Deconstructing the Poverty Requiem

The Conductors' Meeting/Workshop in Amsterdam was one unforgettable experience. From the moment I stepped into the welcome dinner prepared by the excellent Oxfam Novib team, I felt that it was going to be a very interesting week.

Day one was the most tiring for me (mentally, that is) since we had to learn and go through all the five movements of the Poverty Requiem, plus the fact that jet lag was starting to take its effect on me (Manila time is six hours ahead of Netherlands time). But aside from that, I was feeling more nervous about conducting/performing the piece on oct. 17. As we go through all the important and crucial parts of the piece, I'm becoming more convinced that this requiem will not be as easy as I thought it would be when I was listening to it back home. At the end of the day, I found myself wondering if I will be able to accomplish the "job" in time for the Global White Band Day.

to be continued..