The King's Singers

09 / 01 / 2012

David

It seems a little late to wish you all a happy 2012, but I think this may be the first K'S blog of the year. I have had a very relaxed few weeks off since we returned from Singapore. I have to admit that today has been a bit of rude awakening, as I was woken early by my alarm clock (something that I try to leave in my baggage during our breaks). This morning I drove up to Heathrow, and leaving the car there, I headed into London for a rehearsal at St James's Church, Piccadilly (where we performed a concert of Polish music recently). Whilst we were there our passports were taken to the New Zealand High Commission to have the visas affixed in readiness for next month's trip. We must thank Rebecca and Claire for organising such things - there have quite a few visas and work permits added to my passport in the recent past, not least the Far East countries we were in in December. I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue if we had to do them ourselves!

I am now heading back to Heathrow to fly to Prague. It is few years since I last visited this fabulous city, and we do have a bit of time on Wednesday morning to explore the Old City, before we head to Dubai. it is nice to be back on the road, and also to see the other K'S. It is also great to look at the schedule for the next few months. I am very excited about the trip 'down under'. During my time in the group we have not been. It has been mooted on many occasions, but has not managed to be fitted in. It is great that it has at last been organised successfully. The addition of New Zealand to the itinerary has been rather fortuitous, given our appointment of one of their own into the K'S. We have been rehearsing with Chris B today, and I think you will all approve of our decision.

Anyway, before that I have to cope with the delights of airport security - one aspect of the job I have not missed in the last three weeks!

10 / 01 / 2012

Tim

Happy New Year everybody!! I do hope you all had a great Christmas and fun New Year's Eve celebrations! I certainly did!!

So here we are in Prague for our first concert of 2012. What a beautiful city this is. It's the first time I've been here and the last time the group was here was back in 1997, I was reliably informed by Philip today.

We are singing a programme tonight entitled Chanson D'amour and it contains some really sumptuous pieces - my personal favourites have to include John Wilbye's Weep, weep mine eyes and Draw on, sweet night. They are absolute gems and I thoroughly enjoy singing them - actually I now recall that they were programmed in my first few concerts back in 2009. Happy memories................

Anyway, I do now need to dash and write my announcement for the show tonight. I'm introducing the group of 4 love songs before the interval, which include Saint-Saens' Romance du Soir and Sir Arthur Sullivan's The Long Day Closes. Thankfully I have some very helpful notes from David to guide me in the right direction - what kind colleagues I have!

P.S. - If you want to check out some of these pieces from tonight's programme, take a listen to our 2009 release, Romance du Soir, in The KS shop! 

12 / 01 / 2012

Philip

It's unusual to return so soon to a destination which prior to last year's visit would not have been somewhere we would expect to perform at all, but here we are back in Dubai as guests of the Dubai Concert Committee. It's also unusual to suffer the inconvenience of having to evacuate the hotel at 6.30am owing to a fire alert, only the second time that this has happened since I joined the group. It is approximately the time I get up every weekday morning at home, but here 6.30am is equivalent to 2.30am UK time, and we had arrived at the hotel well after midnight following our 6-hour flight from Prague. Thankfully we can rest until 4pm, when we will be refreshed and ready to begin our rehearsal for another unusual event: tonight, at the 5-star beach resort Madinat Jumeirah, we will sing the first half our concert in a normal concert set-up, and the second half on microphones as a kind of cabaret slot in between the first and second courses of the Gala dinner which is being laid on in the ballroom of the resort as part of the event. Our work done, we get to enjoy the dinner ourselves, and some relaxation time before we fly back to London on Friday morning, with, we hope, no repeat of the fire procedure in between!

13 / 01 / 2012

Chris

Happy New Year dear readers, and welcome to the exciting roller-coaster of a ride that will be the blogs of 2012!

I write this at an early hour from the comforts of the Emirates lounge in Dubai International Airport, awaiting my flight home direct to London Gatwick and thence to my country retreat, having decided to switch my flight and miss out on the horrors of London Heathrow, a place I firmly believe to be one level of Dante's Purgatory. Such little things make a big difference in the life of a wandering minstrel, and as every hour at home is a precious hour we develop as many tricks as possible to get us back there swiftly!

