Going Dutch in Groningen

A triumphant return to The Netherlands in the north... at Groningen...
We were making our sixth visit to de Oosterpoort - a wonderful arts complex... and indeed it was great to see our old friends Irene & Remke there too!

We gave a performance of Showtime - with the splendid Chris Hatt at the piano, taking a night off from Billy Elliot in the West End.

From the start - having been encouraged to join in our Money, money, money dance! - the audience were with us, and being wonderfully enthusiastic and fun.

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, Kiss from a Rose, Guys & Dolls, Happy, Route 66, He's a Tramp, Over the Rainbow, & Skyfall all flashed by & we finished off with the Comedian Harmonists' tongue-twisty, Wenn ich vergnügt bin muss ich singen, as Groningen has a German-speaking part...

A delight to be in Holland again... we are in Veghel on March 10th next month (this time singing a different show, Harmony & Humour) - click away to find out more!

But first we are in Oxfordshire for a private function, and back in Barcelona & Palma de Mallorca; and afterwards more Belgium and some Turkey.... all details on our site!
What larks!

Capital joys in Madrid

Marvellous Madrid... brilliant to be back at CaixaForum singing in another amazing architectural marvel; this time in central Madrid.

The green section on the right is a living wall, which was much less bushy when we sang at the opening of this venue!

Here it is at night:- (it's all flora!)

CaixaForum venues are always splendid, and this was as splendid as when we first came here; a wonderful auditorium with brilliant staff....

And a willing, enthusiastic and fun audience too!

Some hours to wander about Madrid were also a tremendous glory... there was all this...

Kew gardens (sort of) amidst Atocha Station:

...and even a Banksy (or so it seems):

We're back in Spain (Barcelona & Palma de Mallorca) in March.... but The Netherlands & Belgium & Turkey too in the next few weeks... as well as some recording...

Hooray!

Zaragozan beauty

In the wonderful city of Zaragoza....
...we last performed in this city, at the University, at Christmas in 1991 - that's a while back...

As with many previous Spanish excursions we are here at the behest of CaixaForum (The social arm of La Caixa Bank, based in Cataluña) - all banks in Spain have a social aspect, providing exhibitions, concerts and concert halls and other support all over the country...

Splendid to be in Zaragoza & to perform at the amazing floating building below:

A wonderfully enthusiastic and full crowd greeted us, and accepted our journey from Henry VIII to Adele, via Monteverdi's Lamenta della Ninfa & Tiger Rag... and they enjoyed our talking in Spanish (and maybe even understood us), as well as our singing of La Panaderita - the tale of an alluring woman Baker...

Zaragoza is a splendid place to visit & we had time to see the tremendous, huge Basilica in different lights & weathers... Here are three (the first with Chris in the foreground)!

All glorious - we have come to Madrid now; we have a little time to look around - hooray! - haven't been here for a few years; and then another concert tomorrow, in another excellently-architectured building... more pictures to follow!

¡Adios!

We open a newly-renovated venue...

To Diepenbeek (east Belgium, as you wish to know) to be the first to perform in a newly-refurbished venue.... and plush it was ... (as were our lodgings the night before too!).

It was a Sunday AM concert at 11 o'clock - a slight shock to the system, but as we were treated so well... all marvellous!
...and followed by a drinks reception - what could be better!

As ever our Belgian audience were a delight; joining in where necessary and clearly enjoying a relaxing Sunday AM in the concert hall.... & not throwing things when we gently insulted one of the men in the audience (all in the best possible taste, as Kenny Everett would have insisted...)
They particularly loved California Dreamin' - naturally!
Our hard-working Belgian agent, Thomas Van der Spiegel was there and telling us of how many more Belgian concerts we could expect next season - hooray! - & we still have Mol and Deurne (11th & 12th March) to come in this season (both Showtime)....

Classic lit-church look of a corner of Belgium... (lovely):

Thank you to Nele, Kim and all who looked after us and helped to make the trip splendid!

We're off to Spain next - where we have not been for a little while... which will be terrific!

German New Year... & we saw SNOW!

A splendid start to 2016...

