Dear Supporter,
After the last of the bank holdays (which took out a good few of our Monday night rehearsals!), Harlow Chorus is about to enter the run-up to the season finale concert Crossing Continents, 7.30pm on Saturday 8th July at St Michael's Church, Bishop's Stortford. It's a wonderful mix of songs, both sacred and secular, by composers from the Baltic States and North America. Too many to mention them all but here's a flavour.
Estonia is represented by Arvo Pärt with his mesmerising The Deer's Cry and a lightning fast version of Bogoroditse Djevo, the Russian Orthodox prayer to the Morher of God. Should be 60 seconds from start to finish! From Latvia we bring you Rihards Dubra's lovely Ave Maria and pieces by Eriks Esenvalds including a double choir arrangement of Amazing Grace and and his delightful dreamy remembrance of childhood playmates Only in Sleep.
Two of the most performed choral composers working today, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre, open North America's contribution. Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium is already a favourite with choirs and audiences while Whitacre's Seal Lullaby imagining a mother seal singing to her pup is simply charming – you can almost see the kelp fronds gently swaying as they rest among them. This is the first accompanied song of the evening, but our organist and pianist Aeron Preston will soon be earning his keep as we swing into the syncopated rhthyms of 'I got plenty o' nuttin', Summertime and the like from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and all the best Bond themes when we ladies get to turn into Shirley Bassey during Diamonds are Forever! Our M.D. Edward-Rhys Harry will conduct this veritable symphony of songs.
Tickets are £15, under 18s £5, availble online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/harlowchorus and from our Box office on 01277 362440 or email tickets@harlowchorus.org.uk
With best wishes
Val Brockbank on behalf of Harlow Chorus
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