It was such a success and each of my pupils who could make it made me very proud, and sang to the best of their ability! What more could I ask!
N started us off with a cracking Non Piu Andrai from Figaro, a brave man indeed, but he set the standard for the rest of the afternoon. We had a super folk song from J who conjured up all her courage to perform with joy and lovely tone. Some of the singers are old hands, so to speak, so R sang her Amarylli with gravitas and supreme confidence, and N the same, her Where ere you Walk was beautiful, as was her brother L who gave us a terrific With Pious Hearts by Handel. Young S performed a rollicking Pirate's Song with verve and lots of drama as her first ever Inner Sound solo.
The pianists really did me proud too. D, after a slightly shaky start played two heart rending Chopin pieces and a duet with moi ! We performed one of the Moskowski Spanish dances, then he finished in style and confidence. H gave us two absolutely splendid blues pieces from the Microjazz series, and made us all smile with his panache and great sense of rhythm. Young M gave us a crisp and confident Minuet, splendidly accurate and clear.
The other young singers were excellent, M sang a most dramatic and funny Second Minuet, showing her considerable talent for humour and timing as well as beautiful tone, and M sang a lulling and warm Dalmation Cradle Song, whilst A sang her The Path to the Moon by Eric Thiman with a high and sweet soprano tone, which grows by the week !
KD was very knowing and naughty in her Se Tu M'Ami by Pergolesi, and 'borrowed' L to help her set the scene as a flirt! Her husband I, sang a solo for the first time, and we were delighted by his warm tone in singing Edelweiss. J painted a lovely picture of the sea for us in Trade Winds, and E sang my all time favourite Christmas song, The Little Road to Bethlehem by Head. She conveyed the gentleness so well. A sang the lovely Sky Above the Roof by Vaughan Williams, with a real sense of poetry and line and then my other more 'old hand' ladies sang so well, P have us a brilliant The Elephant by Flanders and Swann and made us laugh with her sense of humorous timing, and PN sang a most confident Che vuol la Zingarella, something she would hotly deny, but hey I'm the teacher, and her confidence shows through in her singing even when she feels nervous ! Result ! My golden alto M sang Pieta Signora with fat tone, and a real sense of line, and KM, newly returned to lessons after a break sang the heart warming song by Dorothy Parke, Wee Hughie, with much pathos and sensitivity.
We also had a very amusing trio from M, P and E, as decrepit little maids from school, complete with bus pass and knitting ! Then M and P performed a very witty Gendarmes Duet, as women police officers. Slick dancing and fun actions combined with great singing, which made a fab finale.
What a variety of music, what confidence and courage, and what a great couple of hours. The buffet was gorgeous, as usual, and was much appreciated by us all. Most especially by the non cooks among us (ie Me), who were able to take a small tin of goodies home, which served as home made artisan sustenance for the next 24 hours !
Well done indeed everyone, proud I was !
So Much Music, So Many Composers, Such Good Singing !
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