Advanced Recital Certificate and Crab Salad !

I had to do an extra afternoon of teaching yesterday.....which was a bit of a shock to the newly relaxing system ! However, exams and festivals loom so it was a necessity. The Advanced Recital Certificate is quite an arduous and lengthy affair and I have two candidates this time. It is 30 minute or so of music including 10 mins of own choice repertoire. 

K needed an extra and unpressured lesson to put her whole programme together and she really came up trumps. From the wonderfully breezy and exhilarating Luisinghe piu care by Handel through Mozart, Hahn and Dring's delicious Nightclub Proprietress in all her aging glory. It was a tour de force but it 'worked' - in other words it hung together beautifully, she paced herself and got through it without any dips in energy or vocal quality, and came out the other end smiling !

It is so satisfying when this huge wall is climbed and we are on the other side and building towards the finished product. My other lady K ( not the same K!) is also well on the way, and thankfully she is a Mezzo whilst the Friday K is a soprano. The Mezzo repertoire is also absolutely fantastic, with no crossovers at all. The examiner is in for a treat.

After finishing, my pupils N and S took me out for dinner ! How lovely is that ! We went to a local restaurant and I had a gorgeous dressed crab salad. I adore shellfish, and crab reminds me so clearly of walking home with my Mum after she had bought a couple of fresh crab from the boats at Redcar where I lived. She carried them on string still moving then dealt with them when we got home, and as if by magic home dressed crab appeared with homemade bread and butter and a big bowl of greenery. Scrummy.

I don't think it was the expensive delicacy in days gone by that it is now - infact I am pretty sure it was quite a thrifty meal. How times change !

The two K's in action 

Soprano K last on right and Mezzo K fourth from right 

They will be dressed differently for the exam (I hope) !