The Madrigal Companie
Tunes Ancient and Modern Revised by The Madrigal Companie was brilliantly conceived and wonderfully presented.
Director Paul Cooke and his ten fellow singers gave a very polished performance of intimate choral music, mainly from the 16th and 20th centuries.
The main substance of the programme was pairings of wordsettings, composed four centuries apart, such as Shakespeare’s It Was a Lover and His Lass by Thomas Morley (16th C) and Patrick Shepherd (20th C). This made for very interesting
comparisons and required great versatility from the singers.
Compere John Barrell kept the audience informed with carefully chosen supporting background to the poets and composers. David Codd was busy with very sympathetic accompaniments on piano and electric keyboard. He was joined by Jess Hockey (cello) and Aengus Gordon (guitar) in a very convincing performance of Andante from a concerto by Giuliani.
With their richly-coloured Elizabethan outfits glowing under the lights the ensemble made a very dynamic opening to their concert with old and new settings of Now is the Month of Maying by Morley and Ireland.
In Kurt Bestor’s Prayer of the Children, both pitch and interest were well-maintained through many verses. Contrasted settings of Ave Verum and Psalm 23 completed the first half. I was particularly impressed by Bobby McFerrin’s reference to the Lord as ‘‘she’’ in his Psalm 23 and the conviction and courage the singers brought to his flexible harmony.
Guitar and cello added excellent backing to Chilcott’s setting of Pachelbel’s canon in Rosa Mystica, three 20th Century settings of British folk songs displayed excellently sustained vocal lines and challenging contrasted styles of old and new settings of Ave Maria and O Nata Lux were handled with aplomb.
The Madrigal Companie are to be congratulated on their enterprise. A repeat performance would be a good idea.