Saturday 29 June 2024, 7:00pm
The Memorial Hall, Wheathampstead
The Dawning of the Day
A programme of British and international folk music for choir and piano.
Comedy Tonight - Stephen Sondheim, arr. Steve Milloy
Shoshone Love Song - Trad . American lyric, Music by Roger Emerson
The Battle of Jericho
Hush, little baby
Handel in the Strand * - Percy Grainger
Who can sail without the wind? - Ēriks Ešenvalds
Tuoll' on mun kultani
The Little Birch Tree – Russian folksong, arr. Mary Goetze
Shepherd’s Hey * - Percy Grainger
Wild Mountain Thyme
Black is the Colour
Scarborough Fair
Molly on the Shore * - Percy Grainger
Sakura
Waltzing Matilda
This Little Light of Mine - Spiritual, arr. Steve Milloy
Matthew Woodward* - piano
Conducted by Rufus Frowde
Tickets: Unreserved £17; Students £9; Under 16 Free
Book online; click [here]
On Saturday 24 June Hardynge Choir performed a programme of British and international folk music for choir and piano to a large appreciative audience in The Memorial Hall, Wheathampstead. It was a bitter sweet occasion as it was also Rufus Frowde's last concert as our Musical Director.
The concert opened with the lively Comedy Tonight by Stephen Sondheim, arr. Steve Milloy. This was followed by three songs of altenating mood; Shoshone Love Song, a traditional American lyric with music by Roger Emerson; The Battle of Jericho, the well-known African-American spiritual arranged by Peter Hunt; and Hush, little baby, a traditional American folk song.
Then Matthew and Rufus played Handel in the Strand by Percy Grainger for two pianos, four hands: this was the first of a number of duets payed by them during the concert.
Then the choir sang Who can sail without the wind?, the arrangement of a popular Swedish folksong and lulaby by Ēriks Ešenvalds; Tuoll' on mun kultani (There is my loved one) a traditional Finnish love song arranged by Bob Chilcott; and last in this group The Little Birch Tree, a Russian folksong.
Then Matthew and Rufus played the second Percy Grainger piece, Shepherd’s Hey.
The next group of songs were of Anglo/American origin; Wild Mountain Thyme; Black is the Colour; and the very well known Scarborough Fair, in an arrangement by Bob Chilcott.
The last Percy Grainger work played by Matthew and Rufus was Molly on the Shore.
The final group of songs were Sakura (Cherry Tree), a traditional Japanese folk song arranged by Bob Chilcott, depicting spring the season of cherry blossoms; Waltzing Matilda, the well known Australian bush ballad in a jazzy arrangement by Bob Chilcott; and This Little Light of Mine, a Spiritual (now a song of resistance adopted by Civil Rights Movements), arranged by Steve Milloy.
As an encore the choir sang Spring Will Come Again by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange & Alexander L’Estrange, that we had sung in previous concerts, Our Fair Ladies and Christmas in Blue.
The concert was followed by some photos of all the performers (plus some former members from the audience), and then everyone enjoyed a farewell party at which Rufus cut the cake.
Click on The Dawning of the Day to see an album of photos of the concert and the farewell party,
