Hey. So I guess I’m the last member of the group to write anything on here. It’s that not I’ve been slacking off (honestly!!), I’ve just been a little busy. I think my Aldeburgh experience was slightly different to the rest of the group. Mainly because I spent the whole residency running back to London (actually I took the train, it proved marginally quicker!). It was always going to be tricky getting all 6 of us in the same place at the same time, so I guess it was just bad luck that it fell in a busy patch for me. I’m glad I made the effort to be there, having never before encountered the music of Ned Rorem!

So far I seem to have been assigned the ‘prettier’ songs, but they seem to work quite well for me (although I did have to write some transpositions pretty quickly! Al has enough songs to play without having to worry about transposing things for me as well!!). It was also good to look at the Britten Canticles again. Abraham and Isaac was one of the first pieces that Andy and I did with Al and I hope we get to perform it again soon. Being in Aldeburgh was also pretty relaxing. I hadn’t actually intended to stay over for any nights during the residency but I find it difficult to tear myself away when the option of fish and chips and a pint or two is on offer!! I guess I should be stronger willed, but it was good to hang out with the guys as I’m off to Chicago next week for a couple of months so I guess it will be a while before we’re all together again….

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

Anna, Andy and I spent our last afternoon in Aldeburgh rehearsing a couple of Schumann duets that we haven’t looked at for a while. ‘In der Nacht’ needed quite a lot of attention and we ended up spending about an hour on it. We looked at the poetry again and decided that the the tempo was a little on the fast side, and tried to balance this slower tempo with some clear direction in our phrasing. The last page in particular has a number of harmonic ‘moments’ and our aim was to pick out which were the most important and let the others just ‘be’. I remembered whilst we were rehearsing this bit something that Malcolm Martineau had said to me on a coaching of Strauss’s Befreit; that the opening is like a train journey and each harmony-change is a town that you pass through but don’t stop at. I liked the idea of thinking like this in the last page of the Schumann, because it seemed so easy to ‘over-egg’ the pudding. The video below is where we left it at the end of the rehearsal:

Watch the video on YouTube

We then moved on to Liebhabers Ständchen which is a much more upbeat number. We’ve always placed it at the end of programmes, but it occurred to us after our initial run-through that it would work equally well right at the beginning of a recital, or at least at the beginning of a half. It has an ‘OI! LISTEN TO THIS YOU LOT!’ quality about it. Maybe we’ll try this sometime soon. We worked on a few transistions and then talked about how to pace the last few pages which have to really push forward to drive the piece to a close. It’s hard not to ‘arrive too soon’ and then find you have nowhere to go for the last few lines in this, so again much of our time was spent on the end of the piece. When we put it on video for the first time, we did a near-perfect take until the the fourth bar from the end where I played a bad-boy of a wrong note. After some unrepeatable language, we did a second run-through and here’s the result:

Watch the video on YouTube

Let us know what you think…

Tags: the prince consort blog // 3 Comments »

I thought you might like to see what we got up to at Benjamin Britten’s house on Tuesday. We were really honoured to be able to rehearse in Britten’s library and use his piano, and we’d like to thank Nick who runs the show there for his kindness. He even wrote a little post-it and stuck it on the doorbell so that no-one would ring it whilst we were recording! It’s not a perfect take by any means but it’s a run-through we did at the start of our rehearsal having not performed it for about a year, just to see what needed doing. Here goes..

Watch the video on YouTube

Watch the video on YouTube

Tags: the prince consort blog // 5 Comments »

Tuesday was a busy but rewarding day. We were greeted at Snape by John Fraser, the legendary classical music producer, who had coached most of us at the RCM and who was here to give us his invaluable input on the Rorem repertoire.

He is such a great coach, someone who really understands singing but who also is brilliant at small details, and we all learned a huge amount from him. We then had to make a mad dash to the Red House, where the boys recorded two of the Britten Canticles in the library, and Anna Salley Gardens, with Al playing Britten’s piano. Annoyingly, my throat is still really sore and I don’t have much voice so I haven’t been able to record anything, but it was wonderful to sit and listen to the others sing. I particularly love the canticle Abraham and Isaac, so I enjoyed hearing that again.

Upon our return to Snape we were greeted by Richard, who had come to take a new set of publicity shots of us. Four locations were used: the concert hall, the derelict outbuilding in the car park, an ivy-clad wall and then, as the sun was starting to set, the famous view over the reeds.

