December rehearsal 2007 – an NSC 'classic', December 2007

With its plethora of new music and 'saxperts'* December's rehearsal was an NSC 'classic', a celebration of creativity amidst all the traditional distractions of the season – gridlocked traffic, appalling weather, Christmas markets, and the Nutcracker ballet.

*Saxpert: one with special expertise and authority on all matters saxophonic, a member of the UK's saxophone elite.

Opening the rehearsal with three new works by choir members felt like a vindication of the NSC's creative ethos, all the more so because the works were presented so professionally and modestly. Lead alto Catherine Evison's punchy and invigorating Slip Reel lead the way, conducted by resident saxpert/musical director/soprillist Nigel Wood with advice from the composer, followed by the latest instalment in Michael 'bari' Brogan's arrangement of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. This was a particularly colourful and atmospheric episode from the story, and Mike has now publicly promised to finish the project by January (2008). Matt London (tenor 2) conducted his own Funkadelia, an exciting and imaginative piece which begs for an early premiere.

This was the pantomime season and saxperts were materializing as if by magic. No 2 on the scene was Gerry McChrystal, crackling with energy, quick-witted and silver-tongued. Gerry was actually on a break from his afternoon's work conducting the National Saxophone Ensemble, and directed a highly focussed read-through of Roger May's Saxidentials, a well-written and appealing follow-up to his Introduction & Riffs, which won the 2006 Saxtet Publications/NSC Composition Competition.

Gerry is a highly articulate musician, using vivid and colourful vocabulary (not a euphemism) to describe, and get, exactly what he wants from his players. Language is also clearly very important to Kyle Horch, the choir's guest conductor for the day, Professor of Saxophone at the Royal College of Music, top rank performer and recording artist - but his approach could hardly be more different. Quietly spoken and thoughtful, he conveyed precisely what effects he wanted with absolute clarity and economy - describing the opening section of Ulrich Schultheiss's Metropolitains as 'peppery', for example, together with resolving a few articulation inconsistencies, was enough to transform it. 'Play easier' was another memorable phrase, subtly but significantly different from 'play more quietly', and his exhortation to the middle parts to not 'go dumb' was particularly effective in getting players to project and integrate their roles.

After the concentrated work on Metropolitains, Kyle led the Choir on a cathartic romp through the rustic energies of Warlock's Capriol Suite, and, together with the Ensemble players, on through the high-octane whimsy of the scherzo from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream.

And so to then end of another stimulating, hard-working and thirst-invoking rehearsal at the Hippodrome's DanceXchange. The dance studios have been such a welcoming and efficient rehearsal venue over the last couple of years that it's difficult to believe that they are not the Choir's 'home', and so it was a shock to have to book space in the pub - because of the number of Birmingham Royal Ballet Nutcracker dancers around. (BRB really does have its home at the Hippodrome). However, it is 'well known' that 90% of collaborative, creative ideas start in pubs, and so if you get wind of a fully choreographed sax choir 'special' on the cards, you'll know where the seed was sown...

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