The Philharmonic Chorus of Madison is singing Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to St. Cecilia" this semester, and I was fortunate enough to be given the soprano solo in the 3rd movement.
Last night I brought my trusty Olympus audio recorder so I could go back and listen for things I need to work on - these things are not always evident in the heat of battle.
It actually went pretty well, though it's by no means perfect nor what I hope the finished product will sound like. I screwed up the counting in one part (you can hear the conductor correcting me), and it doesn't have the polish and panache I'd like it to have...this is probably due in large part to the fact that A) I couldn't hear a damn thing last night for some reason, and B) this solo kind of terrifies me, though I'm not sure why.
The chorus also seemed to be having serious pitch issues last night, but I was happy to hear that I was able to overcome that. I think that's the scariest thing about an a cappella solo, even with the chorus backing you up. There is no consistently in-tune instrument (ie: a piano) to keep you on pitch.
Moral of the story? SUCK IT, YOU AUTO-TUNED HACKS. Click here!
