This time the man to be celebrated was the actor Burt Kwouk... he was a great fan of barbershop; and so for this gig we were not really the London Quartet as we had to be all-male (sorry, Sarah-Ann!)... also we were asked to be five-part by the arranger & old friend of Burt's, Kenny Clayton.
To add to the changes, Chris is at home awaiting the birth of his and Stephanie's firstborn (good luck!)...
Thus we were in fact a remarkable line-up of Cantabile - the London Quartet old and new...
Richard Bryan counter-tenor
William Purefoy counter-tenor (a member in the early 90s)
Steven Brooks tenor
Mark Fleming tenor
Michael Steffan bass-baritone
...an ensemble that had never sung together before; although the music business being as small a world as any other, everyone knew each other!
We accompanied friends of Burt in a piece written by Kenny; friends including Barry Cryer, Harry Hill & Paul Ryan...
Of course, as with all such occasions, it was uplifting, moving, as well as full of joy... Burt's wife, Caroline spoke beautifully & his 'best bits' were also shown on film...
We may have spent some time in The Lamb & Flag afterwards... what larks!
