Classical Journey: March 2016

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

Substance & Shadow Theatre Company present "Silver & Gould" at this year's "Festival at Cygnet" Two Performances at Cygnet New Theatre, Exeter 7pm Monday 6 June & 8.30pm Wednesday 8 June 2016 - Press Release from Rose Mullin

Midge Mullin is Melvyn Gould
Nathan Simpson is Leonard Silver
(Photography: Matt Austin Images)

SILVER & GOULD

A tale of desperation, betrayal . . . and darts!

Substance & Shadow Theatre are delighted to announce that our new production, "Silver & Gould" will be part of the acclaimed 'Festival at Cygnet' - a week long festival celebrating live performance from eight companies, serving up thought-provoking, challenging, tender and humorous drama.

Following years of separation, cousins Leonard Silver and Melvyn Gould are reunited after the sudden death of Len's Mum (Auntie Elsie). However, after being thrown out of the family home, Len is further shocked to find that he has been snubbed in the will in favour of the local cats' home, leaving him no option but to live in his beloved Rover. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Meanwhile, Melvyn has been left Auntie Elsie's treasured set of darts in her will, which leads him to reveal that he has been accepted to appear on cult 80's TV programme 'Bullseye'. Over a game of arrows at the wake, Len quickly realises that Melvyn is something of a hot-shot on the oche and starts to hatch a plan, but Melvyn has plans of his own for wooing Shirley the local barmaid.

Fame and fortune could be Len's if he can persuade Melvyn to take him on Bullseye as the brains of the operation. Winning the cash and glorious array of prizes on offer could spell an end to cold nights spent in the Rover for Len, or provide a testimony of Melvyn's love for Shirley. After some careful 'persuasion' by Len, the dream team of Silver and Gould appear on the show, but can they hit the bullseye and scoop the star prize, or will they check out with their dreams in tatters?

Everything hangs on the throw of a dart...

Venue: Cygnet Theatre Friars Gate Exeter EX2 4AZ

Dates: Mon 6th June - 7.00 pm

Wed 8th June - 8.30 pm

Tickets: £8.00

Box Office: 01392 277189

Online Booking: WeGotTickets - Mon/Wed

Exepose Arts: "Substance & Shadow's experimental approach to storytelling really pays off, the end result being a gripping evening which is both entertaining and thought provoking."

Circle of Spears Productions: "If you have never seen Substance and Shadow perform, or whether you are an avid follower of their work, you should let nothing stop you from joining the audience in any of their forthcoming shows. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed."

The Art of Exmouth: "Substance And Shadow Theatre are testament to what can be achieved if you have the will. Go and see them, I would say. They're great, basically, and destined for greater things."

Website under Construction: substanceandshadow.co.uk

twitter.com/SShadowTheatre

facebook.com/SubstanceShadowTheatre

Substance & Shadow Theatre

are proudly sponsored by

Savills UK Limited

Saturday, 5 March 2016

St Margaret's Church Choir Topsham New Choral Work by James Moriarty (based on Malcolm Guite's sonnet "Sounding the Seasons") Morning Eucharist Pentecost Sunday 15 May 2016 Press Release from Reverend Tony Raven

Topsham Choir
Musical Director: Tony Yeates

An exciting new Choral work is being written for St Margaret's Church Choir in Topsham. The composer is James Moriarty. It is planned to include this new work in the liturgy of Pentecost Sunday - May 15th - during the morning Eucharist Service and sung by the Choir of St Margaret's Church. As it happens this will be the occasion of a joint coming together of St Luke's Church, Countess Wear and St Margaret's. Following the service there will be a lunch of Salmon and Strawberries.

The commissioning of this work came about through a link to Fairbeats! a charity working with children in the London Boroughs of Lewisham, Wandsworth and Kingston.

Rev Tony Raven, now assisting as an organist and priest at St Margaret's used to work in the Hazelbury Bryan Benefice in Dorset. One of the co-founders of Fairbeats! is Tony's niece Jennifer Raven, and it was to Hazelbury Bryan Primary School in 2009 that Jennifer brought a small group of professional musicians at the beginnings of Fairbeats! They spent a couple of days with the older children exploring Fairtrade and music from India. The children were encouraged to make music in groups using their own ideas.

Jennifer, along with Fairbeats! Co-founder Catherine Carter, has developed the charity with projects now involving around 100 young refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants every year at three refugee support centres (Action for Refugees in Lewisham; Refugee Action Kingston and Love2Learn). At Fairbeats! projects, all children are given the opportunity and skills to express themselves and connect with others through music. Fairbeats! enables children and families to overcome the barriers they face to participating fully in the musical, cultural life and wider society in the UK.

James Moriarty, a volunteer at Fairbeats!, is a young composer who's approach is enriched by his desire to encourage musical creativity in young people; alongside writing for the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra, he has delivered creative workshops for a wide range of organisations and groups. He aims to help people leading challenging lives which has led to his volunteering with Fairbeats!. He also works regularly with the Royal Academy of Music's outreach department as an Open Academy Fellow.

