Rosebud – Côr Bach

“loved the audience participation” “I thoroughly enjoyed it” “Please come again” “beautiful harmony” “wonderful choir leader and pianist”

We were very pleased to be invited back to Rosebud after two years for another Saturday afternoon concert in a full church. After an opening bracket which included Morte Criste and O Gymru, baritone Roger Bartlett enchanted everyone with a beautifully sung Maria from West Side Story.  Following on with the love theme the choir sang The Rose, You’ll Never Walk Alone and the a capella Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi. Tenors Rushan Hewawasam and Drew Hopkins combined melodically to muse on Perhaps Love.

From slavish love to Nabucco and Speed Your Journey before more slave-related themes in Battle Hymn of the Republic with patrons ready and eager to join in singing the final bars to take them into the interval.

Alex van Mens’s baritone voice filled the church with the famous Welsh tune Dafydd Y Garreg Wen before the choir’s rendition of The Bells of Aberdovey.  Rushan and microphone-hopping compère Drew Hopkins harmonised in The Gentle Dove (Y Deryn Pur) and the bracket finished with more wholehearted audience participation on Men of Harlech in Welsh and English.

Launching into a Celtic bracket Ed Hughes tugged at the heartstrings with Danny Boy, Barry McMahon athletically pulled Wild Mountain Thyme and Drew enthusiastically  pursued The Spanish Lady all around Dublin.

After all that emotion it was time for a humorous interlude and this was very ably and theatrically provided by Geoff Serpell and cross-dressing John Hales in Ah Still Suits Me from Showboat.

Coming so closely after the centenary of the Battle of Fromelles, Tony Davies spoke about War and Music by way of introducing a medley of songs from World War One. With patrons joining in on the first and last tunes, the choir sang Tipperary and Roses of Picardy before Tony read three verses of the Christmas 1915 poem with Rushan singing Stille Nacht in the background. Keep the Home Fires Burning and Pack Up Your Troubles rounded off the concert on a more upbeat note and everyone was only too happy to smile, smile, smile at the end of a marvellous concert.

After a reprise of the last chorus and a fulsome vote of thanks by the vicar we were delighted to top off our shared musical journey with patrons by surrounding them with the magical Sunset Poem.

Audience feedback included:

Really enjoyed – loved the audience participation. Jan

A good friend invited me along and I was so pleased I accepted. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Blanche

Wonderful day. Thank you so much. Please come again. Joy

Always the greatest pleasure to listen to male voices in such beautiful harmony, with their wonderful choir leader and pianist. Jan

Most enjoyable. A good programme – plenty of variety. It was good we were able to participate with the choir. Yvonne