Poster for Verdi Requiem at Blackheath Halls

A friend of mine describes the Verdi Requiem as religion as high opera, and it certainly is full of drama and glorious tunes.

You can watch a video of some of us singing the Dies Irae in protest at threatened cuts to the funding of our beloved Blackheath Halls here, and I promise we will be acres better on the night (make that nights- Saturday, Sunday and Monday).

You may be familiar with this music, but if you’ve never heard it live, it’s worth it- extraordinary!

We had our first rehearsal with the entire choir (around 200 of us) plus the orchestra on Monday and as I was in the front row I was completely surrounded by sound, orchestra in front, choir behind.  It fair set the hairs on the back of my neck on end.

I am a bit worried about how they will make room for the audience, with so many of us spilling off the stage but I am reliably informed that there will be one, and that tickets are selling fast.

News on the cuts so far is that Greenwich Council didn’t like the plans their officers had made and sent them away to rethink, so it is still up in the air.  Presumably they have to make a decision before the end of the month.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t be singing the Requiem in response to news that the funding has been cut so disastrously that the wonderful education and outreach work the halls do is compromised.

Final rehearsal Verdi Requiem, all the choirs, orchestra and soloists copyright Rose Ballantyne

copyright Cherry Potts 2011