Fyer, fire!

A blog about our summer concert written by a member of the audience…

It was hot! While the evening brought with it a slight breeze and a mellowing of the sun’s rays, it felt a little like most of the heat of the day had decided to hang around inside the Chandlers Ford Methodist Church to hear The Waynflete Singers.

Indeed, there were times as the evening progressed that it seemed that the heat itself became a part of the performance-  the unexpected would-be musician who had crept onto the stage, cleverly camouflaged amongst a choir dressed in hot pinks, burnt reds, and dazzling greens. And so the already gorgeous chords of The Cloud Capp’d Towers were somehow enriched as they swirled around the too-warm air, while Stanford’s bluebird became almost visible, soaring on thermals above a still, breezeless lake.

But the choir punched firmly through the haze of the heat with its crisp, clear cries of Fyre, fyre!, and beat the heat’s lazy mood at its own game with the relaxed rhythms of Chilcott’s jazz, smoothly delivered. And the heat was just no match for the music of Les Mis, just as rousing and moving a call to arms as it could ever have been!

George’s solo performances were a treat as always. It was fascinating to see how quickly and utterly he became absorbed into the music as he began to play, answering its questions with the occasional light nod and reacting to its phrases with a raised eyebrow or a loving shake of the head. He was clearly somewhere other than inside a warm church on a June evening, and as he played, he took us along with him.

After the concert the sparkling cold drinks that were waiting, thanks to the hard work of several refreshment volunteers, were an especially welcome part of the evening (Will none come quench me?)! As the large audience mingled with the choir there was no doubt that the concert had been a resounding success.. While the exceptional heat was something that had had to be fought against and overcome, overcome it had surely been.  People had nothing but praise for the performance and the music that they’d enjoyed that summer’s evening.

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With our summer concert over, we are now at the end of our choral year 24/25. From our Christmas concert in a storm to our summer concert in a heatwave- with a glorious Verdi Requiem and fabulous Bayeux tour in between- it’s been an exceptional and a fantastic year in which to be a member of the Waynflete Singers. Grateful thanks are due to our committee and to all those whose generosity of time and spirit have made this the amazing year that it has been, with gratitude as ever to Andy Lumsden, George and Andy H. We can look forward now with excitement and anticipation to what next year will bring!- There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!!

So all that remains to be said is:

Fa la la!

Have a wonderful summer!