A Musical Soirée

On Saturday 1^st March, the choirs of Bath Abbey, ably supported on the piano by Huw Williams and Dewi Rees, entertained a large audience with a light-hearted programme of songs from the shows, opera arias and choruses and even some Gilbert & Sullivan. It was a great opportunity for our choristers and lay clerks to showcase their amazing talent, away from the usual choral repertoire and with the chance to hone their acting skills into the bargain!

There was a cabaret feel to the start of the evening, with those audience members arriving in good time invited to grab a drink and enjoy some pre-show entertainment from My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Charlie Brown. Everyone was invited to take their seats as the ‘stage’ moved to Covent Garden – Alice & Isla kicked off with the Flower Duet from Lakme before everyone joined them for the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco.

Then we were off to the West End for songs from Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, Operation Mincemeat and Company together with a rousing rendition by the boys choir of Food, Glorious Food from Oliver!

Back to the world of opera. Ruth began this section with a beautiful rendition of Ach, Ich Fühl’s from The Magic Flute, and we enjoyed more from Mozart as well as ‘When at night I go to sleep’ from Hansel & Gretel.

Then we were back to the West End for some well-known standards – America from West Side Story, Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music and Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl.

Up the road next to the Savoy Theatre for some Gilbert & Sullivan. Asher Randall and the lay clerks gave us a great rendition of the Policeman’s Song before all our choristers and lay clerks came together for a rousing rendition of The Bare Necessities from Jungle Book to close the show.

What a great evening. We have some very talented girls, boys and lay clerks and it was super to see them enjoying themselves singing this very different repertoire. The audience thoroughly enjoyed it and there were no doubt plenty of earworms in residence for the journey home!

Our next concert is a performance of JS Bach’s St John Passion on Wednesday 16^th April at 7.15pm, sung by the Abbey Girls and Lay Clerks, accompanied by the baroque players Rejouissance led by Simon Jones.