Saturday, September 5, 2009

Tower Of London and Mozart's Requiem

So yesterday we went to Tower of London. Mainly to see the memorial of Lady Jane Grey, which we found is non existent. :P They asked us why they would have a memorial for a traitor. ??? She wasn't a traitor hello! Became queen against her will, was dethroned by Mary I, and thrown into the Tower. Her life was to be spared, but an uprising in her favor caused by Sir Thomas Wyatt and her father caused Mary to think she was a threat to her crown. And that's why Jane and her husband Guilford were beheaded.

How hard is that?

Oh well.

Last night we went to see Mozart's Requiem performed at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  The church is between 3/4 - 1 mile down the road.  So we walked... and Chloe and I survived, even though we wore heels. Typical girls.  But anyway, the Requiem was So amazing. It was really astounding. And I didn't know when it started whether to sob, or keel over and die, or just gape.  The music - the voices were overpowering. When the soloists started, Chloe and I were about ready to faint. Sorry for such a dramatic summary, but really... it was amazing.  Oh yeah, the soloists... There was a soprano, a metzo-soprano, a tenor, and a bass.  Chloe and I especially liked the tenor's voice.  It was so full of emotion, and so nice to listen to.  The soprano's voice was like a trill whenever she sang - it was lovely.

My favorite part about the requiem was when the choir would stand up, and even though the strings were playing piano, you would know that something big was going to happen, because you could see the choir on their feet, and the horns were all getting ready, and then suddenly there would be a huge tsunami of strings, horns, and voices, all playing fff!  It was gorgeous. And then my other favorite part was when the choir would sing... the basses would start, so deep you wondered if the church would fall apart, and then the tenor's would come in, and then the altos, and then the sopranos - all singing untranslatable Latin about judgment day... All singing different tunes, and yet blending perfectly...

It was really glorious.

Again, I am on the wrong computer. But I get internet on my computer on Monday, so I'll be able to upload pictures of the Tower then. :)

3 comments:

Jeffrey said...

Send me a note about the computer you're using and your notebook -- how is the one you're borrowing getting connected and what you need with the other one?

I'm sure we can figure something out.
Your notebook has both ethernet and wifi, so we ought to get something going!

Ruby Jean Hopkins said...

My aunt is actually hooking me up to the internet that she's using, through the University that she works for. She signed me up, but forgot certain things, and had to send them in again but it was too late because it was Friday. So Monday they are going to get it for me. :)

Unknown said...

What a wonderful experience Ruby! Mozart's requiem is so powerful! I'll look forward to any pictures you take :).