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| When: | |
Saturday 11 October 2008 at 19:30 |
| Where: | |
Elstow Abbey church, Elstow |
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| Concert Title: | |
Music of the Spirit |
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| Performers: | |
Polymnia John Byron, piano Nick Epton, baritone |
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| Note: | |
Polymnia is a chamber choir of sixteen voices, based in Olney and directed by the talented local musician John Byron. Their next concert, Music of the Spirit, which takes place in the beautiful setting of Elstow Abbey Church, has a decidedly spiritual dimension. It celebrates the inner life of the spirit, the various spirits encountered in Shakespeare’s plays, and the out-and-out fervour of Negro Spirituals (as represented in Sir Michael Tippett’s famous arrangements) and Gospel Music. The concert is also a tribute to the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), whose music is distinguished by its reflective and expressive depths, and the fiftieth anniversary of whose death is celebrated this year. RVW’s Valiant-for-truth, which sets a text from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, is a particularly apt choice for this concert as Bunyan was born in Elstow and baptised in the very church in which they will be singing. Polymnia will sing two of RVW’s Five Mystical Songs, to poems by George Herbert: for these they are joined by the baritone Nick Epton, a renowned Lieder singer and vicar choral at Peterborough Cathedral. Nick will also perform some songs by RVW and others, with John Byron at the piano. A further set of RVW choral pieces, the Three Shakespeare Songs, written in 1951 for a national competition, masterfully illustrate the fantastical side of Shakespeare’s imagination. The programme also includes two choral works by the American composer Eric Whitacre, whose music has recently achieved great popularity: This Marriage celebrates the spiritual union of marriage, while Sleep invokes the dream-filled and almost cosmic experience of the spirit while in sleep. An evocative and atmospheric hymn arranged for ladies’ voices (sung in Norwegian, no less!), some spirit-lifting Gospel Music and Tippett’s soul-searching Five Negro Spirituals complete what promises to be an unforgettable musical experience. All proceeds from the concert will be donated to St John’s Hospice at Moggerhanger. Polymnia’s last concert was sold out, so please don’t rely on buying tickets at the door. |
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| Ticket Prices: | |
£7.50 (£5 Concessions) |
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| Web Links: | |
Promoter Polymnia Venue |
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| Box Office: | |
Polymnia Olney Buckinghamshire England |
| Email: | |
singers.polymnia@gmail.com |
| Phone for Tickets: | |
01582 757207 |
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| Venue: | |
Elstow Abbey church Church End Elstow Bedfordshire MK42 9XT England |
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| Disclaimer: | |
We endeavour to supply full and accurate information but cannot be held responsible for any errors. Please check with the ticket vendor. |
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