Last night's concert, a fund-raising evening in support of the Dubai Concert Committee, was another chapter in our gradual process of getting to know this part of the World. Sometimes it can take a few concerts to "get into" a new term, especially after the excesses (culinary and otherwise) of a Christmas break, but this term we have hit the ground running and produced two fine performances in Prague and Dubai, in my opinion. Wrestling with difficult ballroom acoustics presented no difficulties in the face of a fine technical team, and I can't remember the last time it was so satisfying to sing on microphones.

This is a short stop at home; on Sunday we return to one of our favourite European venues, the beautiful Teatro alla Pergola in Florence, almost hidden down a side street of this wonderful city, and we know many of our Italian friends will be there to greet us. There is something very special about Italian audiences; they are always on your side and appear to listen with bated breath and almost unbearable tension until, at the last, there is an audible release of breath and (hopefully!) the applause starts. It's incredibly rewarding and I'm looking forward to it very much.

Next week I will be writing from Germany after Philip's final concert with the group there, in what is one of our strongest territories. The Philharmonie in Cologne is a fitting place to bow out for any performer and as the end of January draws closer there will certainly be a few emotional occasions to contend with. As one chapter closes, another one begins, and it is with great pleasure and excitement that I can report fantastic progress being made by Chris Bruerton, Philip's successor. He is a true professional, a fine singer and musician, and we are looking forward to introducing him to audiences very much.

14 / 01 / 2012

Johnny

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

And what a wonderful start to the new year it's been. It began in Russia, at Irina's country house just outside Moscow, where we reigned in the new year with a traditional Russian feast, piled high with meats and salted vegetables and salads and 'plov' and cakes and vodka and wine and all the other good things that life has to offer. I've attached pictures below.

Following a restful week in London, next, we set off to Prague as a group at the beginning of this week. It's an incredibly beautiful city that I hadn't visited since the age of 2, so I was pleased to squeeze in a run on Wednesday that passed most of the city's most famous historic landmarks. Even if it did mean I had to run very fast and could barely speak by the time I got back to our hotel. The castle is certainly one of my favourite buildings in the whole world, and visiting the British Embassy,  which sits right in its wake, and where we met the delightful Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Sian MacLeod, was a real honour. The views across the city from the embassy terraces are also stunning, might I add.

From there, Dubai. I love it. And our good friends (particularly Paul and Jo) there. I think I'm going to make another stop there on my way back from New Zealand next month. For now, here's a photo of David which I took over breakfast from our hotel restaurant balcony, and as I took it I asked myself the following question: when gazing at the world's only 7* hotel (the sail-like structure in the distance) from our 5* hotel, does that make it a 12* breakfast?

This weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind. Washing done and suitcase packed for the coming week, I sped to the launch evening of my friend Alice's first solo art exhibition. Very proud of her I was too, her work was marvellous.  Today, after a most welcome lunch with my mother, I managed to catch my friend Kate in Oxford before she heads back to Harvard on Monday. We drank lapsang souchong; we strolled around New College and caught a snippet of Poulenc in the chapel; we sunk a quick drink in the college bar before all the beginning-of-term revelry starts later this evening. But, most importantly, we COMPLETED the Times2 Jumbo Crossword. I attach evidence below, and am happy that, in finishing it, we have restored the world's natural order.

 So now, I'm heading back to London, to get ready to fly to Florence tomorrow, and to catch a fleeting glimpse of Irina before I go. I. Can't. Wait.

 Speak soon, xx

16 / 01 / 2012

David

With apologies to the other wonderful countries we visit, I have to admit that I have a particular soft spot for Italy. The food is delicious, the architecture is amazing, the people are so friendly and the weather is usually better than the UK. The first of our two Italian concerts took place in Florence's Teatro della Pergola, a regular venue for the group. We always have a very enthusiastic audience when we visit Florence, and last night was no exception. Amongst those attending were a young choir named Vivae Vocis, who attended last year's Schleswig Holstein Music Festival Masterclass. It was great to see them in the front rows of the venue, and to meet them after the concert. As ever we are grateful to the Florentine presenters, Amici della Musica, and to our fantastic Italian manager, Denise Petriccione.

