When I was living and working in Wien there were lots of things about my life that were very different to the ‘normal’ that I had become used to. Perhaps none more so than the Sunday routine which was slightly strange in that all of a sudden I had nothing that I HAD to do on a Sunday. More often than not I would find a concert to attend – there was certainly no lack of choice in the city and my flat was within walking distance of the Musikverein, the Konzerthaus and the Staatsoper.
One Sunday soon after I arrived I noticed an advert for a concert in the beautiful Karlskirche. The concert was given by an English choir and although the pieces of music on the programme were mainly new to me it seemed like an ideal time to sample the accoustics of the church.
The seating was traditional pews and there was a reasonable number of people there, but the church was far from full. I sat down and waited for the start of the concert.
When the appointed time came I was beginning to wonder whether I was in the right place – on the right day – as there seemed to be no preparations being made to start the programme.
Then – from above and behind came the opening phrases of this lovely work. The choir were singing from the organ loft. It was quite a strange experience to be sitting there and we were all looking forwards – at nothing. The view we were looking at is on the left – it is stunningly beautiful.
It was, however, a great way to experience this music which has ever since been one of my favourite choral works. I hope you enjoy this – the video with the music is of the vocal score – so there is definitely an option for you to sing along to this one!