A good time was had at the Parliament Choir study day yesterday, productive and cheery. It was mentioned a couple of times that this is a very happy choir, and that is a good thing to have, better still when it is doing things to a high standard and having fun in the process. We are working towards our concert at Smith Square later in the month, and spent the day digging into Monteverdi, Purcell, Vivaldi and a dab of O’Neill as well. People seem to like O God Of Earth And Altar, and it is always handy to have your singers onside. There were some encouraging signs about some other pieces as well, and a couple of mentions of future writing, all good to hear. It was an encouraging day.
Tonight I’ll be involved in a performance of some music by Pelham Humfrey, whose writing I enjoy very much indeed, so I am looking forward to that, although not quite as much as being home, if briefly. The next couple of weeks will see me into concert season, so those lovely stretches of West Country living of January and February will be a little harder to come by, but I’m grabbing that occidental air as and when I can.
When not tinkering with a couple of new pieces I have been looking ahead, not just to the immediate future but beyond. I have always believed in having some kind of plan, and although anything longer than five years, say, can be too susceptible to the unknown for really solid ideas, it is useful to know in which direction the ship should be pointing. Early days yet, but there are more plans afoot.
Nicholas O'Neill 