Today was the last day of term. In some ways it seems like I've been here a long time while in other ways I feel like I just got here. I'm happy with what I've learned this term and look forward to continuing to grow next term.
I saw a lovely 'Winterreise' last week with the tenor James Gilchrist, partnered by Peter Seymour, one of the music dept. faculty on fortepiano. The venue was a refurbished church that is now home to the National Centre for Early Music. It was a rather intimate space, and the feeling was enhanced by Mr. Gilchrist's expressive voice and the lighter colour of the fortepiano. I've never heard 'Winterreise' on an original instrument before, and I experienced the work in a completely different way than I am accustomed. Some parts missed the more sonorous sound of the modern piano (particularly in those bits lying in the lower range), but others were enhanced. I was especially taken by some of the effects gained by putting on the various pedals (they seemed to work more like a stop on an organ, sustaining a particular sound quality until taken off). Because of the lack of sustaining power of the fortepiano, there is much more room for the singer's words to be articulated. Mr. Gilchrist spoke to the audience before each half of the cycle, kind of outlining how he saw the cycle progress. On the one hand, I liked that we were able to see into the mind of the performer; on the other I think that a singer should be able to convey his/her point of view simply through the music (which, incidentally, Mr. Gilchrist did). In a social gathering afterward, I was astonished to learn that this was Mr. Gilchrist's first 'Winterreise' and he learned the cycle in about a month. That he was able to give such a fully realized performance makes me eager to hear where he will go with the cycle in a few years time.
Tomorrow is the obligatory Christmastime 'Messiah', this time with the Yorkshire Bach Choir. We are not cutting any choruses which is a bit of a drag. Fortunately Peter Seymour's brisk tempos should get us out of there by 10:00!
