!ULn/ AD Slaliz
Concert for Rowan a happy occasion,
raising money for Rainbow Trust
Saturday
May
23
Guildford
Cathedral
was
privileged to host a quite
outstanding concert.
Jeremy
Backhouse
was a Garden, the fine sing-
and
Queen
ing was sustained until It was
performed, the other work
Eleanor’s
Junior
schools,
being Salisbury
whose music teachers are to
be congratulated.
Will Todd’s The City Garden
our Eden reached a very convincing crescendo.
composed 7The City
Garden, one of the two works
Guildford Cathedral
Rating: % % % % %
ON
of pupils from George Abbot,
Tormead
Will,
A Concert for Rowan
con-
ducted a choir of more than
300 and Southern Pro Musica
orchestra in a charity concert
in aid of the Rainbow Trust,
which provides support for
children with a life threatening illness.
Vespers by
Bob Chilcott.
A great deal of effort was
put into rehearsing this con-
the
certin no way diminished the
in the higher registers and
quality of the other choirs.
there was some fine playing
scribe
Particularly effective was the
the
together.
The choir was made up of
singing in the quiet, sensitive
passages. It was very moving
Guildford’s
to hear so many voices sing-
clear.
The Todd piece needs an
appreciation
of
a
jazzlike swinging style and while
Vivace
Chorus,
from Rowan’s Choir, made up
evening was
for
was sung very movingly. The
words by Ben Dunwell de-
a large number of performers
from Guildford, whose father,
figurehead
and made great demands on
the performers.
¢
All voices were stretched
through
Rowan Todd,
The
The obvious excellence of
Vasari throughout the con-
cert by all involved and
Jeremy Backhouse did extremely well in keeping such
The Salisbury Community
Choir and The Vasari Singers
from London.
A vital contribution came
opening of Spring.
The Salisbury Vespers was
more conventional in style
ing
a
SO
romantic
journey
Here the outstanding leader-
the
seasons.
ship and encouragement of
magnificently
together.
In Autumn, Vasari sang the
plainsong beautifully and as
everyone joined in at There
conductor
was
quite
this was sometimes lacking,
on the whole it could be felt particularly by the young
ones in Inside my Heart at the
from the brass, although oc¢-
casionally the voices were
rather swamped by this.
Throughout both
pieces,
Southern Pro Musica was ex-
cellent and added greatly to
the enjoyment.
This was a most happy occasion and the sell-out audience greatly appreciated it.
Neil Martin