Newbury Weekly News

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Thursday, May 11, 2017
arts &enter tainment
What's on this week– 35-42 An artist’s process explained– 37 Welcome to the sculpture zone – major two-site exhibition 39
Comic book Guardians
return for Volume 2
film review –42
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ONE of the shining lights of the British
folk scene, vocal harmony trio Lady
Maisery perform at Arlington Arts
tonight (Thursday, 8pm).
Underpinning every performance are
Lady Maisery’s distinctive harmonies;
sometimes lush and rich, sometimes
dark and invigorating, they intertwine
with assured precision. The trio are
also one of the foremost English
proponents of mouth music or
‘diddling’ – a form of singing without
words, once common in England and
still found across parts of Europe. Many
songs are accompanied by a rich
tapestry of Rowan’s fiddle, banjo and
bansitar, Hazel’s harp and concertina
and Hannah’s accordion and foot
percussion.
Visit
Folk
THE Watermill’s powerful production of
Romeo + Juliet has returned to
Newbury until Saturday, before touring
nationally and internationally alongside
Twelfth Night. Shakespeare’s immortal
tale of an all-consuming love is
reimagined in a contemporary setting
and features the same cast of actor-
musicians who recently performed the
successful Twelfth Night, inspired by
the 1920s jazz era. Romeo + Juliet
features a dynamic selection of
energetic folk and rock music
performed live by the cast, with fresh
interpretations of familiar songs by
Mumford and Sons, Johnny Flynn, The
Vaccines, The Civil Wars and Hozier.
Visit
Shakespeare
BBC RADIO 4 comedy duo Croft and
Pearce perform their new show, Croft &
Pearce Are Not Themselves, at New
Greenham Arts on Saturday. After a
total sell-out run at the Edinburgh
Fringe, they launched a podcast with
their hit characters June and Jean, and
are now back on the road with a whole
host of entertaining new character
combinations. Catch these award-
winning comedians, who bring their
hilarious new sketch comedy show to
Newbury for one night only. Visit
Comedy
p EDITORIAL: Trish Lee edits the
Arts pages. If you have Arts news,
diary dates and pictures, send her an
email at:
p ADVERTISING: For advertising
inquiries and bookings in this section,
telephone the leisure team on (01635)
550444
Contact us
On the web
p For daily local Arts & Entertainment
news online, log on to
and click
the link to ‘Entertainment’
Show how
much you
love your
Corn
Exchange
Newbury Spring Festival opens with big orchestral concert
Newbury Spring Festival
Bournemouh Symphony
Orchestra: The Dream of
Gerontius, at St Nicolas’
Church, on Saturday, May 6
Angels and demons launch
town’s music festivities
BOURNEMOUTH Symphony
Orchestra, Newbury Spring
Festival Chorus, and Choros, with
mezzo Caitlin Hulcup, tenor Gwyn
Hughes Jones and baritone Morgan
Pearse, under conductor David
Parry, opened the 39th Newbury
Spring Festival with one of the
cornerstones of British choral
music.
Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius was
composed in 1900 to Cardinal
Newman’s long, beautiful and highly-
accessible poem of 1865, a profound
and compelling meditation on the
ecstasy of Christian faith, which
Elgar used as a declaration of his own
Catholicism. It tells how the faithful
Gerontius, after initial confidence in
the after-life, is made to doubt by a
chorus of Demons, has his faith
restored by Angelicals and finally
achieves immortality through the
intercession of the Angel of Agony.
The role of Gerontius was convincingly
sung, floated, affirmed and declaimed
by Gwyn Hughes Jones, with ringing
high notes and appropriately operatic
delivery. Caitlin Hulcup was a
passionate and lush-voiced angel and
Australian baritone Morgan Pearse
an imperious and authoritative Priest
cum Angel of Agony.
The Festival Chorus, perched as ever
in the far reaches of the apse, was in
finest voice throughout, delivering
their multiple roles with silvery
encouragement or alarming menace,
as required. Their chorus master
Janet Lincé is stepping down after 17
years. She leaves with the gratitude
and admiration of all concerned.
It was a beautiful, uplifting,
compelling and dramatic account of
this sublime work. Even the most
agnostic of us would have left the
church cleansed and touched by its
conviction. But there were two
significant shortcomings. There was
no text printed in the programme
booklet, so that many (according to my
audience research in the interval) had
no idea as to the function of the choir,
or indeed what had occurred in the
first half. It was disconcerting that
orchestra, choir and soloists had
played and sung their hearts out with
perhaps less than half the audience
knowing why.
Then, as in his Wagner/Verdi concert
a couple of years back, I was unable to
relate the whirling gestures of
conductor David Parry to the music.
But nor, it seems, could the fine and
experienced players of the BSO, to
judge by some obvious lapses of
ensemble.
And how frustrating for the choir, after
so much committed and rigorous
rehearsal with the superbly precise
Janet Lincé, not to be offered the clear
and steady beat they so need to give of
their best.
CHARLES MEDLAM
It was a beautiful, uplifting,
compelling and dramatic
account of this sublime work.
Even the most agnostic of us
would have left the church
cleansed and touched by its
conviction
FURTHER to the news that
West Berkshire Council has been
forced to reduce Corn Exchange
funding by £78,000 over the next
two years, the centre has
launched a fundraising
campaign, Love Your Corn
Exchange.
Funding from the council is
specifically to fund the activities
at the Corn Exchange and, as a
small arts charity, it needs to
urgently raise £25,000 to manage
this reduction. Project funding to
launch the Learning Centre and to
develop 101 is ring-fenced to deliver
these projects and therefore cannot
be diverted to manage the funding
gap for the Corn Exchange.
A suggested donation of £10 (simply
amend the denomination to donate
more or less) will be matched
pound-for-pound by Arts Council
England and can you donate by:
p Phoning the box office on 0845
5218 218. Calls will cost 2p per
minute plus your telephone
company’s access charge
p Giving online at
p Texting CORN15 £10 to 70070
p Sending a cheque to Love Your
Corn Exchange, Corn Exchange,
Market Place, Newbury, RG14 5BD
Last year the campaign raised more
than £12,000 in six weeks. This was
a crucial lifeline for the Corn
Exchange to continue its activities
and services.
By working together, you will be
helping the Corn Exchange to
continue making a positive impact
in your community.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Newbury Weekly News