It’s only a coincidence that we arrived in Finland for the Helsinki Organ Summer, a broad music festival featuring nearly 100 organ concerts hosted across central Helsinki churches, the Kallio district, and Suomenlinna throughout the summer season. We were trying to find someplace cool in Europe to visit after the Three Choirs Festival and chose… Read More Helsinki Organ Summer
Talk to anyone about visiting Finland, and undoubtedly someone will say that the Temppeliaukio Church (part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) is not to be missed. It is one of Finland’s most distinctive landmarks. Completed in 1969 and designed by Finnish architects Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, the church is carved directly into solid… Read More Helsinki’s underground rock church
After leaving the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs concert in Gloucster Cathedral, we drove directly to London Heathrow Airport where we said goodbye to Joan Ishibashi and waited for our FinnAir flight to Helsinki. Bill Potter and I went to use the facilities and both of us were so surprised at the choice of music — in… Read More We are in Finland!
Today was our last Three Choirs Festival concert before we head back to London Heathrow and on to the next part of our journey. We heard a huge contingent from the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs, about 150 people out of an organization of 2,000 singers! There were many familiar pieces, such as the opener, Hubert Parry’s… Read More Cathedral classics… plus!
Last night was our last evening concert for the Three Choirs Festival—an all-Mozart concert including the Requiem and the Sinfonia Concertante in E flat for violin and viola, K 364—a most unusual concerto. However, don’t get me wrong—there’s still one more nighttime concert left in the Festival but by that time we will be on… Read More Magnificent Mozart!
I really looked forward to tonight’s performance of the Monteverdi Vespers — one of my all-time favorites. In case you are not familiar with the work, it was composed in 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi and is a collection of opulent choruses, virtuosic soloists, and an eclectic mix of old and new styles. It consists of… Read More Monteverdi and Chichester memories
This morning we attended a lecture by Paul Hale, the consultant on the new organ at Gloucester Cathedral. Over 95% of the pipes are new, replacing a 1971 installation. At the beginning of his talk, he said we would be having a contest for anyone to win a free copy of his latest book, “The… Read More The new organ at Gloucester Cathedral
Yesterday we took in one of the best events of the week — a concert by the critically-acclaimed Apollo5, an outstanding a cappella ensemble with two women and three men: Penelope Appleyard – SopranoLily Robson – Interim Mezzo-Soprano / AltoThomas Mottershead – TenorJoseph Taylor – TenorAugustus Perkins Ray – Bass It was not only that… Read More Bonkers, mad Madrigals!
This afternoon we heard an entire concert of sad songs by John Dowland, whose motto was apparently “Semper Dowland, semper dolens.” Always Dowland, always sad. I learned from the program that these songs were written at a time when Dowland was unsuccessful in obtaining a court position in England—and was very unhappy although he did… Read More ‘Semper Dowland, semper dolens’
That was my reaction to last night’s concert with organist Katelyn Emerson, who played a brilliant performance of Francis Poulenc’s Concerto in G minor. This was perhaps only the second or third live performance of the work that I’ve heard but by far the most electrifying and exciting. As I watched and listened, one word… Read More Absolutely brilliant!