Crickhowell Choral Society celebrates its 22nd Music Festival as always during the first May Bank Holiday weekend, and it promises to be an occasion with something for everyone whatever your tastes!
The festival kicks off in swinging style in the wonderful setting of The Manor Hotel in Crickhowell on Thursday 28 April with the Bristol-based band Ish Kabibble. The group specialises in up-tempo old-time swing and classy klezmer and their infectious rhythms will get you dancing and partying into the night! The Manor Hotel’s early bird menu will be available. Tickets are also available from reception at the hotel.
There’s a venue and mood change on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May when Crickhowell Choral Society is joined by the Baroque Festival Orchestra and top class soloists including Catherine King, Charles Daniels and Mark Chambers in the beautiful parish church of St. Edmund in the centre of Crickhowell. On Saturday they will perform Mozart’s wonderful Credo Mass and lesser known works by Vivaldi, Purcell and Lotti, guaranteed to be a rare and spiritual treat.
Sunday’s concert will consist entirely of Handel’s dramatic and breathtaking oratorio Theodora. Handel considered this to be his greatest oratorio, even surpassing his Messiah. What an accolade! It tells of the martyrdom of the C4 Christian, Theodora, and its profound subject matter is as relevant today as ever. It has a distinctly operatic style, so come prepared for an emotional and uplifting evening of sublime music!
The Festival Service takes place on Sunday 1 May at 10:00am in St. Catwg’s Church in Llangattock, a lovely short walk over the bridge and across the meadow from Crickhowell. All are welcome to attend. The festival ends on Monday 2 May in St.Catwg’s for a song recital, Cupid’s Arrows, with Mark Chambers and rising young star Chloe Morgan performing some favourite arias and duets by Mozart, Monteverdi and Handel, which are guaranteed to tug at your heart strings and offer plenty of romantic advice!
Cathey Owen Cousins
