Haydn’s Creation
Last week I was in Alton for the Alton Food Festival, I saw around the town posters for Haydn’s Creation in Farnham for the following week.
Hence a wander around Farnham during the afternoon, then a taxi to St Thomas-on-the-Bourne, as I had no idea where it was. A pity not in St Andrew’s in the town centre.
I arrived about half an hour before the concert was due to start, which was good timing as I was able to pick up my ticket and grab a good seat.
I was right at the front, probably too near I thought, but it turned out I was in the right location.
It cannot be often one is literally at the feet of the performers for a performance of Haydn’s Creation. I had full 180 degrees, from the soloists one side, through the singers, to percussion and bass on the other side. Right in front of me was the director.
The singers were The Holybourne Singers, the players The Haydn Ensemble, directed by Rebekah Abbott.
It is not often you see a female director (a first for me) and she doubled up as soprano.
I have a yardstick. They are called The Sixteen. They are in a league of their own, the gold standard.
The concert was excellent. I could not believe how good The Holybourne Singers were. They were only formed two years ago, this was only their third public performance. Whether this was some innate talent or Rebekah Abbot knocking them into shape I do not know.
Rebekah conducted the first half, then opened the second half singing, then leapt back onto the podium to conduct.
Rebekah a delight to listen to as a soprano.
The concert was recorded. I have been to too may concert where it is not recorded, then think what a pity.
I have asked Rebekah to upload the concert to bandcamp. I was not familiar with the file format she was using. I said convert to FLAC, upload as FLAC, bandcamp will handle any file conversion for download. [see mp3 v FLAC]
The cover of the programme ideal (with a bit of editing) as album cover. Make download free, but with pay-what-you-like, with the funds raised going to the same good causes as the concert. The concert programme available to download as pdf file.
If they wish to be on a record label (a twiiter account is more useful than a record label) then sign up to Any And All Records, then can get a bit of publicity, now signed to a record label. The very act of being on bandcamp another excuse for a bit of publicity. Make effective use of the internet.
A blog is also a must. If they had a blog could have written about their flashmobs, this concert, their rehearsals.
On bandcamp, single click, and can be shared. With the e-mail list and the people who attended, many people will be sharing with their friends, more money raised.
An excellent example of slow music, community supported music.
The singers were a local community choir, everyone gave their time free including the players. Big support from the local community. Fund raising for the local community.
There was also a very good age range. Not the usual over sixty and count on one hand those in their twenties. Behind me a very attractive 15-year-old girl with her grandmother. Beside me two attractive girls in their twenties from Finland, in front of me two boys probably five or six.
This was in part because they were all there because they knew the people playing (I was asked more than once who I knew) but I hope also there because they loved the music not because they had to be, because if the latter they will grow up hating the music.
The whole event was very informal, with Rebekah chatting to the audience from the podium.
But that is how community supported music should be. If not, music will not survive.
Checking out their facebook page I noticed flashmobs in Farnham! Excellent!
Talking to one of the Finnish girls she told me she liked Paulo Coelho (she had read The Alchemist in Swedish). To her pleasant surprise and delight I gave her a copy of The Alchemist.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809), a prolific Austrian composer, often seen as the composer who introduced the classical symphony. He was a friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The Creation is an oratorio written by Haydn between 1796 and 1798. The Creation tells the story of the creation drawing on Genesis and Paradise Lost.
Shooting Star Chase is a children’s hospice in Farnham, the cause for which funds raised by the concert.
Abbott O’Gorman Piano Duo lunchtime recital at Guildford United Reform Church 1300 Wednesday 18 July 2012.
Top Story in The Digital Mission Daily (Sunday 15 July 2012).
