Maybe it's not a great moment to talk about Russia. But Nrs A and I, having a rare evening in front of the fire and despairing of what live TV had to offer, faffed around on YouTube and discovered an incredible concert from the Mariinsky Theatre. Gergiev and orchestra began with the big stage curtain shut. It was a somewhat banal piece with someone bashing the hell out of a Steinway. Then the curtain rose revealing well over a thousand kids, boys and girls, in serried ranks; a breath-taking sight, the sight alone eliciting applause from the audience. It was a long concert (over an hour) which Gergiev and the orchestra sat silently through, while the choir as a whole sang followed by large sectional items (presumably from different areas of Russia) directed by several different conductors. Most unaccompanied, some accompanied by different pianists.
Cathedral music it wasn't. But the standard of singing, voice production, tuning and ensemble was truly fabulous. While much discipline must have gone into the training, the kids all seemed to be really enjoying themselves, smiling and indulging in spontaneous body gestures which displayed extraordinary musicality. I guess the ages were from about 8 to 13. Certainly no 'broken' voices. Unanimity of vowel sounds was extraordinary.
Everything ended, of course, with Gergiev, orchestra and the Russian National Anthem.
Very sadly, try as I might, I cannot find the whole YouTube concert again. (The same lot doing a work by Prokofiev in 2014 seems to come up when Googled.)
If anyone can find it and put up a link, that would be great, and I think many would be bowled over by it.
PS Despite not being able to decipher Russian, it may have been this: https://en.kidsmusic.info/videos/496340 (If it starts in the middle, go back to beginning.)
Cathedral music it wasn't. But the standard of singing, voice production, tuning and ensemble was truly fabulous. While much discipline must have gone into the training, the kids all seemed to be really enjoying themselves, smiling and indulging in spontaneous body gestures which displayed extraordinary musicality. I guess the ages were from about 8 to 13. Certainly no 'broken' voices. Unanimity of vowel sounds was extraordinary.
Everything ended, of course, with Gergiev, orchestra and the Russian National Anthem.
Very sadly, try as I might, I cannot find the whole YouTube concert again. (The same lot doing a work by Prokofiev in 2014 seems to come up when Googled.)
If anyone can find it and put up a link, that would be great, and I think many would be bowled over by it.
PS Despite not being able to decipher Russian, it may have been this: https://en.kidsmusic.info/videos/496340 (If it starts in the middle, go back to beginning.)
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