Today we head to Udine, in the northeast corner of Italy, close to Trieste. We are travelling by express train, and this takes us from Florence to Venice via Bologna and Padua. We then take a local train along the coast to Udine. My only regret is that I don't have the time to break the journey in the places along the way, as Bologna and Venice feature amongst my favourite cities. Having said that, looking out of the train window, it does look very cold in Bologna. The brilliant sunshine of Tuscany has given way to a slightly gloomy Emilia-Romagna - perhaps I should revise the bit about Italy having better weather than home.

Tomorrow we head to Cologne - another great city - for a concert in the Philharmonie on Wednesday night. On Thursday we sing the first of six concerts in France. Add in last week's stops in Prague and Dubai, and you get a wonderfully diverse month of touring. I must not forget the last concert of the month in Salisbury Cathedral - an architectural gem of our own country that definitely rivals the ones in Florence!

17 / 01 / 2012

Tim

Hello all! Well today we arrived in the wonderful German city of Cologne after a couple of very successful concerts in Florence and Udine.

This city will always remind me of a very fun period of a few days that we spent here in 2010 with The WDR Big Band and that musical genius, Bill Dobbins. The project was the reworking of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio for The King's Singers and big band, all done by meister Dobbins. It is difficult to say that it was an arrangement of this infamous Oratorio, but that it was more a work inspired by Bach. It was met with great enthusiasm around Germany when we performed it and you can take a listen of the live recording right here.

Ok, well sorry for the short blog this week but I don't want to miss the 6pm meet downstairs in the lobby with the other chaps. We're all off for a schnitzel and potatoes - I'm going to try to order the largest one on the menu. Sadly, I doubt that I will find any difficulty in finishing it off.

Before I go, here are a few shots taken from the last week or so.

Firstly, a shot of me, Gemma and some of my old school buddies last week in London, having a catch up over an Italian meal!

A picture taken after the concert in Udine with some members of the audience.

Chris eating a single slice of the world's largest pizza.

Some of the guys having some fine Italian coffee before our flight to Cologne this afternoon.

20 / 01 / 2012

Chris

The first four-in-a-row of 2012 sees us in fine voice and really enjoying our singing as we head out around France, following a memorable last German concert for Phil in the Philharmonie in Cologne.

We don't often spend this much time in France in one go, and it's great to sample the delights, culinary and musical, over a whole week. Personally I can't wait to get down to Bordeaux on Thursday and pick up a few bottles of wine to add to my ever-expanding cellar. It's becoming a hobby (ever since I joined the KS I haven't had a proper hobby - it used to be singing!) and I enjoy learning about new wines and producers, and settling down at home with Stephanie to enjoy a bottle over a good meal.

We're just starting to perform elements of our Diamond Jubilee celebration programme on this trip, and it's all going well; music inspired by, dedicated to (and sometimes even written by!) British Monarchs down the ages is a wonderful theme, as it allows us to tap into the rich vein of form that many composers experience when receiving the ultimate commission or patronage, that of royalty. I'm particularly enjoying the rounds that David has re-discovered as partners for madrigals: "Flow o my tears" by John Dowland as a precursor to, and inspiration for, John Bennett's wonderful "Weep, o mine eyes" - and "The Silver Swan" by Orlando Gibbons, leading into his madrigal of the same name. We hope we'll see some of you at our celebration concerts throughout the year!

23 / 01 / 2012

David

In my years in the King’s Singers we have regularly visited France to sing concerts in countless places, but these concerts have tended to be one-off visits or pairs of concerts. Unlike other territories we have not embarked on actual tours of the country. This is mainly due to the fact that France is the UK’s nearest neighbour, and that it is easy to make a short visit. However it is great to be spending nine days here travelling around giving six concerts all over this wonderful country. Yesterday we flew from Brest, on the Western tip of Brittany down to Clermont Ferrand in the Auvergne region of Southern central France. As our flight from Brest was not until late afternoon, we had some time to relax during the day. After a very late night after the Paris concert, it was great to be able to sleep in without the rude awakening of an alarm clock. When I opened the curtains, I saw that a large Sunday market had been set up in the streets around the hotel, and I strolled around it after breakfast. The most popular stall was the one selling oysters – I resisted the temptation to have a small mid-morning snack.