We were SO very lucky with the weather (although it was a bit cold by the end!!), and in the final shots in particular the sky was amazing. We’re now really keen to see the finished shots.

After a long day, we returned to Aldeburgh and ate together at the Lighthouse restaurant, as it was the last time we would be together as a group for a while. Not least, we’ve two Prince Consort babies due to arrive very soon! Yesterday morning Tim and Jacques had to return to London, leaving Al, Anna, Andy and me to continue rehearsing and then give an open workshop late afternoon. So, our time at Aldeburgh draws to a close, and we all return home this evening, We have had such a brilliant time here, and have managed a get a great deal of work done which will help us all enormously later in the year when record the Rorem CD. We aren’t often all able to be together as a group, as a result of our individual diaries, so we’re really grateful to have been given this opportunity by Aldeburgh, a really special place. Thank you and goodnight!

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

Here’s a note from Joyce McCoy, one of the prince consort WAGS…

Cara (Jacques’ wife) and I (Alisdair’s fiancé) were privileged to spend the residency with the prince consort at Aldeburgh-not only as WAGS, but as a photographer and videographer, respectively. It was really exciting to watch the group develop and polish the Rorem pieces for the recording. We loved listening to the huge range of pieces, all terrific songs (I say this after hearing them on repeat for four days, so they must be good). The combination of styles and poetry in addition to the range of voices within the prince consort make this recording-to-be really unique and exciting. I think there is something in it for everyone.

It was great to hear music from my homeland, though some of the rhymes within pieces proved difficult on non-American accents (try convincing Jacques that café au lait does actually rhyme with spray). It’s great that these pieces are being brought across the pond and hopefully they’ll be received with as much positive reception as they are in the US. The outlook is encouraging as last night Anna, Jen, Andy, and Alisdair performed the Rorem songs in an informal session to an audience, and they were met with plenty of enthusiasm (I don’t think it was just the post-recital cake speaking either).

The library at Snape Maltings was a great rehearsal venue and the staff at Aldeburgh were incredibly accommodating.

They not only provided all the housing, video equipment, and venue space, but also some really tasty biscuits for our tea breaks, for which I am truly grateful (I am 6 months pregnant, so these things are important). We all lived in one house with views of the sea. Though I had notions of some great contrast of peace and quiet in Aldeburgh from the hectic life of London, this was before I realised I was living with five other opera singers. I have to say it was a blast and I’m pleased to announce that nothing and no one was harmed in the great ketchup explosion of 2008, so gracefully executed by Tim and Andy.

All in all, it was a great success: Jen didn’t go into labour, Anna was a great inspiration in her jogging and croissant-buying skills, Andy impressed us all with his spaghetti Bolognese and revealed a strange fascination with building small rock towers, Jacques did learn to rhyme café au lait with spray, Tim managed not to break the law, while Alisdair held it all together and didn’t cause any bread-eating delays. Cara and I hopefully got some great shots of the group that we hope you enjoy and we didn’t use any of the per diems on manicures or massages (what kind of WAGS are we?!). Now if only I could get ‘Jeanie with the light brown hair’ out of my head…

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

I’ve been shaving seconds off my lap times between Aldeburgh and Saxmundham train station on trips to collect or deposit Tim. Joanna from the office here at the Britten Pears building reckons she can do it in seven minutes. I don’t really believe her, but I’m using that as a benchmark. I dropped Tim in time to catch the 9.46 this morning and on the way back thought I was looking at a blistering time. Then I got stuck behind a tractor. Gutting.

It did give me time to look at the pigs basking in the sunshine alongside the road before the turning for Snape. The pigs have little pig houses stretched out in rows like a mini Butlins. They looked pretty happy with things. I knew that by the time I arrived back at the house by the sea in Aldeburgh, Joyce would have finished grilling the bacon and sausages. I was only the slightest bit sad. Later on, Jen pondered aloud whether the pigs knew which was their personal hut, then she told a story (again which I don’t believe) about a pig farmer who claims to be able to communicate with his pigs through a series of grunts. Apparently George Clooney’s pig died too. I didn’t realise Jen knew so much about pigs. We decided that if it was ever a possibility, she should go on Mastermind with the chosen specialist subject of “possibly true anecdotes about pigs.”

Breakfast was exceptional. Joyce made me put peanut butter on my apple. Odd but really tasty.

