LOVERS of Shakespeare were in for a treat and a few surprises at Romsey Choral Society's summer concert at St Cross Church, , on Saturday, July 6. Inspired programme planning by musical director Richard Pearce gave the fascinated audience a whistle-stop tour of no fewer than 12 of Shakespeare's plays, as well as a nod to his poetry and that of his contemporaries. The selection of texts and musical settings for Midsummer Shakespeare had been made carefully.
Common themes of romantic love, magic and mysticism and the innocent beauty of nature were juxtaposed with contrasting tales of everyday woes and illicit relationships, reminding us that, in his works, Shakespeare commentates on all aspects of humanity. The concert opened with Anglo-American composer Sir George Shearing’s suite of "Songs and Sonnets" (1999), an upbeat tongue-in-cheek collection of seven ditties, featuring the words of some of Shakespeare's more colourful characters. Deftly accompanied on piano by Richard McVeigh, the choir skilfully negotiated fast tempos, rich harmonies, complex jazz rhythms and getting their tongues around the Elizabethan text at high speed.
Recurrent themes were explored through programming similar pieces by several composers, including. Will Todd's take on “It was lover and his lass” (2016) from As You Like It, and in contrast, the programme included Thomas Morley's 1599 madrigal version of the same text. Sarah Quartel's 2015 setting of “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows�.