Cantorum’s next concert will be “Vivaldi in Venice” on Saturday 4th October 2008 – 7.30 pm at All Saints’ Church, Marlow SL7 2AA (The beautiful riverside church by the suspension bridge at Marlow – image copyright Rob Farrow).

Conductor will be Ian Taylor.

Two recent ‘high spots’ are still fresh in the choir’s collective memory: our tour to Venice in 2006, and the October 2007 appearance with us of Alexandra and Charlotte Reid playing Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. Those who went to Venice with the choir will never forget those haunting April days and the astonishing resonance of buildings still alive to their own great music. And those at the performance by the nationally recognised Reid sisters will always treasure the privilege of hearing such playing in such a joyous rapport. So what better than to invite the girls back this year to join us for a concert of Venetian music!

“Vivaldi in Venice” features glorious pieces for choir and orchestra by Vivaldi, Monteverdi and Giovanni Gabrieli and showcases Alexandra and Charlotte Reid, both recent leaders of the National Youth Orchestra, in the Vivaldi Double Violin concerto in A Minor.

The programme includes:

• Vivaldi              Magnificat
• Vivaldi              Double Violin Concerto in A Minor
• Vivaldi              Kyrie
• Vivaldi              Laudate Dominum
• Vivaldi              Laetatus Sum (I was glad)
• Monteverdi      Beatus Vir  
• Gabrieli           Jubilate Deo  

We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a musical feast.

Please note the start time of 7.30 pm.
Tickets £12 (£6 students and children)
Available from:
Box Office: 01628 525371
info@cantorumchoir.org.uk

Visitors from Japan

It was a very great pleasure to see once again Nobu Karasawa and Reiko Ohta, ambassadors from Mixed Chorus Fonte, with whom we shared such an enjoyable concert in June last year (listed on our Recent Concerts Page). They arrived for their lightning visit on Thursday, July 17th, and were picked up from the station by Penny and Bridget. Tea at Sally’s was followed by a walk along the river at Marlow. Then Penny did a magnificent job in co-ordinating operations for them, including preparing a superb supper for at least 10! It was lovely to catch up with our Japanese friends and watch a DVD of Fonte’s latest concert in Japan. Nobu remained overnight with Penny and Peter, and Reiko stayed with Bridget; and then, before our fellow choristers flew off on Friday morning for a choral convention in Sweden, Nobu and Bridget visited Malcolm and Marianne to deliver a present sent by their guests from last year. A few pictures shown here capture the highlights of the visit. Now we send the members of Fonte all our very best wishes and hope to see more of them as soon as possible.

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“Myths and Melodies: Music for a summer’s Evening” was Cantorum’s light and beautiful Summer Concert (14th June 2008), given at Holy Trinity Church, Cookham.

Ian Taylor’s carefully crafted programme began with four English madrigals and then included two later English part-songs, Diaphenia by Stanford and The Hills by Ireland. Acclaimed local flautist, Julia Bentley, played the virtuoso flute solo in Rutter’s Suite Antique for string quartet and harpsichord, and the concert’s first half concluded with George Shearing’s jazz settings: Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare.

Part Two was pure musical fun with members of the choir given a chance to show off their skills as soloists in Rutter’s The Reluctant Dragon – briefly preceded by My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth, a spoof madrigal setting by the fictitious P D Q Bach. The Reluctant Dragon tells of an elderly dragon whose hope of seeing out his retirement pursuing his love of poetry is shattered when his cave is discovered by the local villagers, and St. George is called for. As in all three of Rutter’s Musical Fables, this piece displays a remarkable diversity of stylistic influences, from wistful swing, to fifties rock, to Broadway musical. Amy Dennison, David Hazeldine and Malcolm Stork shone respectively as The Girl, St George and the Dragon.

We in the choir were very proud of this concert. And so we were truly gratified to find our opinion borne out by the very enthusiastic audience response – on a perfect summer’s evening. Attendance was high and subsequent comments glowing!

The St John Passion, J S Bach’s monumental and moving Passiontide drama, was our March concert this year, conducted by Sally Stafford [Insert link to Sally’s biog page]. The performance was given by invitation at All Saints’ Church, Maidenhead, in support of the church’s Spire Restoration Fund. Cantorum’s intimate chamber style suited admirably the building’s warm acoustic, and very positive audience comments confirmed the pure sound quality achieved in an evening of fine musicality and powerful dramatic tension. This was a concert of which we are rightly very proud.

Christmas Concert – A Quarter Century of Music in Cookham
Cantorum Choir’s Christmas concerts have become something of a local tradition, blending high standards of musicianship with a genuine festive atmosphere. This year Cantorum celebrated its 25th anniversary under talented young guest conductor, Dr Ian Taylor, and produced a sparkling result.