UK
London Gay Men's Chorus to Premier Choral Work in Birmingham
by Andy Harley
Have your say!
Visit our new "Forum" where
you can post your comments.
You have the option of "signing up" to the forum or to post views as a "guest"
While "free speech" is encouraged, please bear in mind libel etc. Any posts deemed libellous under the laws of England and Wales will be removed. Also, offensive posts will be removed.
The London Gay Men’s Chorus will notch-up two “firsts” when they give a concert in Birmingham next month.
It will be the first-ever appearance in England’s “Second City” by the UK’s largest and best-know choir.
The choir will be performing the UK premier of Jan Sandström’s The Singing Apes of Khao Yi.
The concert, entitled Eclecsis, will be at the prestigious Adrian Bolt Hall, part of the Birmingham Conservatoire, on Saturday May 29 at 7.30pm to coincide with Birmingham Pride.
“Having performed all around the world, our debut in Birmingham is long overdue,” commented Martin Brophy, chairman of the London Gay Men’s Chorus. “As a city with a vibrant lesbian and gay community, Birmingham is an important and exciting place for us to perform in. We are especially pleased to be premiering our new 2004 show, Eclecsis in Birmingham, and hope that we will add a new artistic and cultural dimension to the celebrations around Birmingham Pride.”
The highly acclaimed choral work “The Singing Apes of Khao Yi” was written by Swedish composer Sandström in 1991. Yet despite huge critical and audience acclaim from around the world, the work has never been performed in UK.
The work uses rhythmic and melodic patterns to reflect the composer’s experience of hearing the song of the male gibbon in the jungles of Thailand.
Fifty-years-old Sandström is perhaps best known for his Trombone Concerto No. 1 (The Motorbike Concerto) which is one of the most technically advanced concerto ever written for the trombone.
The Eclecsis concert – the Birmingham concert is the first of several using the same programme – is a programme of musical contrasts and surprises taking in many musical styles, from Verdi and Tavener to the music of spirituals, carnival and divas including Aretha Franklin and Norah Jones.
Under the guidance of Musical Director Charlie Beale, the programme will include (subject to confirmation):
Tavener:
Funeral Ikos
Barber: Shine on This Shining Night
Sandström: The Singing Apes of Khao Yi
Verdi: Va Pensiero
Traditional spirituals including You Gotta Move, Go Down Moses and
Steal Away
Music of Carnival
Norah Jones: Seven Years a Little Girl
Aretha Franklin: Natural Woman
State of Independence
For ‘Eclecsis’, The London Gay Men’s Chorus are proud to be presenting a guest choir, Birmingham’s own Rainbow Voices. Started in 1995 and now with over 30 members, it is one of the best established gay choirs in the UK. The choir has an eclectic repertoire, and performs at many charity events for the gay and lesbian community.
Tickets for the concert are priced at £10 (£8 for concessions) and are obtainable from the box office (0121 236 5622)
LINKS
London Gay Men’s Chorus web page
Composer Jan Sandstrom’s personal web page
The only known audio recording of “The Singing Apes of Khao Yi” available in UK is on the BIS label and is available from Amazon UK.
17 April, 2004