Rehearsal Day

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by Ladislav Charouz


At least a couple of us started the day by crawling out of bed to close the window curtains and falling back asleep. In Moscow, the sun rises absurdly early this time of the year – around four o’clock. Fortunately, I remembered to close my curtains the night before, so I arrived at breakfast quite well rested.



The whole day was dedicated to rehearsing. We spent over two hours at Muzykal’naya Shkola im. V.I. Muradeli practicing the spirituals we will sing tomorrow at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral. “Steal Away,” “Ride the Chariot,” and “Little Lamb” went quite smoothly, but a whole debate arose as to whether or not we should swing “Jericho.” With good arguments on both sides, we charted an intermediate course; I believe Stepan’s words were “swing just a smidge.”



The toughest song by far was “Ain’t-a that Good News.” It is a piece in which timing, especially the entrances of different sections, is of paramount importance, so everything has to go like clockwork for the chorus not to fall apart. We spent not just a good portion of our morning rehearsal on “Ain’t-a that Good News,” but the majority of our afternoon rehearsal at the hotel as well.



We had a three-course lunch at a pelmeni restaurant, which served us salad, pelmeni (unsurprisingly), and bliny. Opinion in the chorus is divided on the topic of Russian salads. Some can’t stand them; some think they are the best thing since sliced bread. As a vegetarian, I can’t afford to have strong opinions about food, especially not in Russia. My bar is that my food should not kill me, and the absolute ideal is that it contain no mushrooms. Our pelmeni and bliny were quite good.



Very sensibly, Stepan decided to postpone our tour of Red Square, as the whole group seemed tired and jet-lagged. This plan was resolutely sabotaged by the majority of the chorus, as some decided to go out anyway, and others decided to play card games until the wee hours. The conductor proposes, the chorus disposes. To that I can only add that I have discovered I am woefully incapable of making convincing lies during card games, and I hope that gets me far in life.



To conclude, we are ready for our first concert, Russian salads remain an enigma, and Raymond and Alaric are still waiting for their lost luggage.

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