Just before Christmas 2015 they launched an appeal for donations so that work could continue into the new year. Donations of different amounts resulted in purchasing a 'perk'. One of the perks was to have James Moriarty compose and perform a piece of music. After some gentle arm twisting he was persuaded to write a four-part choral piece based on a sonnet by Michael Guite. Here is a small excerpt: - Pentecost a Sonnet from 'Sounding the Seasons' by Malcolm Guite - Published by Canterbury Press.

Today we feel the wind beneath our wings,

Today the hidden fountain flows and plays,

Today the church draws breath at last and sings,

As every flame becomes a tongue of praise.

Further Details: tonyraven39@john-lewis.com

tony@theravens.org

dorothy@theravens.org

Telephone: 01392 875150

Quorum Lunchtime Concert Glenorchy Exmouth Wednesday 2 March 2016 - plus news of Quorum concerts coming up

QUORUM
Dorothy Raven with Alison & Janet Macdonald

A lovely concert on Wednesday this week.

Quorum clarinettist Phil Bonser was replaced by oboist Alison Macdonald.

Alison played the beautiful "Gabriel's Oboe", composed by Ennio Morricone as the theme for the 1986 Roland Joffé movie "The Mission" - also apparently played by Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel in the film (but actually recorded by the oboe soloist of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra).

Peter Macdonald provided Quorum's trademark humorous introductions and explanations.

The concert opened with -

Easthope Martin: "Come to the Fair"

Sung by Janet Macdonald accompanied by Dorothy Raven on the piano.

Later they also performed songs set to music by Roger Quilter:

"June", "Nora Hoppper", "By the Sea" &

"Come Away, Death" from Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night").

Janet also sang in German and Russian -

Franz Schubert: "Nacht und Träume" (Night and Dreams)

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt"

(Нет, только тот, кто знал - None but the Lonely Heart)

Wofgang Amadeus Mozart: "Ruhe Sanft"- Rest Peacefully.

Dorothy's accompaniment was augmented with oboe obbligato provided by Alison Macdonald.

Dorothy and Tony Raven played two charming duets -

George Friderick Handel: "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" from his oratorio "Solomon"

Antonín Dvořák: "Slavonic Dance" Opus 72 No 2 in E minor (Starodávný)

- as it would have been played in musical households throughout Europe during the nineteenth century.

The crowning touch was another solo performance by Alison Macdonald

Antonín Dvořák: Largo from "The New World Symphony"

Oboe: Alison Macdonald

As a fitting finale Janet reprised her delightful and coquettish performance of Despina's "In uomini, in soldati, sperare fedeltà?" (Stability in a Soldier ? ) from Mozart's opera buffa "Cosi Fan Tutti" (Everybody's Doing It), complete with feather duster as swagger stick - as seen in the Poltimore Opera Gala in September 2012.

More Quorum Concerts are in the offing:

Quorum: Janet Macdonald
Margaert Chave, Philip Bonser

St Margaret's Church Topsham
Sunday 13 March 3pm
FOODBANK BENEFIT
Soprano: Janet & Alison Macdonald
Baritone: Iain McDonald
Clarinet: Philip Bonser
Oboe: Alison Macdonald
Piano: Dorothy & Tony Raven,
Margaret Chave
Master of Ceremonies: Peter Macdonald
W A Mozart: "Stability in a Soldier"
Ennio Morricone: "Gabriel's Oboe"
Gustav Mahler: 4th Symphony
- "Child's View of Heaven"
(arranged for voice and clarinet)
Traditional: "Londonderry Air"
Brahms, Quilter, Gershwin and more
Admission: FREE - Tea & Cakes ! ! !
(retiring collection for Foodbank Exeter)
Enquiries: 01392 271858

Glenorchy Lunchtime Concerts

Quorum

Glenorchy Church Exmouth
Wednesday 20 April 12.30pm
QUORUM
Piano: Margaret Chave
Soprano: Janet Macdonald
Clarinet: Phil Bonser
Gustav Mahler: 4th Symphony
- "Child's View of Heaven"
(arranged for voice and clarinet)
Franz Schubert & Roger Quilter
Admission FREE Retiring Collection
Full Listing January-April 2016

Quorum: Janet Macdonald
Margaert Chave, Philip Bonser

Dawlish Strand Centre
32 The Strand EX7 9PTSunday 8 May 4pm
MAYOR'S CHARITY BENEFIT
Soprano: Janet & Alison Macdonald
Baritone: Iain McDonald
Clarinet: Philip Bonser
Oboe: Alison Macdonald
Piano: Dorothy & Tony Raven,
Margaret Chave
Master of Ceremonies: Peter Macdonald
W A Mozart: "Stability in a Soldier"
Ennio Morricone: "Gabriel's Oboe"
Gustav Mahler: 4th Symphony
- "Child's View of Heaven"
(arranged for voice and clarinet)
Traditional: "Londonderry Air"
Brahms, Quilter, Gershwin and more
Tickets: Details TBC
Enquiries: 01392 271858
Strand Centre: Cecilia Kokubu 07951 898 481