Today’s concert has an interesting first half (of course the whole concert will be interesting…), consisting of works from Il Trionfo di Dori and The Triumphs of Oriana. These two collections of Renaissance madrigals contain many amazing pieces, including Thomas Weelkes’ fabulous As Vesta was descending. I have written about these two collections in previous ‘blogs last summer, so I won’t bore you with a history lesson. They are amongst my favourite pieces in the K’S repertoire, and so I am greatly looking forward to the evening’s concert. In fact we have had a wonderfully varied repertoire over the last two weeks, with lots of different programmes. This has certainly kept us on our toes!

Chris B, who is travelling with us this tour, with Sophie, our wonderful guide from Concerts Parisien

The borthday boy, Johnny

24 / 01 / 2012

Tim

So here we are in Besancon after a relatively long train journey from Clermont-Ferrand via Lyon. The venue for our concert this evening is the Théâtre Musical de Besancon and it's rumoured to be yet another full house! It is truly amazing to think that the group has never embarked on a French tour like this especially as we're so close to home! We are all having such a great time singing in wonderful venues to some very appreciative and knowledgeable audiences. I know it must seem that I mention food in every single blog but I cannot allow a week in France to pass without a passing comment about how awesome the food has been - I think it's fair to say, some of the tastiest steaks that I've ever had! Ok that's it, no more chat about food, I can feel my stomach grumbling..........

We finish our stint in France with a concert in the Grand Théâtre Opera in Bordeaux - this was apparently the venue for Chris G's first concert and it's hard to believe that it will also be Phil's last non-UK show. I will miss Phil dearly - he's a great friend and a wonderful person to have around, not to mention a phenomenal musician. I'm really looking forward to the Salisbury concert, which will be the grand 'home' concert which he most richly deserves - a fitting end to a long and dedicated membership of The King's Singers.

Piccies below.

Firstly a couple from Cologne:

The magnificent Cologne Cathedral opposite our hotel which is undergoing some cleaning at the mo........

Phil after his last German concert with Norbert, one of our Belgium promoters.

Phil sometimes mentions that he will go and put his 'arranging hat' on, in order to finish some of his pieces off, but this lampshade really was a step too far............

The two Chris' attacking some food on one of our many train journeys around France this week.

26 / 01 / 2012

Philip

I'm sitting in the last of the very many hotel rooms I've occupied worldwide during my 18 years with The King's Singers, at lovely Bordeaux in France, waiting to leave for rehearsal and my final overseas concert. A newspaper interviewer the other day asked me how many concerts I'd performed with the group and I thought rather than the usual somewhat wild guess I would sit down and work it out from my diaries. It's hard to find an exact figure - do you count singing one song at a memorial evening in the Albert Hall for Kosovo victims as a concert or is that just a "guest appearance", for instance? But I was satisfied to discover that whatever criteria you apply the final number is certainly over 2,000. It has been for me, as it is for everyone who joins this extraordinary group, a life-changing experience. Were it not for my good fortune to be chosen on that sunny June day back in 1993, I might very well be still living in my medieval apartment in Salisbury's magnificent Close, turning up every day to teach in a local school, and then hurrying off back to The Close to sing Evensong in the cathedral. It's funny how life can change in a single moment, sometimes for the worse of course....

The downside for me has been, unsurprisingly, the time away from my family, having been absent for about half of every single year of my three daughters' existence, not to mention my marriage, since I was appointed a mere 8 months after our wedding day! It sounds rough, and I cannot deny that it has been at times, but for both the artistic fulfilment the job brings and the new opportunities it has led to, it was worth it, and the signs are that looking back the girls will think that what Daddy did was actually rather cool, especially for someone who is to them so inherently "uncool"! And I'm going to do my best to rectify that absence, starting this Sunday, the day after my final concert in Salisbury Cathedral, when the echoes of Durufle and Billy Joel have finally died down, and I can return home and not have to answer the little voice which always says "When are you going away again?". It's never too late, I tell myself.

