June 17, 2015

Kilburn, UK

With Day 3 (of 4) of the Palestrina recording over, I think it's safe to say that it's been a great first KS recording experience! We're considerably ahead of schedule, what with there being only one more piece to record tomorrow (albeit the longest of the lot: "Salve Regina"), which is always reassuring. The music-making itself has been tremendously rewarding, aided by the fantastic setting of St Augustine's Church with its ideal acoustic and the feeling of security that comes with being in the safe hands of Nigel Short scrupulously analysing every sound wave that penetrates the air.Of course, Nigel is a former 2nd Countertenor of the KS, but I actually happen to know him rather well from outside the context of the group because back in my university days, I used to occasionally pop down outside of full term-time to London from Cambridge and sing for him at St Bartholomew-the-Great Church in the Barbican area. Funnily enough, I also sang for him with his choir, Tenebrae, on a video-filmed recording around the same time -- although I doubt he'll remember that! Little did I know at the time (2011-2012-ish) that he'd one day soon be producing a disk which I'd be singing on with the KS itself!! It's a small world, etc. ...Enough rambling from me: time for bed. It would be great to wake up tomorrow feeling as fresh as I did on Day 1...