‘More ambitious than imagined’
A Leek-based singing group has taken part in a new choral piece which written and composed during lockdown.
Greenwood Dreams has been remotely recorded by Claybody Community Company and Carollers, Leek-based The Phoenix Singers and renaissance music group, PIVA.
Following on from their popular A Christmas Carol Cantata, which has been performed regularly in North Staffordshire for the past few years, Claybody Theatre’s Deborah Mcandrew collaborated with composer Ashley Thompson, to create a new musical fable – Greenwood Dreams.
Mr Thompson, musical director of The Phoenix Singers in Leek, said: “This turned out to be far more ambitious than we’d ever imagined.
“I haven’t heard of another music project on this scale during lockdown; that is, a totally new piece conceived, written and composed, then learnt and recorded, and mixed into a finished work of seven movements lasting over 20 minutes.
“It was both a mammoth and enjoyable task for me, pulling together over 40 hours of separate voice and instrumental recordings to create the finished piece. In a similar vein to our Carol cantata, I have woven at least nine old English melodies through the original composition for listeners to spot.
“Everyone involved is incredibly proud of Greenwood Dreams, and we hope that people enjoy listening to it and, in the future, perhaps singing it for themselves in schools and choirs across England and beyond.”
Exploring themes of isolation, the need for heroes, and a longing to connect with the natural world,
Greenwood Dreams follows the story of a child in lockdown, who lifts her head from her home-schooling work and gazes out of the window at the empty street.
A blackbird sings and the child begins a vivid daydream. The street transforms into an ancient forest, and the child follows the birds into the trees to meet the greatest English hero of all – Robin Hood.
Sung by an enthusiastic cohort of local people, recording remotely in their homes, and supported by the early instrumentalists from Piva, Greenwood Dreams is a poignant and fun community piece, which ultimately invites us all to have hope for the future.
A specially commissioned film has been created to accompany the audio online – featuring many of the singers and musicians at claybodytheatre. com.
Artistic director, Conrad Nelson said: “In this crisis, with live theatre impossible, we still wanted to carry on making work somehow. In difficult times we turn to the Arts to get us through, and it was really important to us that we were able to make something for our community company.
“Participation in the Arts is more difficult, but a choral piece seemed to be something we could definitely do. Fifty three community singers participated in this project, as well as the small professional creative team.
“We were also joined by the amazing musicians of Piva, who gave the piece authentic medieval sounds.”
Formed in 1985, The Phoenix Singers started life as the community choir of Leek High School. The choir enjoys a broad repertoire, from major choral works - most recently Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 – to small-scale and contemporary pieces.
More recently the choir recorded A Christmas Carol, based on Dickens’ tale, and gave a thrilling performance at Chatsworth House’s Dickensian Christmas.