Philip

30 / 01 / 2012

David

On Saturday evening Phil sang his last concert with the group after more than eighteen years in the line-up. The concert in Salisbury Cathedral was a wonderful occasion, and the venue was so appropriate. Phil was singing in the Cathedral choir before he joined the K’S, and still lives nearby. As many of you may know, the concert was not an ordinary King’s Singers a cappella show. The event was a joint one with South Wilts A Cappella, the excellent choir from Salisbury’s girls’ grammar school. They were already planning to do Maurice Duruflé’s sublime Requiem in a concert on the 28th, and somehow our plans and theirs combined together. Phil’s oldest daughter, Sophie, sings in the choir, and so Phil was able to share a platform with her. I must say for me it was a near perfect first half. All I had to do was sing the four Duruflé motets with the group, and then I took a seat in a darkened corner of the Cathedral, and listened to the beautiful performance of the Requiem, under the direction of Libby Poppleton. Phil, Chris and Johnny joined the choir’s bass part for the performance, whilst the other three of us sat it out. It would have been tempting to join the alto line, but the top two parts are sung by the girls from South Wilts Grammar, and they certainly needed no help from a couple of countertenors.

The second half started with a group of folksongs arranged by Phil and the great Gordon Langford, who worked closely with the original members of the K’S, and was, we feel, instrumental in the creation of the King’s Singers sound. It was lovely that he was able to attend the concert. The second half continued with Bob Chilcott’s Even such is time, a setting a words by the 16th Century adventurer Sir Walter Ralegh. For this we were joined by the sopranos and altos from the choir. We premiered this piece in Salisbury Cathedral back in 1993, as part of a set of four pieces composed for the group and the then newly formed Salisbury Cathedral Girl Choristers. Phil was then given free rein to choose his favourite close harmony arrangements.

It is going to be rather strange without him. In addition to being colleagues for over eighteen years, we have known each other for around thirty years, since he moved to Salisbury. One slightly alarming result of his departure is that I become the oldest member of the K’S. However his legacy will live on in many ways within the group, not least through his arrangements. The second piece to be performed by Phil’s successor, Chris Bruerton, will be Phil’s lovely lilting arrangement of I love my love, and that will not be the only Lawson moment in the concert. This week we continue to work with Chris to prepare for our trip to Australia and New Zealand. This will be my very first trip there, and next Monday I will be on my way – I am not sure how I will post my next blog from the plane!

31 / 01 / 2012

Tim

Hello all!

At the moment i'm sifting through lots of wonderful KS music in the library, picking out the ones we need for the rest of term. We jet off to Australia and New Zealand on Sunday and I can't quite believe it!! Gemma is flying out to spend some quality time with her family and friends and I'm meeting them all for the Auckland concert on 25th Feb, before travelling to her home city of Nelson for a few days. I've not heard any bad reports about either country and I'm stupidly excited to see them both with my own eyes..........Some of the views from Gemma's house are breathtaking (from the photos I've seen) and it's also going to be summer, so fingers crossed for lots of outdoor activities.

It's been great working with Chris B over the last few weeks - he's picking things up very quickly and will surely make a first class King's Singer. I'm really looking forward to his first few orchestral shows in Adelaide. It's always a very different experience when you hold a cordless microphone and try and sing with the group. There are a host of new issues which arise - readdressing the balance of the voices, listening to yourself back in the monitor, making sure your mouth is the correct distance from the mic etc etc..........it's far easier when we revert to our usual acoustic sessions!

As you all know, last Saturday we bid farewell to our dear colleague and friend, Philip. It was a magnificent concert and the choir and orchestra performed superbly. I can't wait to meet up with Phil soon, to hear all about his new adventures - I'm sure he'll be just as busy as he was when he was in The KS! Maybe not accruing so many air miles though..................

Picture time..........

Lunch in Bordeaux

The Grand Théâtre, Boredeaux - the outside is nearly as impressive as the inside!

The truly stupendous sight of Salisbury Cathedral. I cannot believe that it was my first time there - hopefully not the last!

