Britten War Requiem

Thursday, day six of our tour was very relaxed in comparison to the previous days. Our only commitment as a choir was to join the rehearsal in Katedra Polskokatolicka św. Marii Magdaleny (Mary Magdalene Cathedral) with the Polish choir and also the Gabrieli Consort. As all of our previous meals had been eaten in a hurry, we chose to venture into town to have a long leisurely lunch in a restaurant which was known as excellent for its authentic Polish food. I enjoyed a large bowl of cream of corn soup with fresh bread; however I was very envious of those who had ordered onion soup which arrived in a bowl of bread! Our rehearsal felt like a very abrupt change from small ensemble singing. Schola Canotrum went to Poland as a group of 28 singers. The joint choir for Britten War Requiem totaled 250 members!Friday was much the same as Thursday with a four hour rehearsal. For this rehearsal however we were joined by all the orchestra. There must have been 500 people on stage at this point! The most impressive section represented had to have been the double basses, of which there seemed to be 7-10. During their very first entry the lowest note of an enormous organ!
Saturday’s dress rehearsal was less than productive, especially when the entire third row of sopranos, myself included nearly fell off the stage. On closer inspection it was noted that the stage had not in fact been in any way bolted together, nor was there any guarantee that the chairs wouldn’t fall off again during the performance. The temporary solution to this problem was a series of short 2x4s attached to the stage with two pieces of duct tape at either end of each. Most laughable, I must say was the furthest two platforms were covered in black fabric… Thankfully no physical injuries occurred as a result of the incident, but there was more than a few noses out of joint.
Both performances of the Requiem went well, but could have been better I think. It was certainly an incredible experience, especially on such a large, international scale! Tired, worn out and sung out both Schola and the Gabrielis emerged early Monday morning to catch our flights back to the UK. It was a very quiet bus ride to the airport.
Now returned safely home, I am slowly unwinding and rejoining various other choirs as the new, very busy season starts.