Thanks to Susie Keithly, who contributed this account of our September playing session.
The first playing session of our new program year was Friday, Sept. 6. Vicki introduced our new president, Nancy Bent and, after a few announcements, got us started with a couple of warm up pieces: “All Things are Quite Silent” and “Ave, Maris Stella.”
The first piece was arranged by Peter Seibert and is based on a story of a sailor going off on a voyage as his wife is bids him goodbye. I found it to be a lovely piece, and thought it sounded a bit Celtic with its going into a minor key. The second piece was another based on giving safe passage to sailors, and was arranged by Charles Coldwell. It was similar to Seibert’s in that both were flowing, sweet, and poetic. It put me out on the water in my canoe taking a pleasant cruise. I played soprano and alto on these and loved hearing the complement of the lower voices.
Then came “Ruggiero,” which put me into a different mood entirely. This piece was also arranged by Peter Seibert, and is based on a fantasy involving dragons and wizards. I played bass on this one, and that was a very busy part. As we went through it you could hear the story become animated with all the jumps and clashing of sounds, kind of like a four ring circus with all the parts entertaining and surprising you one after another.
The last piece was ”Samba Carioca” arranged by Gerald Schwertburger. I got out my tenor and soon found that all the parts played the typical pattern of happy and flirty Brazilian samba music. It was a fun way to end the evening. And, yes, Vicki, maracas would have been perfect!
As a Zoomer playing along online, I must say thank you to everyone who was playing in person, my online fellows (including Peter), and Vicki for providing such a good time Friday night. There were minimal technical difficulties, including a prolonged period of time when the band width was interfering with Vicki’s explanation of the first piece, but fortunately it went away. Such is the life of a Zoomer! I value having the chance to play with everyone.