Post by Juliette on May 9, 2014 16:59:06 GMT
Hello everyone!
I'm so sorry I haven't contributed to this thread earlier on, uni work has been very hectic this past month.
But I just wanted to write down a few words to share my experience of what has been, as already reported by everybody, a fantastic night!
First of all, I want to say that it was such a pleasure to take part in another HWI gathering, to see old friends and meet new ones; I think I was probably as excited to go to the concert as I was to meet up with you all! It made the experience all the more special
But a trip to Dublin is always the premise to a great time, so I should have guessed that it would be a memorable weekend!
The concert was wonderful!! (as was to be expected)
Hayley took the chance of starting with a powerful and challenging song, both vocally and in terms of breath. And if the very beginning was a bit hesitant, most probably due to the stress, she took control of the song very quickly and delivered a stunning performance. The rest of the concert was as mesmerizing, during which she proved once again her ability and talent as a singer. Plus, she seemed to really feel at ease with her audience, so despite the fact we were quite a lot, it felt like an intimate concert.
The songs that stood out for me were:
"Amalia por amor": it is such a beautiful song that alternates between intense and calmer moments, and Hayley's performance of it was subtle and controlled - it honestly blew me away.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me": I only found this song to be a pretty piece on the Hushabye album but nothing very special. Hearing it live was a totally different experience, hearing Hayley's voice so clearly, so much closer to us, and also I guess because her interpretation was more layered than on the album. So this one was a nice surprise.
"Let Me Lie": it has always been a favourite of mine and hearing it live was very special, it virtually took me to a quiet, peaceful and serene place - absolute bliss.
"I Know You By Heart": I had heard many reports praising Hayley's fantastic interpretation of it and had only listened to a few recordings of it, so I had always been looking forward to the time when I'd be experiencing it live. I was not disappointed. It is such an beautiful and emotional song.
"Close To You": this one is a jewel!! Hayley seemed to take great pleasure in singing it and she really passed on that pleasure to her audience - a delightful song!
Those were my favourites from the evening, but the whole concert was fantastic! My only (slight) disappointment was not to see 'May It Be' on the songlist. I really wished for it to be one of the encores, so when Hayley tried to decide which song to sing at the end, helped by Grant, we tried to suggest 'May It Be' as loud as we could, but it didn't work (also because Hayley had not rehearsed it with the orchestra before). A third encore had been rehearsed during the afternoon, "La Califfa", but Hayley left us after the second encore; it would have been nice to hear this one, too. But the truth is, it's quite endless: there's always that other song that we would like to hear, so I understand that Hayley does have to stop at some point
Thank you all for the beautiful pictures and reports! Such a great couple of days in Ireland!!
Until next time...
Lots of love,
Juliette
I'm so sorry I haven't contributed to this thread earlier on, uni work has been very hectic this past month.
But I just wanted to write down a few words to share my experience of what has been, as already reported by everybody, a fantastic night!
First of all, I want to say that it was such a pleasure to take part in another HWI gathering, to see old friends and meet new ones; I think I was probably as excited to go to the concert as I was to meet up with you all! It made the experience all the more special
But a trip to Dublin is always the premise to a great time, so I should have guessed that it would be a memorable weekend!
The concert was wonderful!! (as was to be expected)
Hayley took the chance of starting with a powerful and challenging song, both vocally and in terms of breath. And if the very beginning was a bit hesitant, most probably due to the stress, she took control of the song very quickly and delivered a stunning performance. The rest of the concert was as mesmerizing, during which she proved once again her ability and talent as a singer. Plus, she seemed to really feel at ease with her audience, so despite the fact we were quite a lot, it felt like an intimate concert.
The songs that stood out for me were:
"Amalia por amor": it is such a beautiful song that alternates between intense and calmer moments, and Hayley's performance of it was subtle and controlled - it honestly blew me away.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me": I only found this song to be a pretty piece on the Hushabye album but nothing very special. Hearing it live was a totally different experience, hearing Hayley's voice so clearly, so much closer to us, and also I guess because her interpretation was more layered than on the album. So this one was a nice surprise.
"Let Me Lie": it has always been a favourite of mine and hearing it live was very special, it virtually took me to a quiet, peaceful and serene place - absolute bliss.
"I Know You By Heart": I had heard many reports praising Hayley's fantastic interpretation of it and had only listened to a few recordings of it, so I had always been looking forward to the time when I'd be experiencing it live. I was not disappointed. It is such an beautiful and emotional song.
"Close To You": this one is a jewel!! Hayley seemed to take great pleasure in singing it and she really passed on that pleasure to her audience - a delightful song!
Those were my favourites from the evening, but the whole concert was fantastic! My only (slight) disappointment was not to see 'May It Be' on the songlist. I really wished for it to be one of the encores, so when Hayley tried to decide which song to sing at the end, helped by Grant, we tried to suggest 'May It Be' as loud as we could, but it didn't work (also because Hayley had not rehearsed it with the orchestra before). A third encore had been rehearsed during the afternoon, "La Califfa", but Hayley left us after the second encore; it would have been nice to hear this one, too. But the truth is, it's quite endless: there's always that other song that we would like to hear, so I understand that Hayley does have to stop at some point
Thank you all for the beautiful pictures and reports! Such a great couple of days in Ireland!!
Until next time...
Lots of love,
Juliette
We're kind of slow all the time except when Hayley has big things going on. But even then it's slow. It's such a pity that everyone felt the need to "quit" the forum way back when it switched from the old forum. It's just so sad that her official forum, the one that's linked to her official site, hardly has any posts, although we know we still get visits by members who just don't feel the need to chime in much (or if they do, they go off on weird tangents every single time), or guests. I keep it going as best I can for those few. If I don't, I'm just afraid they'll take it down or something. I don't know if it can or will ever be revived. 
Unfortunately I haven't kept up with the Twitter thread that I started once, but sometimes my days are too busy to do everything, and when you get no responses, you kind of lose the motivation to keep doing it. So now, I only post the photos she tweets of herself. Though I did have to post that stag beetle with the rosemary and thyme. Couldn't let anyone miss that connection to her repertoire. 
Another reason I do keep posting is that I want to keep the forum getting as much information as possible (some of the minor, random stuff I kind of let slip), and being presented well. Because if I didn't the forum would be a bit lacking. Things would still be posted, but not in the most appealing or eye-catching way. All it would be is links, pretty much. Oh, and dotted lines! 
I'm not trying to brag, but it's just true. 
