WEsterly rehearsal

The weekend was devoted to the Dvorak "Stabat Mater", which is a very special piece.  It is very long, but in contains some enormously emotional music, and the final chorus is something incredibly powerful.  I am sure Dvorak must have heard the Brahms, or maybe Verdi's "Four Sacred Pieces", because the orchestra suddenly drops out and the chorus has this powerful moment all to itself which almost made me burst into tears, it was so moving and heart-felt.  What a wonderful job Andrew is doing.  The chorus is headed to Europe this summer, and will be performing the Dvorak in Prague (!), and also St. Stevens Cathedral in Vienna (!!!).  Here are a few shots taken during the rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday.

The inside of the George Kent Performance Hall, named for the revered former conductor, for whom I played for 40 years
before his retirement in 2012. 

The exterior, George Kent Performance Hall. It doesn't look all that impressive
until you hear the acoustics, which are magnificent.

Opening movement, Bass Trombone
This is a very involved and challenging part, and seriously rewarding.

The last movement, a very fitting conclusion to a 90 minute work.

Shires Bb-F-D Bass Trombone, 1 1/4 G Gardinelli mouthpiece

I am sneaking in one more shot of that fox (see the previous posting).

Andrew, just prior to starting.

The chorus stands on the risers, reaching almost up to the ceiling.  The hall is now air-conditioned.

One of the successes of the chorus, a fantastic collection of young voices incorporated into the chorus.

Brian Sturm, tenor trombone, left, and Mark Weaver, alto trombone.
Mark had done some research on the original performance, and found that the trombonist were using a kind of
rotary-valve trombone, probably manufactured in Prague!

After the  performance, I wanted to ask George if he approved of Andrew's Dvorak, but I was exhausted, and headed back up Rt. 95 to Middleboro, facing a 7:30 AM appointment with Alex, my 4-year-old grandchild, who I take care of on Mondays. Exhausted because the performances (two back-to-back, 4:00 and 6:30 after a 12-2;30 rehearsal) were very emotional, and  physical, but I wouldn't have given up a single note.  It was a very special gift to be part of this rarely heard piece in performance.
Brave, Chorus of Westerly!  And have a great trip to Prague, etc.
(Believe me, I asked if they needed a Bass Trombone for the trip, but they are hiring an orchestra over there, which
is seriously less money than carrying us along).