We did it!!!

It's the second morning after the night before! And the previous three days....phew!!!!!!

The recording of Inanna (extracts from the whole piece) is in the can!!! We planned to do 19 numbers and we got through 17 in six hours. The previous day was a rehearsal and a couple of weeks ago we had a workshop with the singers. That was the input to prepare the playing and, with that, the standard we achieved is without doubt top class. I could not have got a better bunch of people together! I listened yesterday afternoon to some of the playback and our worries about spillage between the instruments is not as bad as we ( I! ) thought it might be. The sound buffers did their job and the close micing gave a brilliant picture of each player.

But the dramas that ensued during the precious six hour recording session will go down in history for me.... You would not believe the amount of things that went wrong - or nearly went wrong - or threatened to go wrong - or just plain didn't happen.

I don't know where to start. Is it important to blog about the things that went wrong? Does it matter now - now I know that what went right is the music - and that is what counts - looking back on it now I can laugh and smile at the cliff hanger of a day that was June 10th 2007.

If the problems had wrecked the recording it would be a very different story - but we triumphed - despite them. And I am aware how I want to blog about the singer with a potential bleeding mouth, the no-show of another singer who had been singing on a speed boat for the South Bank opening on the Thames the day before, the 'I'm too famous for you' act of another singer who was expected to participate and pulled out last minute, the faulty equipment that was on hire, the fact that SIX musicians got stuck in the lift for 45 minutes and we had to call the fire brigade, the firemen who couldn't find the release switch and had to force open the lift doors with a crow bar, me bursting into tears in the hall as the fireman told me they couldn't get access to the roof as the door was locked, the group hug from supportive family and friends as the firemen wrenched open the lift doors, the hugs and tears and laughter as I flung myself into the arms of six men I harldy knew - as if they might be running from a burning house and had been saved, the extraordinary poise and professionalism of the musicians, who within 5 minutes were back at their microphones and performing perfectly again...

It's all to much to recount here...

WHAT CAN I SAY?

As for the experience of listening, FINALLY, to my score with acutal musicians, rather than samples on a computer - it was deeply satisfying. And it went beyond my expecatations too. It was as if my bones felt, at last, like they had finally grown some flesh. I had no idea how beautiful and powerful flesh on the bone could feel. But it did, and it was, and it is! Yipeee!

It is taking me so long to really know my music is good. And this weekend I took another step towards that. It was clearly focussed for me when the morning after the recording I had to go through the score and find the points at which I want to overdub the 'free voice'. An improviser who was due to sing for us today (the one who decided he was too famous and expensive for us). Anyway - as I was looking at the score yesterday I found myself wondering - 'what was it that the composer wanted?', as if it wasn't me! - but I was taking great interest in someone else's work that I respected. I'm welling up as I write this... I thought - gosh that's me I'm thinking about. Take yourself seriously Jenni - other people are!

That's it - I'm blubbing now... oh dear me ...

Anyway - having read this back - I think that will do for now - better eat - have to go and blag a trolley from the supermaket as I have a plethora of leads, looms and 2 stage boxes to deliver before 10 am to Tottenham..