Ganeida's Knots

 "feedback from the open rehearsal....lady in front of my sister wondered when the carols were starting...Thought she'd bought tickets to it!!!" ~ Anne Barklimore

We have survived.  The house, the cats, the family are all looking the worse for wear but Star sang her last carol for the year last night & when I walked into the house at the end of a very long day I was stunned to find the rest of the household had managed to sequester Theo away without letting on to me so we are almost a full house for Christmas. Liddy, who has driven & driven & driven, was an absolute blessing for me as I picked up a full blown cold & have been coughing & spluttering  & dying by degrees the last few days & wishing I could just lie down & sleep instead of zooting round Brisbane. 

The zooting was necessary.  During the full day rehearsals Liddy & I filled our time with Christmas shopping in town.  Probably not something I would want to do too often.  The sheer variety is overwhelming when you are used to your choices being far more limited but I did find something I know my Dearest will be thrilled with ~ & that is so rare we must just have had a blue moon!

Wednesday The Event came off.  Having got home at midnight no~one was real thrilled to be on a 6.30am boat but Star's call was for 8.30 & we had another little girl to pick up & take with us.  Five minutes before we walked out the door Star was screaming for her Black VM performance pants. You have no idea!  We tore the house apart.  No pants.  Logistically there were only so many places she could have left them but though we have searched high & low & asked everywhere [boats, stage door, carols, car]  those pants have disappeared into the nether land.  In desperation we grabbed every pair of black pants in the house but definitely not the way I was hoping to start our morning.

We met my mother off her train &  wangled seats right up the back of the stalls. The choir was supposed to be 600 voices but even with seating removed & a stage extension the Concert Hall was apparently never going to do that so the choir was about 300 voices & it showed.  Every time the orchestra got a little over excited the choir couldn't get over the top of them. Liddy promptly curled up in her seat & went to sleep.  It is so not her thing but she is always prepared to show willing to support our Star.

So what did I think?  Well, I am really pleased, after 12 months of hearing bits & pieces of the chorus work, to have heard the whole thing right through.  I am pleased we sat up the back because in places it was like a wall of sound coming at you. Closer to the stage must have felt like being consumed by a tidal wave.   Parts of it were absolutely exquisite: the a Capella, the soloists [Luke is an absolute sweetie & sounded magnificent]; the opening orchestra work gave me goosebumps.  In places the balance wasn't quite right & both melody & harmony disintegrated into a wall of noise but I think they sorted this for the performance because they got a standing ovation in the evening & I know they were working on it in the morning.

For anyone who is curious:  Here is a link to the media releases on the Gothic; Here are photos.  Both links are temporary.  Here & here is a Facebook link to more photos.  Enjoy.