Midsummer Shakespeare
Piano: Jakob Rothoff
Shearing: Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare nos. 1, 2, 4, 5
Quartel: I Know a Bank
Todd: It Was a Lover and His Lass
Park: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?
Chilcott: The Bird of Dawning
Morley arr. Bridge: It Was a Lover and His Lass
Vaughan Williams: 3 Shakespeare Songs
------INTERVAL-----
Gurney arr. Farrington: Five Elizabethan Songs
Robert Johnson: Where the Bee Sucks
George Gershwin: Medley (Piano Solo)
Bernstein arr William Stickles: Choral Selection from West Side Story
Walton arr. Chilcott: Touch her Soft Lips and Part
Bullard: When That I Was and a Little Tiny Boy
This concert revealed the magic of Shakespeare, set to a wonderful range of music! Ranging from the 16th to the 21st centuries, from unaccompanied settings of his sonnets to the fireworks of choruses from 'West Side Story', it showed just how powerful has been the Bard's influence on composers throughout the years. Featuring Thomas Morley, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ivor Gurney, Bob Chilcott, Will Todd, Leonard Bernstein, Owain Park, and many more!
See conductor Richard Pearce talking about the programme, and the power of Shakespeare in music, below. And Jakob Rothoff showing us his skills playing Gershwin at the concert!
Reviews
"Waverley Singers perform at St Mary's Church in Frensham"
An edited version of this review by Sue Leach appeared in the Farnham Herald online on 18 July 2023.
In a packed St Mary’s church at Frensham, on a lovely (if rather hot!) summer’s evening, The Waverley Singers, their conductor, Richard Pearce, and their accompanist, Jakob Rothoff, entertained us with songs from Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
The gentlemen all in black and the ladies of the choir in colourful tops, (93 in total), made a magnificent sound! Jakob’s masterful Gershwin selection of songs on the piano also greatly impressed the audience. Editor's note: although the choir was at the time 93 strong, not all members were singing in this concert.
From 17th to 21st century composers, including George Shearing, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton and some lesser known very modern works, exhibited enormous variety. The songs from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, drew rapturous applause.
The conductor, promoting the evening’s cause, The Meath Epilepsy Charity, spoke movingly of his own, now managed, epilepsy and also remarked that the choral programme for Midsummer Shakespeare might sound easy but concealed a lot of work on the choristers’ part: they began rehearsals in April and have met just once a week – though homework is expected of them, I’m told!
The Waverley Singers did their conductor proud in what was a supremely successful concert. Bravo!
Gallery
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