through our words and daily actions. We're grateful to share something that means so much to us, and has truly helped us be happy.
At my parents' home, there's a map of the world on the wall with pin-on banners showing various locations. And under that map is a listing of who has served full-time missions thus far, starting with my mom and dad who, before they were married, both had the opportunity to serve in Germany. It's been fun to look at each time the family gathers--to think about who will be next to leave, and to be reminded of how important it is to share truth with others.
While my mission to Japan was an extremely humbling experience (particularly learning the language), I am grateful that I was able to share important truths with the people of Japan. I'm very grateful, too, that I was blessed with other missionary opportunities afterwards: to be a part of the Hill Cumorah Pageant and to be a performing missionary in Nauvoo, Illinois. These were certainly some of my life's highlights, including now being able to sing in the Choir. But my greatest missionary moments have come as my wife and I have been able to teach and love our children. These are opportunities and experiences I wouldn't trade for anything.
The great thing is, that regardless of who we are, we can all be a positive and uplifting influence on others, sharing truths we've learned within our families and with everyone in our sphere of influence.
The world needs more light. So be a light!
Until next time, God be with you.
