Yikes, Jeff, I can't express what chills I got remembering those rehearsals. I loved that seating arrangement the best (mixed, got to be next to my bride!) And I can't remember ever singing with a better tenor section!
Isn't it odd how sometimes you feel that the "pinnacle" effort is more often achieved in rehearsal. That happened a lot with Wilko.
Another thing to note when watching him and listening to the choir is the seductive absence of meter coming from the choir in contrast to his minimalist yet incredibly precise ictus in his conducting in duple. I've only ever seen that with Helmuth Rilling. It looks almost marcato, but functions as a simple frame inwhich the impressionist colors, the forms, the chiaroscuros swirl freely. Ooops. Verbiage alert. Gotta go conduct community chorus; "Lord Nelson Mass."
Hmmm.