Schola Cantorum

[Surpinto]

So in the end I didn't go to the LOS concert and I didn't make the CVMS Mozart Requiem as I was away. There was a Mozart's Requiem by the St Philip's Choir on the Sunday just after that, which I also missed. Did anyone make the CVMS one? I would be interested to know who the soloists were in that one, as I suspect there would have been significant overlap between the two concerts.

Sorry to hear you didn't make the concerts.

Nice video.

[Celt]

Quiz time: how many familiar faces can u find?
Prize: an extra Easter Egg 

Depends how you define familiar. Given how often I see the Schola, almost all of them

But if you mean extra familiar... then I think I spotted five? DW, IL, FM, AM-B and VW?

Sorry to hear you didn't make the concerts.

Normally I would be crying too, but I was abroad seeing something even more wonderful that the Schola.

[Celt]

As soon as I saw this listed on the Holland Park season I had a feeling CVMS would be involved.

Crossing my fingers there are 'familiar faces' involved as I would LOVE to hear "Avec La Garde Montante" sung by them.

[Luckdragon]

[TullyBascombe]

I wasn't aware that there were youth parts in "Carmen".

[Celt]

Hmm, there was a nice version of Carmen from the New National Theatre Tokyo a few months ago featuring the Tokyo FM Boys Choir, but it's gone from OperaVision as it was only available until January, which is a shame. You can see them in the trailer at 34 seconds

But here is another one, from the Vienna State Opera starting at roughly 13:45.



The song is Avec La Garde Montante.

I heard this on an album sung by Drengjakór Reykjavikur many years ago and had no idea at the time that it was from Carmen until I watched the opera for the first time in the above Tokyo performance!

It's just a short appearance but as usual, if I do go, it will be to hear the full opera for the first time live not just to see CVMS!

[Padmachou]

As a french person, I sang "La Garde Montante" at school in music class of course I would be interested to hear the english accent and see if I still catch the lyrics' meaning.

[Luckdragon]

Whatever it is, it looks like it's going to be for trebles only.

[Celt]

It is for My Father's Dragon (2022 film), posted by CVMS on FB.

Malachi was the soloist for the day. Lovely voice. Sat next to his mother at a concert once, and she filmed DW singing, but not her own son...
He was in DW's team for Magic Flute.

[Luckdragon]

Malachi was the soloist for the day. Lovely voice. Sat next to his mother at a concert once, and she filmed DW singing, but not her own son...
He was in DW's team for Magic Flute.

Oh yeah, Malachi was great singing "Balulalow" last year.

I guess he and DW do look somewhat alike so maybe his mother just got confused. It can happen in the excitement of it all.

[Celt]

10 Libera Concerts
5 Other concerts
3 4 operas

Didn't think I was going to make this one, it was a bit pricey! But turns out Opera Holland Park also does rush tickets for £35 or £10 if you are under 30!! (But that ship sailed so long ago it hit a trawler, sank, was re-floated and did service as a coal hauler before being beached on the Namibia coast to be broken up.)

But I digress... I'm at the interval, the boys already did their turn, and I even passed them on my way in to the venue. Absolutely loving the opera though. Memorable themes, stirring and passionate.

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20220604_210444.jpg (230.1 KiB) Viewed 2287 times

[Celt]

Wow, ok that was just brilliant. I was already loving it at the interval but the second half just knocked it out of the park. I mean, I did enjoy La Boheme, but I'm sorry Puccini, you have nothing on Bizet...

Absolutely buzzing when I left the auditorium, humming the tunes the whole way home (and still now!) THAT is what good music should do to you.

Also, showing how well I know the opera, the boys unexpectedly came back in the second half, and were also at the bow!

► Show Spoiler

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Carmen.jpg (4.26 MiB) Viewed 2276 times

SO, SO happy I went. That was just fantastic.

[Luckdragon]

► Show Spoiler

Carmen.jpg

A better look at the costumes (from Twitter).

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FUUZ5UcX0AANZiL.jpg (379.79 KiB) Viewed 2255 times

[filiarheni]

Wow, ok that was just brilliant. I was already loving it at the interval but the second half just knocked it out of the park. I mean, I did enjoy La Boheme, but I'm sorry Puccini, you have nothing on Bizet...

Absolutely buzzing when I left the auditorium, humming the tunes the whole way home (and still now!) THAT is what good music should do to you.

Also, showing how well I know the opera, the boys unexpectedly came back in the second half, and were also at the bow!

► Show Spoiler

Carmen.jpg

SO, SO happy I went. That was just fantastic.

So "Carmen" was a first for you?

"Carmen" is just the one opera which offers one beautiful tune after the next, from the very start until the end. My particular love is the intermezzo. That's an incredibly beautiful duet of flute and clarinet, tenderly playing with and around each other. But again, this is "only" one highlight out of a rest of highlights. So yes, Puccini is not Bizet, but then neither Mozart is, as there is no single opera by any composer for me with such a neverending chain of beauty as in "Carmen".

[Celt]

So "Carmen" was a first for you?

"Carmen" is just the one opera which offers one beautiful tune after the next, from the very start until the end. My particular love is the intermezzo. That's an incredibly beautiful duet of flute and clarinet, tenderly playing with and around each other. But again, this is "only" one highlight out of a rest of highlights. So yes, Puccini is not Bizet, but then neither Mozart is, as there is no single opera by any composer for me with such a neverending chain of beauty as in "Carmen".

First time I have seen it live, I watched a version for the first time on YouTube at the start of the year, but it's a completely different experience when you are in an auditorium with the opera as your sole focus.

"neverending chain of beauty" is a brilliant phrase and definitely sums up my experience!

Edit: totally stealing that phrase to use when I talk about it.