Winter Sky
- In the last section when your blocking has you in a tight V, many of you cannot see me. It's really important to shift your focus to the sensation and sounds of those around you so you can "feel" when to come in and when to cut off.
Soundscape 1
- Begin walking to empty spaces as soon as you hear the Morse Code signal
- Many people are still missing the "breathe in" cue. As soon as you start walking again after the wind and walking have died down, you need to angle your bodies and focus your peripheral vision on me so you get the cue.
- Opening Solos (Gabrielle, Colleen, Talisa) - I've change my mind - we need these to be in tempo if this rest of the choir is going to be able to get the tempo correctly when they come in. Gabrielle, this will be really important for you. You will need to practice your solo much more quickly.
- Overall, no matter how fast I try to set this, you seem to want to sing this piece really slowly. Practice it fast so you can build a sense of urgency into your body and muscle memory!
- S2s and As: m.21 forward - be ready for a return to the fast temp after the rit in mm. 19-20.
- m. 41 onward - this is another place to be careful of tempo. S2s, in particular, tend to be very slow here.
Soundscape 2 (and 3)
- You need to take my tempo for us to be together. Everyone needs to be checking in with my beat before you enter and during the first few beats of your ostinato pattern to ensure we're aligned.
V'la l'bon vent
- Most of this song is a piano dynamic! Remember the work we did to balance the B and C sections - everyone has to scale their dynamics to the train engine.
- The shift notes on "ah" right before Letter D is rough - needs to be much quieter and gentler.
Pacem
- Dynamics, dynamics, dynamics! In particular, cresc + decresc shapes are what's missing. There are a lot of these and we worked so hard on them when we were doing the piece really slowly. We need to get them back!!
Soundscape 4
- As per Julia's comment, we need more volume from the people who are sniffing and crying, etc.
Cronan
- This came a long way since last time!!!! The very end (last page) still fell apart a bit so please reinforce that.
- Sop 2s, there were still some entries that were either early or late - be sure you know exactly when you're supposed to enter in relation to other parts.
- During the undulating circle the Oooos (S1 and S2) were unstable and not tuned as well as needed. Make sure you are listening and concentrating and not letting your intonation undulate with your bodies!!
- As I said on Sunday, I really need to be able to push and pull the tempo with this piece. You are looking right at me for most of it so it's important that you are connecting with me, even if it's through your peripheral vision.
- Dynamics need more attention here.
- Confidence in your own phrasing and where your part breathes/lifts is critical since this is not always the same across the full choir.
- p. 10, m. 47 - everyone needs to be very certain that this is a 4/4 measure and pace the cresc accordingly.
Snow
- The memory work is weak on this piece for several of you. It seems short and easy so I understand that it hasn't received the time bigger piece have, but it's the end of the show so it has to be SO solid. Please review and make sure you can sing it without even having to think about it.
Kyrie
- Confidence in your own phrasing and where your part breathes/lifts is critical since this is not always the same across the full choir.
- Because this piece is "pretty" we are tending to sing it with a very breathy tone and flattened soft palates. We need to move away from this and sing it with proper women's voices and raised soft palates! The reference recording is really lovely but she's a high soprano with a very light voice singing all the parts so it's not a realistic or good model for how you should produce sound for this piece.
- Dynamics need more review.
- We need to shift away from saying "e-le-i-sun" or "saahn" - the final vowel is too wide. Your lips need to stick out every time you say this syllable - you should be singing "saw-n" with your lips out.
- m. 54 - everyone except S1a is out on beat 3.
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