Workshop at Palestra Saturday 27 January

We had an enjoyable workshop yesterday, with several prospective new members and visitors joining us for a  great workout with AmyBeth. Yes, we had quite a strenuous time working on breathing exercises, then did some vocal warm-ups and then tackled the first section of a new classical piece  - new for the choir, anyway. This was Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei which was a setting of the second movement of his String Quartet, composed in 1936. At the request of Arturo Toscanini he arranged it for string orchestra and in January 1938 sent that version to the conductor. In setting it to the liturgical Agnus Dei, a part of the Mass, Barber changed the music only a little. It is very moving and hopefully it will become part of our repertoire in the future.

After a short break we experimented with a version of Since U Been Gone a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). It is an uptempo pop rock and power pop  ballad. Lyrically, the song is written from a woman's point of view where she expresses her sense of relief with the end of her troubled relationship. We experimented by learning the parts, swapping around and moving to sing in different places. Great fun and very good practice!

​Michael
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Information from Wikipedia.