On a warm summer's day spending a quiet Sunday evening in a village church listening to the dulcet tones of a recorder ensemble, the buoyant sounds of a dedicated madrigal group and being told tales of yesteryear takes a lot of beating.
Such an event took place recently in St. Peter's Church, Prickwillow. Cadenza, The Golden Age Consort and narrator Robin Pearson presented an endearing programme of "Words and Music of Shakespeare's Time":
Interspersed between fascinating descript
ions of life in Shakespeare's era were a variety of madrigals, dances and other Shakespearean gems.
Cadenza, a delightful madrigal ensemble led by John Simmons, sang with charming sensitivity. Their finest moments were in "Phyllis Farewell" (by Bateson), "Though Philomela Lost Her Love" (by Morley), "Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite" (by Dowland) and "Il est Bel et Bon!"(by Passereau).
The recorder ensemble's moments of glory included a stately "Pavane to the Earl of Salisbury" (by Byrd) and Holbourne's Galliard played with light-hearted momentum. The toe-tapping lead recorder player, Tony Pearson, was an especially accomplished performer and the tonal balance of the instruments was particularly attractive.
The tales taken from "Life in Shakespeare's England" reflected a society that rose at dawn and were prepared to work at "four of the clock" - far different to the lives we lead today.
This was a splendid evening's entertainment and it is to be hoped that evenings like this may soon be repeated.
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