Wednesday, May 27, 2009

All You Need is Love

The Harmonics are rehearsing an acapella arrangement I made of "All You Need is Love".

Here are videos of the original:



The sound is better here, but the video is unrelated:



My goal is acapella arranging is usually to import the original version that everybody knows into the vocal idiom. I remove or subtly alter what I can't make work for voices, and add touches that can work.

As for the arrangement, the increasingly exuberant back beat that drives the original is missing from my arrangement. I'll figure it out soon :)

Love, Gary

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

"All-Night Vigil"
Sergei Rachmaninov
Steven Zopfi conducts the Portland Symphonic Choir in three in High Church Slavonic by performances.

These will be my fourth performance of this towering masterpiece. It demands huge resources , huge control and huge commitment. The group has all of them. They got those qualities thru competent leadership and lofty goals.

The sum is greater than the whole of the parts. Untrue in physics. True in Art. Discuss.


Saturday, May 16 at 7:30 pm & Sunday, May 17 - 2:30 pm

St. Mary's Cathedral, NW 18th and Davi, Portland Oregon. Order tickets on-line

Sunday, May 31 at 4 pm.
St. Mary's Parish Church, 575 E. College St. Mt. Angel, Oregon -Tickets at the door only