The concert by the Vasari Singers in the Parish Church on 20 November was greatly enjoyed by an appreciative audience. The first part of the programme, Canticles, as the title suggests presented more serious church music and included works by Holst - Nunc Dimittis, Sir John Tavener - The Lamb, and Benjamin Britten - A Hymn to the Virgin.
The
more light-hearted second part, Candyfloss,
had a contemporary theme, with a selection of folk songs and well-known works by
Scott Joplin – Weeping Willow, Frank
Loesser – Sit Down Your’e Rockin’ the Boat, and
Jerome Kern – Long Ago and Far Away.
Whatever one’s musical taste, one marvelled at the wonderful voices of
Vasari, which filled the Church with choral music of enormous scope, depth and
clarity. Under their conductor
Jeremy Backhouse, their performance was quite simply one of choral excellence,
and was variously described afterwards as “stunning” , “magnificent”,
and “the finest choral singing I
have ever heard”. The singers’
sheer enthusiasm and pleasure in performing for us shone through, and the
Church’s impressive acoustics certainly did full justice to their voices.
The
Vasari Singers were generous in their praise for the hospitality shown them
during their short time in the village. For
our part, we enjoyed an evening of music which will long live in the memories of
those present, and our grateful thanks go to the Vasari for coming to Steeple
Morden to perform in our Church. Grateful
thanks also to all who attended. We
raised £500 for the Church Fabric Fund, an excellent result from a delightful
evening.
John Cosgrove, Chairman, Friends of SS Peter & Paul