Thursday, May 20, 2010

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Cambridge today. Oh, it was fantastic!! I loved it so, so much. Yet another place I could live. I maybe even liked it even more than I did Oxford. Things in Cambridge seemed a bit more spread out, which I really liked. I also thought the architecture had a bit more diversity—in structure, materials, and color.

We started our visit to the town by punting on the Cam River. We were really pretty pathetic punters, but it was really fun and totally relaxing. The river was narrow and slow, with trees canopying it most of the way down, with the exception of a few openings, where there were lusciously green grass lawns leading up to the quadrangles of Cambridge's respective colleges. The colleges' architecture was so purely historical and beautiful. Simply put, it was the most romantic place I've ever seen.

After punting, Michelle, Scott, Jessica, Robert, Nick and I went wandering about the city, which has turned into our (Michelle, Scott, and my) favorite thing to do when we're in new cities.

After the wandering, we went to the Trinity College's rehearsal and Evensong. I LOVED that choir. They had that colorful, ringy British sound, but no murkiness. They had a lightness and brightness to them, while still maintaining the grounding in the sound. They of course were not flawless, but they were my favorite choir thus far, aside from Tallis and Sixteen.

The first piece they did was Arvo Part's Nunc Dimitus, which totally blew me away. I had never heard it (though I have heard a ton of other pieces by him) and it was one of the most exquisite pieces I've heard in a long time. It may have had something to do with the fact that I have been hearing mainly Renaissance and Baroque period pieces, but it sure was incredible stuff. I asked Dr. Staheli the other day if there would be any chance of us doing Part this year and he said it wouldn't be likely. Sad day. I had really hoped I would get a crack at some of his pieces, but it looks like it won't be the case.

I also really enjoyed a Paulus piece they did as well. I had never head of him, but am excited to get to know him.

Alright, off to get the laundry and get ready to go to Brighton in the morning.