Hampton Hill Playhouse

Sang a concert, entitled Morning, Noon and Night, with Cantanti Camerati (of Richmond) choir to a full house at the Hampton Hill Playhouse last night. The inimitable, 74-year-old Geoffrey Bowyer arranged and conducted some lovely part-songs, madrigals, barbershop quartets and solos - all non-secular, for a change. 

My favourites included:
Sweet day so cool - Sir Edward German 
The birds that sing on autumn eves - Robin Milford
The Prince of Sleep - Sir Edward Elgar
Softly fall the shades of evening - J L Hatton
Night of stars and night of love (duet, from The Tales of Hoffmann) - Jacques Offenbach
A brown bird singing (soprano solo) - Haydn Wood
Hail, smiling morn (mens' voices only) - Reginald Spofforth
When at night I go to sleep (women's voices only, from Hansel and Gretel) - Engelbert Humperdinck
Draw on sweet night - John Wilbye
The Long day closes - Sir Arthur Sullivan
Good night, good night, beloved - Ciro Pinsutti

Grove Park Music Festival

Sang the Bach B minor Mass at St Paul's Church in Grove Park, Chiswick, London last night.

Such a glorious piece, with a large Festival Chorus and period-instrument Canzona orchestra. The concert was the climax of the biannual Grove Park Music Festival and inspiringly conducted by former King's Singers member Brian Kay.

Evensong at Charterhouse

Sang choral evensong at The Chapel in Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse on the 18th Sunday after Trinity. More of us in the Fever Pitch choir than in the congregation, as seems usual these days, but it was a great opportunity to see the inside of Sutton's Hospital and take some pics (here) of this wonderful part of old, hidden London.

Charterhouse is a former Carthusian monastery in London, to the north of what is now Charterhouse Square. The building is formally known as Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse, and is a registered charity. Since the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century the house has served as private mansion, a boys' school and an almshouse, which it remains to this day.

Hear my Prayer - Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Preces - Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis - Short Service by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Anthem: O Clap Your Hands - Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Fever Pitch in Fairlight

To Fairlight in East Sussex with Fever Pitch for a charity fund-raising choral concert. Right next to Hastings, the walk beforehand along the Firehills footpath overlooking the sea and the bay over to Dungeness marshes, wind farm and power station were glorious on this fine late summer afternoon. 

We came across an unusual wedding in a tiny chapel right by Pett Level seafront, where a bagpiper played in a Tam-o'-Shantered and bewhiskered groom and his glamorous wife.

After a trip up St Andrew's church tower, from where there are unexpectedly wonderful views, we sang a mixed programme of Bach to Beatles. The usual Fever Pitch eclectic mix included a Bach motet and English traditional folk song arrangements. 


Sadly, we missed the chance to celebrate Richard D'Oyly Carte (founder of the Savoy Theatre, Savoy Hotel, and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which produced the Gilbert and Sullivan light operas) and Anglican choral composer Thomas Attwood Walmisley, who are both buried in the churchyard.

Cantanti Camerati @ Sunbury

Sang my first concert with Cantanti Camerati choir @ Sunbury Parish Church in Sunbury-on-Thames last night. Conducted by the eccentric yet redoubtable Geoffrey Bowyer, the Spring Concert performance went a good way to raising the £800 needed to complete the restoration of organ pipes damaged by water over recent years. The organ is surely one of the best in the west of London and it was shown off well by Geoffrey in Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine and Frank's Panis Angelicus. The unusual programme also included a selection of motets, madrigals, airs, partsongs a glee and solos from the versatile choir members:

William Byrd - Non Nobis Domine

William Byrd - Ave Verum Corpus

Alessandro Scarlati - Exsultate Deo

Thomas Weelkes - In pride of May

John Dowland - Come again! Sweet love doth now invite

Ellis Gibbons - Long Live fair Oriana

Roger Quilter - The pretty birds do sing

arr Arthur Warrell - Roving in the dew

Charles Wood - Music when soft voices die

Sir Edward Elgar - As torrents in summer

Thomas Arne - Which is the properest day to sing 

Anton Bruckner - Locus Iste

Franz Schubert - Hail to the Chief 

Franz Schubert - The Lord is my Shepherd

Peter Rose arr Hugh Frey - Deep purple

Emile Waldteufel - The scent of roses

Sir Charles Stanford - Diaphenia

Solos:

Samuel Liddle - Abide with me

Sir Edward German - She had a letter from her love

Mozart - Bassoon Concert (Andante, Adagio)

Robert Schumann - Du Ring an meinem Finger

Roger Quilter - O mistress mine

Franz Lehar - Vilia (from The Merry Widow)

St John's Passion @ St Paul's

Sang JS Bach's St John's Passion masterpiece in St Paul's Cathedral tonight - the annual performance by the Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Chorus and the London Mozart Players. The sublime moment of Christ's passing was enhanced by the poigant, muffled chiming of the Cathedral bells for quarter-past-the-hour - and distant police sirens 'managing' the last of the G-20 protestors in the City of London.

Panufnik @ Purcell Room

Sang tonight with Fever Pitch choir, who performed Zen Love Song for jinashi shakuhachi (an 'archaic' Japanese overblown flute) and double choir by Roxanna Panufnik. Kiku Day's concert New Music for Zen Flute was both meditational - Sinubi (Mourning) by Takahashi Yuji - and thought-provoking - a mild ear-assault (at times) of Night Flying Winter Cranes for jinashi shakuhachi and electronics by Mogens Christensen (World premiere). 

Contemporary classical music? Interesting...

Messiah @ St Paul's -- St Patrick's Day

It's 250 years since George Friderich Handel died (14 April 1759) and also the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness signing the lease to the world-famous St. James's Gate brewery in Dublin. So, how did I celebrate on St Patrick's Day (well, it was until about 35 minutes ago)? By singing Handel's Messiah in St Paul's Cathedral and a pint of Guinness or two afterwards in the Cockpit pub.

* BBC Radio 2 were recording At the Foot of the Cross, a performance of Messiah excerpts, in St Paul's for broadcasting on Good Friday.

* Handel's Messiah masterpiece was first performed in New Musick Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin on 13 April 1742.