"From the Depths to the Heights" (an account)

Far be it from me to present anything resembling an objective view of last night's Concert of Psalms - so this is more a reflection of the things that made it a "buzz" for me.

Forgive my apparent self-indulgence (but, hey, blogging creates that occupational hazard anyway, I s'pose).

The musicians - mostly from the MRBC "stable", and people I have made music with for up to 10 years now (that's a lot of music!), but also including Robyn Allen-Goudge (harpist, and ex-school-buddy from 30 years ago!), Bruce Bremner (one-man keyboard orchestra from my "Valley Rd Days" - 25 years ago!) and Sophie van Waardenberg (a diligent and promising flute player, very familiar with her father's sometimes maverick musical decisions).

Guest vocal girls from my school - Sulieti, Christine and Losa (finally got transport sort-of organised, blew the audience away with a cappella gospel numbers and melted my heart, not for the first or probably even the last time).

The sound - Michael Barker, my "main man", who is a wonderful sound guy because he is musical - there were 15 musicians on stage, and he painted with our sounds as though each one of us was a different colour - I had the benefit of hearing all this centre stage, being in the middle and wallowing in a swathe of rich sound colours.

Slide show - compiled by Ian Mander, with some help from Alexander - every verse of every psalm accounted for by a memorable, arresting, sometimes humorous, often poignant visual image.

Hospitality - Linda McGrath organised it and it flowed out from the concert, making it a very long church service indeed!

Audience - a huge (for me) audience, made up of churchgoers, friends, family, people who had received the flyer, colleagues, people from my past, homegroups, etc. - attentive, enthusiastic, and appearing to bathe in the sounds and words of these ancient inspirational songs.

Prayer - it was the loveliest thing to have Lois read a prayer and poem as part of the concert - evocative, intense, heartfelt and original.

Feedback - to be in a place and have done something that appears to have "touched" people in many rich and powerful ways (according to the feedback!).

Emmanuel - God with us. There is NOTHING like the deep sense of God holding you and you being in "the right place"... and making music!

Many thanks to all who came, listened, prayed and journeyed with me through the concert.

Where to from here?

I still have so MUCH that I want to do while on this planet - psalms to set, other music to make, shows to write.

If anyone out there has any feedback as to what you might like me to tackle next, feel free to blog or email me with your suggestions.

This Wednesday I plan to record psalms 11 to 20 (I have already done 1 to 10)...

I also have a show that I think I will do as a kind of slide show/concert version at some stage....and more stuff as well.

But NOW...time to get some sleep, and let the folfiri do its work!

G'night,

Gerald.