What a weekend! Not only was I singing in a wonderful Advent Carol Service in the Cathedral of The Isles, Cumbrae - I was also involved in the organisation of the fourth visit of Voskresenije, from St Petersburg, to Holy Trinity church, Dunoon. This was their fourth visit, so Jurij Maruk, their conductor, and others who have returned with him, now feel like old friends - especially to all of us who give them hospitality in our homes.
These singers - all professionals - spend two months at a time on the road, touring in the UK and in Europe. The hire of their mini-bus - driven by Jurij - costs them £6,000, so it takes them 12 concerts merely to break even. This tour, they performed more than 40 concerts. They should be on their way home today (Monday) - Jurij intends to sleep for 3 days.
They are SUCH good value! The sound they make is very different from our singing here in the UK - something to do with the position of the larynx, apparently - and is immensely stirring. They sang excerpts from Rachmaninov's Vespers as well as the folk music of the second half, and ended with a performance of John McIntosh's arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne", which is on their last CD.
Now I want to add another photo - but as I can't work out how to do it here, I'll have to do another post!
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