BERNSTEIN IN PARIS
7th July 2013
I was delighted and exited to be asked to be soloist alongside a choir made up of three hundred Americans from all over the States in Bernstein's Chichester Psalms in Paris. Bernstein states that the soloist must either be a treble (preferable) or a countertenor...as a barrel scrape! Anyhow, it was exhilarating to work with the inimitable Andre Thomas and this great choir which just three days before had been a disparate group of small choirs unknown to each other.
We began our rehearsals in the American Church on the Quay d'Orsay, which was pleasant as the building is light, un-intimidating and airy. I had my usual worry about what people would think of a countertenor - many never having heard one before - but they were kind and I think they just assumed I had some sort of specialist anatomical oddity! One ten year old said could I sing higher than he could...probably!
The Bernstein has all the energy of Westside Story and the unmistakable fun and whirlwind melodies of Jewish music.
The mighty Madeleine Church
One of the subterranean passages beneath The Madeleine
Oliver gerrish being conducted by Andre Thomas
An audience assembling...
Cavaille-Coll masterpiece at The Madeleine
Philip, Virginie, John, Oliver Gerrish, Andre Thomas and Kaitlin
The three hundred and thirty-strong choir
Kitchen Rococo in a restaurant we ate at before the concert
The Marche aux Puces
A very nice present for each of us singers
The quartet in the Bernstein were Kaitlin, a lovely US soprano, French mezzo-soprano Virginie fouque,American-in-Paris tenor John Bernard and Brit baritone Philip Glenister. Kaitlin and Philip sang the solos in Faure's Requeim, which proceeded the Bernstein.
The setting for the concert was The Madeleine, surely one of the most sublimely grand edifices in Europe. Axcording to my French Grandmother an ancestor of mine was the first organist there from 1847 for yen years. He was Louis Lefebure-Wely. He, amongst other things, was a great friend of legendary organ builder Cavaille-Coll and he taught Widor. We used the organ behind the gargantuan Angelic reredos, which was not quite like the great West End organ, but we did get to hear that rumble before our rehearsal. The Hunchback of Notre Dame always comes to mind in these dim and dusky vast French churches!
Between the rehearsals I dashed up to do some (unsuccessful) bargain-hunting at the Marche aux Puces at St-Ouen de Clignancourt, which was an experience nonetheless despite being rather overpriced and extremely hot and crowded.
The concert was a great success and Andre Thomas conducted with such aplomb and somehow had enough energy to keep everyone on their toes and smiling for hours...no mean feat when there were nearly 400 involved.
We had about a thousand in the audience, which was marvellous, and it was the most enormous thrill and honour to sing in that great cavernous building with a giant choir from half way across the World.
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