MOUNTBATTEN FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2002
'A change is as good as a rest' or so they say. I don't know if Training Company would agree with that saying! We might have been freed from our practice rooms for a week and allowed out of rig into civvies, but the work certainly wasn't any easier.
Monday
Monday morning and… no PT! We joined the Massed Bands for the welcoming
brief. We moved onto the Guildhall ready to begin two days of intense rehearsals.
A lot of our time was spent in a separate room practising our choir parts with
the singing professor, Emer McParland. The rehearsals were almost impossible
with the Massed Bands hard at work so close by as we could hardly hear ourselves.
Tuesday
Tuesday was much the same as Monday. We spent more time going over our words
while we waited to be called to rehearse with the massed bands.
Wednesday
Wednesday was the longest day and that famous phrase 'hurry up and wait' seemed
so true. We arrived at the Albert Hall expecting to crack on with last minute
rehearsals before beginning the technical rehearsal. The stage had only just
finished being built and there was no sign of musical equipment anywhere. We
managed to get everything set up with minimum fuss and began putting the show
together. The dress rehearsal should have started at 2000… we began at
2130. At least we had made up a couple of hours. We left the RAH ready for bed.
Thursday
Thursday saw an early start after Wednesday's rehearsals. VALENTINE'S DAY! It
was also Bug Stewart Vyse and Musn Will Hairsine's birthdays so there was a
good atmosphere amongst everyone. The technical dress rehearsal continued to
go well, even when the choir had a bombshell dropped on us. The singing professor,
Emer McParland, was unable to get in straight away and so someone had to cover
her solo. Congratulations to Musn Louise Bailey who stepped in and did a fantastic
job. We cleared from the stage and had three hours to pass before the opening
show started. We had a good opening night and the audience loved the show.
Friday
Friday and we didn't have to leave until 1400. Another birthday in Training
Company, much to her disgust, Musn Sarah Parkin had reached the age of 20. We
started celebrating on the coach in the early hours so it had lost its appeal
by the time she got up the following morning. It was another good night with
an audience who clapped everything and anything!
Saturday
Saturday, the final performance, and the night I had been looking forward to
most as my parents were going to be there. We went to the Royal Albert Hall
early to finish recordings for the CD and then went into the concert. The Commandant
General gave a closing speech after another successful night and then we were
on our way back to Portsmouth, unlike the other bands who had the long trek
to their respective home units like Scotland and Plymouth. As it hit midnight
there was another birthday to celebrate, Bug Heather Ford's.
I think the highlight of the week for the choir was in the march 'Royal Blue'
each time it was played. The solo cornet played a phrase, repeated it up an
octave and then put it up ANOTHER octave. Talk about hairs standing on the back
of your neck and chills down your spine. We were most definitely impressed.
Musn Clark