Author: K O'Neill

Poll No. 5 of the PDtP 2nd Birthday Bonanza set-list vote. (You can still vote in previous polls by clicking here.)

Have a listen to these 4 works that we introduced back in April 2016 ,then vote on which one you’d like to see in the line-up on October 17th. (The poll can be found beneath the 4th video.)

How about Bach’s chorale-arranging predecessor Eccard and his masterful Christ lag in Todesbanden?

Or the marvelously full-textured Ego flos campi by Clemens non Papa?

It’s only Palestrina again! Here’s his Benedicite gentes.

And where Palestrina roams, Victoria can’t be far behind, this time with his Ego sum panis vivus.

Which one? You decide. No, you decide. No, I asked you first.

(Poll will remain open until 10pm on Wednesday October 12th. Anyone can vote, even if you’re not coming to the session.)

Poll No. 4 of the PDtP 2nd Birthday Bonanza set-list vote. (You can still vote in previous polls by clicking here.)

Have a listen to these 4 works that we first sang in our epic double-choir special in March 2016, then vote on which one you’d like to see in the line-up on October 17th. (The poll can be found beneath the 4th video.)

Palestrina‘s always a popular choice, but will his Laudate Dominum a 8 win out?

Victoria is no less a master, so how about his Lauda Sion a 8?

Anerio, you say? Well, why not, especially if it’s Venite ad me.

Finally, would you like another run-through of Adoramus te by Gallus?

Hmmm, which one, which one…?

(Poll will remain open until 10pm on Wednesday October 12th. Anyone can vote, even if you’re not coming to the session.)

Poll No. 3 of the PDtP 2nd Birthday Bonanza set-list vote. (You can still vote in previous polls by clicking here.)

Have a listen to these 4 works that we first sang at our Italian Special in February 2016 then, vote on which one you’d like to see in the line-up on October 17th. (The poll can be found beneath the 4th video.)

How about the beautiful simplicity of Croce‘s O sacrum convivium?

Or Soriano‘s lively little Regina caeli?

Or Marenzio‘s heartfelt madrigal Veggo, dolce mio bene?

Finally, we could throw all caution to the wind and give Gesualdo‘s Sancti spritus, Domine another pop.

Which one will it be? I don’t bloomin’ know – you tell me.

(Poll will remain open until 10pm on Wednesday October 12th. Anyone can vote, even if you’re not coming to the session.)

Poll No. 2 of the PDtP 2nd Birthday Bonanza set-list vote. (You can still vote in yesterday’s poll by clicking here.)

Have a listen to these 4 works that we first sang in January 2016, then vote on which one of them you’d like to see in the line-up on October 17th. (The poll can be found beneath the 4th video.)

We all love Hassler‘s Dixit Maria, so what about the Kyrie from the mass that’s based on it?

Or Mantua‘s mournful O vos omnes?

A nice bit of Guerrero always goes down well, so how about his Alma redemptoris mater?

Finally, should we give Peñalosa‘s Ave verum another chance?

Which one? WHICH ONE?!? Only you can decide!

(Poll will remain open until 10pm on Wednesday October 12th. Anyone can vote, even if you’re not coming to the session.)

As you know, every PDtP session is a pretty special occasion, with a carefully selected anthology of some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, all to be sung whilst getting slowly trollied. 

A PDtP birthday session, though, really is the absolute tops, as we get to revisit some of the very best material from the previous 12 months.

As part of this year’s celebrations, you now have the chance to select what we are going sing at our 2nd Birthday Bonanza.

There’ll be 10 daily polls in all, each offering you 4 pieces from which to make your selection. (Having to whittle down 40 masterpieces to just 10 will be traumatic but I know you can do it.)

So let’s get cracking!

Have a listen to these 4 works that debuted at our Iberian special back in November 2015, then vote on which one of them you’d like to see on the set-list on October 17th. (The poll can be found beneath the 4th video.)

How about the 6 voice Kyrie from Cardoso‘s Missa pro defunctis?

Or Padilla‘s austerely beautiful Stabat Mater?

You could pick Pater peccavi by another Portuguese master, Duarte Lôbo.

Finally for today’s poll, what about the lovely 4 part Regina caeli by Morales?

Which one will make it through? You decide!

(The poll will remain open until 10pm on Wednesday October 12th. Anyone can vote, even if you’re not coming to the session. That’s how inclusive we are.)

Here’s the link to the registration page. If you miss out today then more spaces will be made available at 5pm on October 7th.

As an added bonus, you’ll get to choose which pieces we’ll be singing on the night by voting on a selection drawn from the last year’s worth of set-lists; details to follow.

I’m also holding back a handful of spaces for newcomers who have not been able to book for previous sessions.

If you have never attended a session before and want to come along then drop me a line via the comment box below and I’ll let you know if we can fit you in.

(No changing your name by deed poll or wearing a false moustache on the night…)

Cheers

Kevin

That’s what you get when you do two singing & boozing sessions almost back to back. But the pain was worth it!

On Sunday, we put on our very first PDtP session in Cardiff, and to say it was a success would be an understatement and a half.

About 25 local singers turned up, and from the first Bach chorale to the final Byrd motet, the singing was wonderful, with real communication between everyone. We even managed to stick in a double-choir motet, which proved to be no problem for these guys.

https://twitter.com/adiastematic/status/780085541077413888

I have to add that not only did the Cardiff bunch have such fine voices, they were extremely kind in extending a warm welcome to me, so much so that I felt at home right from the start.

We even had a bona fide audience for the occasion: three visitors from Chicago, Illinois had been googling for a choral concert in Cardiff and stumbled across us! They were very gracious in their praise and it was something of a treat to have a small round of applause after each motet.

