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The Parliament Choir and guests gave an impressive account of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem last night in Westminster Cathedral to a packed audience. It is a difficult piece to bring off, the balance between the academic and the emotional often tipped in favour of the former and the sixth movement providing such a focal point in terms of drama and energy that the seventh, so important in terms of the architecture and the meaning of the work, can come across as an anti-climax. Thankfully yesterday’s performance was pitched just right. Next stop is the Christmas concert, not too far away, and I hope that we will be able to maintain these high standards.

 

I started putting pencil to paper yesterday for a new organ piece, one intended for the Parly Choir Christmas concert. The basic ideas are coming together fairly quickly, which is a good thing given that the deadline is not too far away, and I hope that it will be pitched at the right level. With a bit of luck there might be a bit of brass here and there as well.

 

My focus has shifted swiftly and sharply towards Christmas, and I also need to arrange We Three Kings and deal with any other bits and pieces which might need arranging or tidying. There is a performance of Sweet Was The Song coming up in Italy which might need that piece to be rearranged a little as well. The next few days are going to be busy, however, so I am going to need to take the opportunities to write as and where I find them and put other things onto the back burner for a while. With performances and broadcasts to come I shall need to be as prepared as possible.