Having bought two tickets for several events I have been very lucky to find nephews or nieces to accompany me to several events.
Robert and I went to hear “The King’s Singers: Close harmony.” This group originated in 1978 where the original group were all Choral Scholars at King’s College Cambridge.
They sang in the Great Hall at Kent College. The acoustics were perfect for hearing the voice of each individual member of the six singers. Their repertoire was a mixture of many genres from Disney to the Beatles, to classical music to the Lords Prayer. A very enjoyable evening being able to hear the group live instead of on YouTube.
Helen and I went to hear a lecture by “Dan Cruickshank:The English House”. He gave an entertaining but somewhat jumbled account of several houses in England tracing their history of who was involved in building - government rules, bricklayers, stonemasons, the wives of owners and in later years architects. He talked about the influence of successful businesses lead by Huguenots from France and Jews escaping Programs. Entertaining but somewhat jumbled.
The last concert was “The Tallis Scholars” in the Nave of Canterbury Cathedral accompanied by Helen. The remarkable group has been lead by Peter Phillips since 1973. He has dedicated his career to the research and performance of Renaissance polyphony, and the perfecting of choral sound. There were 13 singers and they performed works by Thomas Tomkins, Thomas Tallis, Orlando Gibbons and Thomas Weelkes. For me some of the most pure and beautiful choral singing I have ever heard. All a Capella, with no vibrato (particularly in the Soprano voices). It was a wonderful last concert for me at this 2025 Canterbury Festival.
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