I’m very grateful to everyone who came along on the day and I particularly want to thank again all of you who put the word out via social media, as it’s down to you guys that the session was such a success. (Thanks also to the excellent Rummer Tavern, which is as fine a pub as you’d ever want to find yourself singing in!)

We’ll definitely organise another session before long so keep an eye out for updates both here, and on Facebook and Twitter.

(By the way, my enthusiasm for singing with the Cardiff gang doesn’t mean I enjoy sessions with PDtP Londoners any less…)

So, with only a day to nurse the sore head, on Tuesday it was back to the melee of melody and mirth that is Counterpint in the Cafe.

It was another superb  evening of more intimate singing, with some fine moments of music-making. It was also lovely to see some new faces there and I hope we’ll see you at future sessions.

(Once the singing stopped, we enjoyed something of an after-party in the bar next door, during which we met the marvellous lead singer of the Noisettes among other interesting characters. But what happens at the after-party stays at the after-party…)

So, then: what next?

Our next Counterpint in the Cafe session will be Friday, October 14th. Booking will go live in two stages again: 9am on Saturday October 8th and 5pm on Monday October 10th. (The link will follow later this week.)

And then, the following Monday, October 17th,  we have the big event itself: our 2nd Birthday Party, during which we’ll be having even more of a knees-up than usual!

We’ll be singing the very best material from the previous 12 months, and, even better, you’ll get to choose the set-list yourselves, once I’ve figured out how to put together a poll-type thing.

Again, booking will go live in two stages (following the 24 hour sell-out of PDtP 23), with the first release at 9am this Saturday, October 1st and the second batch being released at 5pm on Friday, October 7th (links to follow). That way, if you miss out on a space, you still have a chance to go for #CafeCounterpint.

As well as all of the above, I’m going to see if we can set up another Counterpint in Kingston, so as you can see, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for you all to get into the singing and drinking vibe during October.

In the meantime, thanks again to you all for turning up each time and making it all such fun, and please continue to spread the word about us on social media.

Cheers

Kevin

What a turn-out we had Monday night – packed to the rafters! And as usual, it was a super night of singing.

In among the motets and madrigals by well-known composers, we had one or two by less familiar chaps – one of whom caused something of a minor Twitter spat.

And while the full-throated singing was mighty, I’m not sure it was always sympathetic to the text when busking through something like Morales‘ Regina coeli.

But what the hey, you don’t come to PDtP for subtlety!

We were very lucky to have had the chance to sing Estêvão de Brito‘s Circumdederunt me in an edition by early music scholar Luís Henriques. Luís is a big supporter of PDtP and very kindly gave us permission to use his edition of this fine motet, with its rich harmonies so characteristic of Portuguese polyphony. (I highly recommend you follow Luís’ blog for his excellent posts on early music.)

While old favourite Palestrina was undoubtedly a hit, I’m  very glad that Brito’s work also went down well.

At the odder end of the spectrum was Verdelot‘s O dolce nocte, making for widespread perplexity concerning the text and its author.

But that paled in comparison with the reaction to the madrigal by Wilbye.

No, I don’t have a clue as to what the poem is about either but you can’t argue with the wonderful music!

It was great to see so many new faces in amongst the regulars and I hope we’ll see you all again at future sessions.

Speaking of which, our 2nd Birthday Bash is scheduled for October 17th so watch out for booking updates.

Sooner than that of course are PDtP Cardiff (still a few spaces left) and Counterpint in the Cafe; the first wave of spaces have all been taken but there’ll be a second release at 5pm this Friday.

Once again, thanks for your support and see you soon.

Cheers

Kevin

Thanks to our gracious and obliging hosts at Travelling Through, Waterloo’s best bookshop, Counterpint in the Café returns at 6.15pm on Tuesday September 27th.

If you’ve never been to a session before, have a look at this page as they are a little bit different from our regular PDtP events.

Places are strictly limited and will probably go quickly. I know that a lot of you missed out on PDtP 23 so we are experimenting with the booking process to see if we can make it fairer.

Half of the spaces go live at 9am on Tuesday September 20th and the other half will be available at 5pm on Friday September 23rd; here’s the link to the booking page but please don’t book unless you know you can make the start time of 6.15/30.

Other updates: PDtP Cardiff is booking nicely with all bass spaces now gone, but there’s room for some more sopranos, altos and tenors.

PDtP 23 in London remains fully booked, with a full waiting list so if you’ve registered and you’re in any doubt about coming, please cancel  your booking ASAP. (If you are one of the lucky holders of a golden ticket, you’ll get the links to the scores tomorrow via e-mail, not via the website.)

Finally, in non-PDtP news, our friends in the Lisson Grove Choir are putting on a concert with a fantastic programme this coming Sunday so go along for a listen if you can.

You may recall that these guys are a sort of liturgical equivalent of PDtP in that they operate on a drop-in basis*: if you can make the rehearsal and the service then you’re welcome to rock up and join in.

I’ve sung with them a couple of times (you see, they really will take anyone!) and I’m sure they would love to hear from any of you for their current season so drop them a line via their website or Facebook page.

That’s it for now – looking forward to singing with many of you soon!

Cheers

Kevin

*One major difference of course is that they don’t get stuck into the beers until after the service…

I’m terribly pleased to announce that thanks to those of you who got the message out re: a potential Cardiff session, that potential is now going to be realised!

As an afternoon session, it’s a slight change to our usual schedule but all the other PDtP elements that you know and love (great beer, phenomenal music, so-so banter) will be in place.

Registration is now live via this page.

Please continue to get the word out to your Cardiff singing friends via Facebook and Twitter etc as it would be  great to make this as successful as our London, Sheffield and Manchester sessions.

Cheers

Kevin

PS Have you liked our Facebook page yet? If not, why not? Hurry up and like it.