The choir notched up another successful appearance at the National Concert Hall in Dublin last night (Friday 3 May) when we took part with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. This involved the film being shown on a large cinema screen suspended in front of the organ and central choir stalls, with the film’s dialogue being relayed to the audience via the speaker system, and also displayed via subtitles on the film, and the accompanying soundtrack being performed by orchestra and choir, members of the choir sitting in the remaining choir stalls at either side of the screen.
While we had no difficulty with the words (chiefly because there weren’t any), fitting the oohs and aahs and various sound effects in at the right time required a great deal of concentration and counting. Fortunately we were ably assisted by the conductor Ernst van Tiel who provided the necessary direction to orchestra and choir, synchronised exactly to the action on the screen with the assistance of his own monitor. Everything worked perfectly on the night resulting in a very exciting and atmospheric performance which was hugely enjoyed by the large audience, who showed their appreciation at the end with a standing ovation.
Another of the varied musical experiences which we all enjoy as members of the Goethe Choir. Thanks to all the singers who took part in this memorable evening and a special thanks to our choir director John Dexter in successfully preparing us for this somewhat different musical assignment.
A photo taken before the event by an audience member
