This made the flash of lightning and boom of thunder in the midst of "But who may abide the day of his coming"--in fact, right at "Who shall stand when he appeareth?" a theologically appropriate but unexpected accompaniment. At various times later we had more thunder, and also a roaring downpour (unfortunately 50 miles from home...where judging by conditions this morning it didn't do that.)
It was a joy and privilege to sing with that chorus and that orchestra, at the standard to which David lifted us...singing is fun for me at almost any time, but singing "real" music to expert standards is another layer of delight. Everyone knew the music; everyone knew the cues; everyone breathed at the right time; everyone snapped those final consonants, followed David's rather interesting markings...nobody lopped over on an ending or snake-hissed an S, and enough of us trilled at the places David had marked a trill to give the effect. The soloists were excellent (one of them, a young tenor who sang with our parish choir while in high school, is definitely Going Places. BIG voice. Big rich voice, smooth, clear, velvety, but with high notes when needed. And expression...he has it all. If you see Casey Finnigan listed as the tenor in something--go hear him.) The very difficult marking we had for "Let All the angels of God worship him" (sforzando and reverse on the first syllable of the first "angels" with "gels" piano...) came off well.
The audience loved it, by all indications, but when we came out it was into near freezing temperatures and sleet. On the way home, we ran into snow flurries and mixed sleet and snow, along with falling temperatures (as the bank signs told us) all of it blowing right at us (we were driving north--the storm was driving south. It was bigger than our car...and we had bridges to cross. Carefully. Got home at midnight to find that my phone line was dead (it still is, crackling faintly somewhere in the far distance...) Mine is the one that the phone company, nearly 30 years ago, routed along the outside of the house from where the phone line comes to the house. So it's sensitive to rain and wind. I'm hooked into my husband's line, displacing him from his computer by sticking my laptop on his desk. This is unfair, but...