We're doing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (by Beethoven, aka "The Ninth") in Chorale this semester with the symphony. The choral section sucks. One note, really loud, really high. Repeat. Sit next to sopranos for two hours: leave rehearsal deaf. Gah. Terrible. Really terrible. Should be banned.

On the other hand, the Christopher Brubeck piece that's also on the program (a world premiere by the son of Dave) is quite nice. Lots of silky jazz-like chords and stacked chromaticism. Reminds me a little of Mr. Whitacre, though the scale of the Brubeck piece is much larger. As a plus, he's local, which is always cool.

P.S. Happy new year...