Chichester!

[edschweppe]

I've been singing with my church's choir for a few years, now. Over those years, our music director has been gradually increasing the difficulty of the works we perform for the annual Music Sunday service. This year, in conjunction with the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (Massachusetts), we put on Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.

This, folks, was a bear and two thirds. The Wikipedia article linked above calls the Chichester Psalms "noted among performers for their musical difficulty", and that author ain't kidding. But we rehearsed them for the entire winter and spring. Judging from the congregation's reaction, we did pretty darn well.

We'll be singing them again on May 31st, at 10:00AM at the Arlington church (630 Mass Ave, and MBTA-accessible), in case any Boston-area folks are interested.

And I really have to wonder what our music director has up her sleeve for next year ...

Comments

[glinda-w.livejournal.com]

Oh my.

Seconded on both the difficulty and the absolute gorgeousness.

(Hm. For next year - Benjamin Britten's "Jubilate Agno"? The rhythms in that one are... interesting.)

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Oh I wish I could a) hear it and b) sing it with you.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

We'd love to have you! I'd love to have you!

There is that little detail of your being mumble-mumble bazillions of miles away from my humble little church, though. Sigh.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Even worse, I missed all the rehearsals.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

And the first performance.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Waaah.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Oh my, 7/4! I wish I lived close enough to come listen to it. Is there a recorded version you'd recommend?

Russ is going to be in Boston over Memorial Day weekend (actually arriving Wednesday, I think). He'll be busy during the day, but might welcome company for dinner. You can reach him at (713) 417-0698.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

Oh my, 7/4!

And 9/4, and 10/4, and 9/2. And there's some 3/4 mixed in there as well, just because he's Leonard Bernstein and he can do that.

The first nine measures of the first movement are in, respectively, 6/4, 3/4, 3/8, 5/4, 2/4, 5/8, 6/4 and 2/4. Then we get two whole measures of 5/4 before the 7/4 starts.

Is there a recorded version you'd recommend?

I was mostly using the freely available MIDIs at http://www.cyberbass.com/Major_Works/Bernstein/bernstein_chichester_psalms.htm for practicing on my own. I haven't found a recording that I really like yet.

There is a nice performance from La Scala up on YouTube, although the last movement is rather awkwardly split into two pieces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZldNsB1YCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJsqT1YAuY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv05_e5WEb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeGz8XDs1YU