Chapel Choir Tour
More Recent News »
Written by Tom Hooker
The last time the Chapel Choir had been on tour was in 2002 and so, for most of the singers present, this was to be a first-time experience. After much arduous planning and pre-tour rehearsing we were ready to show central Europe the things of which we were capable.
The Musical Perspective
We put on four concerts: in Salzburg and Strobl in Austria, and Bled and Kranj in Slovenia. We also sang the anthems at a Catholic Mass in Graz. All the music was British, ranging from the baroque style of Purcell to more modern pieces by Britten and Chilcott.
The programme was varied from concert to concert but always equally warmly received by our audiences. We were surprised when, following the concert at Strobl, we emerged from the changing room to discover the audience lined up outside the door ready to clap us once again. The locals at Salzburg even took and presented us with a retiring collection.
The churches in which we sang varied from the medieval to Twenty First Century creations. Our venues were sometimes lakeside, set against a backdrop of mountains and, on other occasions, we were tucked away in colourful side streets. Given the architectural and acoustic differences, we became adept at adapting our singing to the given environments: such is the challenge and pleasure of being on tour.
top
We soaked up the atmosphere at our leisure in Salzburg, Ljubljana, Klagenfurt and Bled. For some this meant finding every church and gallery and paying homage to the many claimed residences of Mozart; others decided it more opportune to move from café to shop and back to café, taking advantage of attractive local prices. Our tour guide, Iain, never allowed us to escape a sense of culture and kept us well informed about history and local legend. Each journey was spectacular with its vista of mountains, lakes and forts.
Top of our list of excursions was a trip on the cog railway to the summit of Schafberg Mountain (1,783 metres). As the train laboured up the track, the mountain slopes became increasingly imposing. The summit offered panoramic views in all directions. Some simply admired the solemnity of Mother Nature whilst others tested the laws of physics, calculating the height of the drop by casting little pebbles into the lake below.