Yesterday was the most productive day so far. Alisdair had arranged for John Fraser to come and give us coaching on the Rorem songs we’re recording soon. John used to coach us when we were at the Royal College of Music and Al would play. In many ways these coachings at the RCM were the reason that Al created the group, so it was a sweet and fitting thing that John was able to come along. I think Al is going to put some of the videos on-line too. John was, as ever, very insightful and direct. He knows our voices well and was able to help us communicate more clearly. I don’t think he liked Rorem’s setting of I dream of Jeanie. I think the phrase “why would you ruin a good song?” somewhat revealed his opinion. I suppose he could have talking about Jacques’ rendition…. It was also a good experience to hear all the other songs that everyone else is singing.

We piled into the cars and drove to the Red (Britten’s) House. The boys took the opportunity to sing the two Canticles (II & IV) in the library there. Anna sang Britten’s arrangement of The Sally Gardens. We felt very lucky to be able to sing in Britten’s house and I hope he would have approved.

After lunch, delightfully created from the previous evening’s leftovers by Cara, we had our much-hailed photo-shoot. This was to prove to be Tim’s favourite part of the trip. Alisdair has been singing photographer Richard Ecclestone’s praises all week and in particular that he recently photographed ‘The Darkness’ (a popular beat combo). The proof of the pudding will soon be in the eating, but from what we saw on the little digital viewfinder, he is a magician and thankfully able to make the camera lie. Tim has already booked himself in for some personal headshots.

Tags: the prince consort blog // 2 Comments »

A very brief word about ironing. Al can’t do it - I had to. Shame. Andy x

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

Well, I arrived on the train to Saxmundham on Saturday night, and was greeted enthusiastically by the married consortians at our lovely hired house before we all tripped down to the local pub for a meal (al met an old school mate which is pretty random).

The next morning Jacques and I had Al to ourselves before Tim, Andy and Jen arrived so we each had a good session on our new Ned Rorem songs before lunch.

After lunch Jen managed to get her hands on key for the library and we had a rummage for some duets we can sing to give us something to go with the boys’ Britten canticles. We found it difficult to find things for two sops- Jen has recently gone up (hehe) from mezzo to sop- but eventually found a Purcell album with loads of things. If anyone has any suggestions, please post them on our blog! Thanks!

The sunny afternoon was completed with incredible fish n chips, and then the boys and girls split quite naturally into the lounge- playstation room, and the kitchen- shortbread making room…

Today has been another good busy singing day for me as Tim’s gone back to London to do another Minatour show at ROH, and both Jen and Jacques are suffering from hayfever, so Andy and me have done lots of Rorem and I learnt some new Britten folk songs this morning which I’ll perform tomorrow at Brittens’ House down the road.

Andy and me recorded a Schumann duet just now, and we’re going to do another one tomorrow. Meantime, we’re happy Jen has not gone into labour, and are enjoying the lovely sea air (I’ve been jogging along the seaside and we’re talking about going for a dip in the sea…) and the incredible fresh fish…mmmm!!

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

Thanks to Andy, I had an easy journey to Aldeburgh, chauffeured as I was from my front door straight to Snape. Having taken a ‘scenic’ route, we thankfully arrived in plenty of time for a lovely group lunch at the Plough and Sail. In the afternoon I rehearsed my Rorem songs with Al - I really love the ones I’ve been given (thankfully - my brain is not coping very well with learning music at the moment thanks to being very heavily pregnant!), and then Anna and I tried to find some new duets to learn, to make up for the fact that Britten didn’t write any Canticles for girls - we’ve always felt a bit left out! We discovered some Purcell duets which are edited by Britten and are great fun, so felt very pleased with ourselves.

As is to be expected, eating fish and chips in Aldeburgh was always going to be a necessity, so we all happily tucked in after a good day’s work.

Today, I woke up with a sore throat and not very much voice, probably caused by the rapeseed fields nearby (frustratingly, I can’t take antihistamines whilst pregnant), so I haven’t been able to sing very much. Despite that, we ran through the Rorem songs again, and then I have learned a couple of Britten folksongs I didn’t know before as well as the Purcell duets, so it’s been a really useful day. I’m sure I’ll sleep well again tonight with all of the sea air…

Tags: the prince consort blog // Add Comment »

Here’s some footage of Alisdair and Andy rehearsing some Rorem.

Watch the video on YouTube

Tags: the prince consort blog // 2 Comments »