News
CEFC news round-up
PERFECT PERFORMANCE: Could 27 April 2013 have been the best ever Crouch End Festival Chorus concert? Many people are making a case for it. The vibrant interpretation, the impeccable diction, the sheer power on the stage… Not to mention the passionate soloists, the brilliant instrumentalists and robust support from Coldfall School choir, Rhodes Avenue chamber choir and Allegro children’s choir.
The concert began with Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana – a real staple of the choral repertoire, but on this night given a new lease of life by the energy and commitment of the performance. After the interval, James McCarthy’s 17 Days had a lot to live up to, but as it turned out, the work was invested with even more emotion than at its 2012 premiere.
Posting on the Crouch End Festival Chorus Facebook page, one audience member said: “An awesome evening. I don’t stand to applaud very often, I was on my feet last night.” And critic David Winskill commented that Sir Colin Davis himself would have been proud to have wielded the baton for the performance.
- Read the full review by David Winskill in the Ham & High
- Support the next Crouch End Festival Chorus commission from James McCarthy
SIR COLIN DAVIS: Crouch End Festival Chorus was greatly saddened to learn of the death of its distinguished patron Sir Colin Davies on 14 April at the age of 85. Highly esteemed both as a choral and orchestral conductor, Sir Colin was an inspiration to CEFC musical director David Temple, who said: “His interpretations of the great choral works such as Missa Solemnis and A Child of Our Time have influenced and fed me for many years.”
David remains grateful for the support Sir Colin gave him at a key point in his conducting career, and he has paid tribute to the maestro’s energy and vision in a memorial page hosted by the London Symphony Orchestra. And Crouch End Festival Chorus dedicated its 27 April Barbican concert to Sir Colin Davis, who so often led performances at the same venue. For more about the 27 April concert, scroll down to the CEFC Broadcasts section.
FANTASTIC FUNDRAISER: CEFC singers were thrilled to join patron Ray Davies onstage at the 2013 Roundhouse Gala on 7 March. The event saw a range of big names from the performing and visual arts come together for a spectacular evening of entertainment in Camden. Everyone had a brilliant time - and more importantly, £600,000 was raised for the Roundhouse’s work with disadvantaged young people. Scroll down to see the highlights of the evening in the video below.
Sir Colin Davis photo: Alberto Venzago | CEFC Barbican photo: Sarah Robinson
CEFC broadcasts
LOOKING FORWARD TO 27 APRIL: Find out more about CEFC commission 17 Days in our promotional video.
ROUNDHOUSE HIGHLIGHTS: Plenty of CEFC to see in this video from a night to remember.
O2 DVD: Crouch End Festival Chorus – rock gods?? Here’s the evidence…