The last shot of The KS with Philip in the line-up.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! Here are some pics from the celebrations in Trafalgar Square on Sunday with Gemma and some of her buddies!

01 / 02 / 2012

Paul

You may be thinking that I've disappeared off the face of the earth in the last few weeks. Several people have sent me messages, asking if I'm 'okay', and thanks to everyone who has. Well, it’s been a tough month or so and now I should tell you just a bit about it: I've been suffering from a condition known as 'GERD' (Gastric Oesophogal Reflux) which caused chronic laryngitis. On December 30th I lost my voice, having felt unwell for several days and was not able to speak at all for 9 days. I was then referred to a specialist by my own doctor. To keep a long story short, and to spare you the details, I am now well on the road to recovery, the medication is working, and my vocal chords are steadily recovering. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues who have been tremendously supportive and to all my friends and family for their kindness and care.

On to more important things: we really enjoyed a small, private event in Little Gransden Village Hall last night with family and friends. We are all SO impressed with Chris Bruerton’s cool temperament and quality singing, he is going to make a first-class King’s Singer. Last night's concert had a wonderfully intimate atmosphere, with around 150 guests, in aid of 'Cancer Research UK'. We raised almost £1000, and I'm tremendously grateful to everyone who gave so generously. Today we are in London having a day-long photo shoot, then a couple of day's rest before our tour 'down under'.

It's good to be back writing 'blogs and to be back in contact with all of you. Thanks again for all your support, and I'll see you soon!

04 / 02 / 2012

Johnny

HULLO.

I'm at home, gearing up for our flight to Sydney tomorrow. It's been a wonderful week, with amazing new suits and an exciting photo shoot, a delightful event to celebrate Chris' Bruerton's official arrival in Little Gransden (and an awesome curry, might I add), and...drumroll...my surprise 25th birthday party on Friday! Irina and a couple of other very close friends had organised for us all to be red-trousered and to be incredibly edgy in Brixton. I had the most brilliant evening, and can't wait for many similar events in the future. Photos will follow, I promise.

And so, tomorrow! We fly across the world AND it's my mother's birthday. A momentous day, I'm sure you'll agree.

Speak soon, xx

06 / 02 / 2012

David

Dubai - Monday 1.04 am

We are back in Dubai airport less than a month after our last visit, but this is just our transit point on the way to Sydney (13 hours away). Last night snow hit southern England, which is something we don't cope with very well. However we all made it to Heathrow, and the plane was running (many had been cancelled, but mostly to European destinations gripped by far worse weather than the UK). Anyway for three weeks we don't have to think too much about snow and ice as we head to summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Apologies for my smugness - I spent yesterday morning helping a plumber sort out some frozen pipes, so I am ready for warmth.

Having been doing this job for a few years I don't tend to get too over-excited about the actual travel, but our flight from London to Dubai was my first trip on the huge Airbus 380 - it is pretty incredible with a full length upper level, where the engines sound rather distant. I am also very excited by my first tour of Australia and New Zealand. The group had a few successful visits 'down under' in the 1970s, but the growth of the US market squeezed it out. We have been trying to get back there for many years, and we are so delighted that it is at last happening.

07 / 02 / 2012

Tim

G'day!! So here we are in sunny Sydney......As David mentioned, after a gap of 27 years, The King's Singers are back 'down under' and keen to make up for lost time!

Our time at home has gone by very quickly - after the Salisbury and Gransden concerts, I had a few days to organise everyone's music for the rest of the term and I'm happy to report that the library is finally taking shape........phew! It's a great job but it's a lot of work at the very beginning - it makes me appreciate even more what a tight ship Philip used to run when he was in charge of it!!

Today, I'll be getting down to some work for the next couple of orchestral shows in Adelaide and we have a rehearsal later this afternoon. I must admit that my slumber between the hours of 1am and 3am were not entirely sufficient and consequently I sound like a basso profondo this morning. I'm sure a little siesta will sort me out........

Sadly, I haven't ventured out as yet to get you some shots of the wonderful harbour with the Opera House etc in the distance but do not fear, the pics are on their way........

Instead, I leave you with some shots of the fancy dress 80s night out we all had in Brighton on Friday night - what a great decade!