Voices in the Wilderness

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Details: Written by: Super User

(from Olive - a 5 year old)

Details: Written by: Super User

(From Jodie O'Regan)

Sunday 4th December saw Adelaide Choir "Voices in the Wilderness" present the magic and nonsense of "Il Festino", a wonderful renaissance piece by Bolognan Monk Adriano Banchieri with English text written for the occasion by Jodie O'Regan.

The work is a collection of madrigals, woven together with commentary and interjections from the ridiculous character Modern Pleasure.

Musical guests Ray Smith and Kerryn Schofield joined us on period instruments and our own vocal quartet Time Sweetened Honey opened the concert with some Elizabethan hits.

Madrigal comedies come from late renaissance Italy and draw on the characters and ideas of commedia dell'arte. They were written to be sung but not fully dramatised. They are playful, theatrical and raucous. There were only about two dozen ever composed - evolution favoured the rise of opera! So this piece holds a special little spot in musical history.

I am in love with the music of this work. The harmonic language sounds so fresh and new to my ears - just thrilling. What a piece of music. It's raucous and rowdy and cheeky and beautiful. The text ranges from the most sublime love poetry, to a canon of ridiculous animal noises. The whole work is a romp of joyful silliness mixed with stunning choral writing.

It's also written for (but rarely performed by) community singers. So this is the authentic deal. We performed it on the instruments it was composed for! And you can hear it. The earthiness, the lustiness, the robust singing of a joyous community choir bring this work to life.

I hope you like the translation. This was a premiere of my English text.

A special thank you to Bethany Hill who lent her early music expertise to our preparation work. I would like to express my immense gratitude to all the singers of Voices, who have thrown themselves into the preparations for this work with creativity, determination and joy.

Voices in the Wilderness is an irrepressible and adventurous Adelaide Choir whose previous concerts range from Vivaldi's Gloria to debuting a Children's Cantata of Beatrix Potter's Tailor of Gloucester to performing Appalachian songs at Wirrina's Bluegrass and Roots Festival.

Details: Written by: Super User

(from Ian Hurrell)

I add my voice to all the positive comments that have been shared following Sunday's concert. It is days like this that make us all realise how great it is to be part of such a team. And what a privilege to hear the soloists and quartet embellishing the whole experience with such bravado and talent.

A retired St John's minister confided that he"didn't realise Jodie had such a great voice", having never heard her sing solo. Wendy took her rehearsal efforts from the previous day to another level with her brilliant Vivaldi solos - and how good was her "O Frondens Virga" with lovely harmonic monotone backing or drone.

Bek was amazing - she just gets better, even though whilst under some invisible duress. Time Sweetened Honeywere typically on song - and I said to Roger that his lower register notes in "Regina Coeli" were just wonderful; like an orchestral double bass. Perhaps Roger you should always sing with a cold!!

Upon further reflection however, I have to say that for all this to happen and to give us this satisfying "after-glow" feeling, it takes an exceptional Leader to both select beautiful music and then to support the challenge that that presents to Voices in the Wilderness. Well after this, dare I say that we are prepared to give anything a go! Thank you Jodie, and thank you also for introducing us to Hew and Tully - let's hope that somehow we can all be reacquainted in the future.