Death for 5 Voices...

...or more!

Elaine and I went to sit in on the dress rehearsal for the Chorale's a cappella concert at the Carmel Mission on Monday night. The major work is the Tenebrae of Don Carlo Gesualdo di Venosa, a Renaissance composer who was known for extreme chromaticism, and even more for killing his wife. Even though quite shocking in its day, the Tenebrae sounded right at home when sung in conjunction with Poulenc's 4 Motets in the time of Lent.

The Chorale has a wonderful sound, and it was a treat to be able to hear them in that acoustic without the sound being sucked up by 400 people! They did a very nice job with very difficult music - which is a fraction of what they have to sing for the festival. They are certainly earning their money this year. Director Andrew Megill has deftly brought disparate singers together from across the country and made them sound like they'd been singing together for years. It was a real treat.

Laughter in our mouths...

The last two weeks have been intense, with rehearsals for the Carmel Bach Festival occurring daily, and sometimes twice a day. It was very tiring, but rewarding. It is such a pleasure to make music with world class performers, and being able to sing for Maestro Bruno Weil is an amazing privilege.

The volunteer chorus (of which I am a member) is singing in Bach's Cantata 110 on Saturday evenings, a Christmas offering that opens with the text "our mouths are full of laughter because God has done great things for us."

On Sunday afternoon we are presenting the St. Matthew Passion, one of the most incredible pieces of music ever written. For me, some of the most sublime moments come in the two arias accompanied by Viola da Gamba. Joanna Blendulf is a tremendously gifted artist, and handles both of these very difficult pieces with aplomb and grace.

Our opening weekend just concluded, and the audiences were very enthusiastic. Two more weekends to go!

(Image from OMM.de)

Independence Day

We spent a wonderful Independence Day holiday. There was a Bach rehearsal from 4:30 to 7 PM the night before, and afterwards we met up with our friends Jackie and Mike at Ribera Beach for a barbecue. They have a tradition of hanging out there with a bunch of friends every July 3. It was wonderful. It was so warm that I had to take off my jacket. I can't remember the last time I could do that at the beach in Carmel. There was nobody else there - probably due to the long access staircase. Absolutely gorgeous, with clear skies and a brilliant sunset. As darkness descended, the stars shone with unusual clarity, and Venus and Jupiter stood out from the background like searchlights.

Next day we went out to Spreckels to see the little parade they have and have yet another barbecue at our friend Patty's house. The sun was out in full force, and the postage stamp size town was packed to the gills with visitors. If we hadn't been able to park in Patty's driveway, we would have had to park at least a mile away. Amazing. The parade was cute and the food was all American - hamburgers, foot long hot dogs, potato salad and apple pie. It was absolutely delicious - Patty is a waitress here in town, and one of the best. She always gets significantly more than anyone can eat, and takes whatever is left to the woman's shelter afterwards.

At 5 PM or so we attended our third barbecue in as many meals at our friend Lisa and Robin's house. This time we brought ribs marinated in beer, sage and honey, and there were grilled vegetables and chicken to boot. The fireworks at the harbor didn't start until after 9 PM so as to be visible in the dark. That was way past our bedtime, but we heard them! We haven't had such an enjoyable fourth in years.

Did I mention...?

...that my daughter was getting married?

Just in case you were wondering, the wedding was lovely at St. Joseph's, and the bride and groom enjoyed a cruise to Seward, Alaska for their honeymoon and now are safely ensconced at home in Ohio.


Proud papa with his girls



The happy couple



Comes the pretty young bride...




The first waltz