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By and large, the stuff we've run in the course of the last week shows an amazing amount of progress in the short time since we've started, which is excellent news. Well done to all, particularly for Sunday's epic rehearsal!
However, with only 2 weeks of rehearsal time until the show (eeek!) there are still quite a few bits we can tighten up. I appreciate that it's been difficult when we've not had a separate pianist, but we should still be able to hold it together unaccompanied if we had to at this stage. Here are my notes collected from the last week or so, and the Christmas holidays should give you plenty of time to get these sorted before 11th January.
Chorus of Soldiers
You can do this perfectly, but you need to make sure you're right on your game from the beginning. The chorus numbers will only be amazing if you take full responsibility for making sure you are right. I know we were hampered by numbers/attendance on Sunday, but you should be able to pull off this number even if there are only two people on the stage: it became apparent that several people are relying on Colins Bryce and Dobie to hold it together. NO passengers will be allowed. When you nail it, this number is amazing. You have done it perfectly in the past, so nothing less will do in future.
Make sure that when you sing "Look at the crowd", you hold the "crowd" for its full length.
Only Smoke
::This suffered from "bar three" syndrome. By the third bar of each entry, everyone was singing and it sounded amazing, but some of the entries were weak and the sound filtered through in dribs and drabs. We are not bar three people. We are BAR ONE people.
::The last note is four beats and then the 'k' of smoke goes on the fifth beat. I gave this to you very obviously, but several people were just not paying attention.
::"Each cloudy wreath". Get this wrong again, and I will bring out my big ginger slipper and spank each of the sopranos one by one. [HINT - those of you who persist in getting it wrong are not coming down low enough from the previous "dreaming" to the first note of "each"]
Habanera
By and large, this number is excellent. Don't be too loud on your first entry where Amy is singing over the top. The "love is like the gipsy free" section is phenomenal when you hold off the crescendo until the very end. As always, two Ks in "take Kare" please. Basses - someone was singing the right notes, but down on octave. Make sure you aim high on the first entries for "Love resembles a wilful bird" and "All around like lightning flash".
Toreador
Consonants again. We're losing the "f" on "Fond eyes gaze and adore", so make more of it. Altos - lean right through that line and make sure you don't breath after the "eyes". At the moment it sounds like "Fond eyes! Gaze and adore!". Everyone, when you're singing together, remember to lean into the second syllable of Toreador.
Come Follow Us
Remember that your first "How we enjoy a wandring life" (b.56) is quiet and doesn't even think about getting any louder until "Knowing no law" at b.60.
What has happened to the "under the sky a wandring life" section (letter D)?? You're all singing in unison. There are four beats after "true liberty" and the you are straight in. Classic "bar three" syndrome here. We are bar one people, people I refuse to go over this because it is the easiest entry in the whole show. Don't mess it up again.
Risky Our Game
In summary, my notes from Sunday read "WHERE THE F*** ARE THE BASSES?"
I know we have only done the guys' opening section once, but it is all music which is repeated from elsewhere in the song. When we got to "Death is the peril we incur", I thought "Haha! This will be OK. It's exactly the same as when everyone sings it together", but instead you just muffed it both times through. This song has been nailed in the past, so make sure you're concentrating and it ought to be fine.
March and Chorus
On the whole, the sound you produce here is amazing.
:: At the end of the first "Here there are, here comes the quadrilla" section, gentlemen you will need to belt you're "Here they are! Here they are! Here they are!" fff just because there are so few of you.
::Sopranos - after that first section, don't forget to sing "There you see him head the procession". This music *exactly* mirrors what you hear in the Prelude at the very start of the show, and you're all singing in unison. Bar one, please!
::Everyone - don't forget that "that decks their gallant uniform" continues straight into "hail to the banderilleros".
Finale
Considering how little time has been spent on this, it sounds awesome. We will need to work on the logistics of how you're going to see me in the theatre but that will happen nearer the time. I have put the order of stuff elsewhere on the forum, so just double check that and pay attention. At the very end, don't hold on the last note of "Love waits for thee!" - the orchestra will come crashing in, so just come off your note quickly.
In summary:
You have done an amazing job so far, but we just need to up our game for the final two weeks of rehearsal (and the show, obviously...) if we're going to knock the audiences little thermal socks off.
WE ARE NOT BAR THREE PEOPLE. WE ARE BAR ONE PEOPLE.
Merry Christmas,
Gregor x
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