Two return visits; to the beautiful spa resort Bad Kreuznach, and to the wonderful Dreikönigskirche in Dresden.

It was a game of two halves; tho' the first half must have felt a lot longer for one of us...
Sadly, having spent a lovely pre-New Year in Germany, Sarah-Ann & her husband got food poisoning; so when we met up with her at the airport, all was clearly not well!

So the London Quartet, became for one night... The London Trio!
Sarah-Ann recovered well, thank goodness, but needed an extra day of rest...
Mike played the piano for a few numbers and we swapped parts around in others (it's very good for the brain, you know!)... and somehow we got away with it!
The good people of Bad Kreuznach were even afforded the glory of the German première of Sigh No More, Ladies by a certain Mark Fleming, not heard outside my house since 1988 - the music just happened to be in my bag, guv!
Other surprises included singing Greensleeves from our Great British a cappella Songbook... hooray!
But we did a whole concert... we passed time with good company, instructed them on proper tea-making, told them the rules of cricket, insulted a man in the audience (& flattered a woman) and sang like a broken record... and finished off with can You Feel the Love Tonight?  All in all, a recognizable TLQ gig!

The audience were supportive and kind... and delighted we had come; & of course wanting Sarah-Ann to get better soon!
Thank you Dominik for your support in general, and also your excellent photocopying services...!

So the next day, we were delightfully able to do the programme as expected.... Dinner for 4...
We were in the lovely Three Kings Church again, and all went very well.

The picture below shows the small section of the original church which is the centrepiece of the new...

A great building in which to sing, with an audience of happy, joyful people... at the apt moments, joining in lustily (The Lion Sleeps Tonight; Rolling in the Deep; Money, money, money) & in reverential silence (Tallis, Bach, Richard Rodney Bennett).... glorious...
Rounding off with Wenn ich vergnügt bin, muss ich singen in full tongue-twisting style...

Great start to the year... (Glad Sarah-Ann's well again!)

We flew home from Prague (good to see another country); which meant we did finally see some snow... but only a wee bit!

Off to Belgium again at the weekend... a Sunday AM concert (11AM) at Diepenbeek.

Oh, and by the way, splendidly, they still had some Christmas ham at Bad Kreuznach! (Looks like Mike has already had a nibble...)

Last concert of 2015

Another special evening, this time at Kloster Eberbach at Eltville... and our last of 2015 (tho' we do have gigs on the 1st and the 2nd of January back in Germany!)

Kloster Eberbach is a fantastic monastery complex where they filmed The Name of the Rose with Sean Connery.

Here as the sun goes down:

...and later!

A beautiful place in which to sing, and a marvellous crowd were there to be very festive and enthusiastic!  Such a splendid way to end our concert year.

Just like Kings College just a few moments ago, we sang some David Willcocks (his delightful Infant Holy, Infant Lowly arrangement); and many other glories...

The audience also loved our singing Wenn ich vergnügt bin muss ich singen... which was a relief, as it is such a tongue-twister.

They adored Gaudete! from the Middle Ages as much as White Christmas from the 1950s...

A total pleasure, rounded off with an excellent meal, accompanied by the tremendous Kloster-beer before our early (slightly blurred) flight back home...

So here we are, seasonal jollity awaits....

Happy Christmas and hope to see you in a prosperous and fine 2016.

Brilliant Belgium Noel

BRIIANT BEGIUM

(geddit??)

Two splendid concerts in Belgium, two different programmes too!
Both accompanied by the incomparable Chris Hatt... (who also brought his adorable family over for the trip!)

Showtime at Overijse
&
Christmas at Oud-Turnhout

Here we all are, after both were done (photo taken by Sian Hatt!)

So it was songs from the shows and film firstly; Skyfall, Kiss from a Rose, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, He's a Tramp, Laurel & Hardy, Guys & Dolls medley, Over the Rainbow & Happy... to name but a few!
Wonderful it was to do a full programme of theatre/film music.
There are more Showtime performances in the Spring in Holland and Belgium... have a look at our schedule!

As this concert was at 2PM, we had plenty of free time to get to the next place... & stayed at Turnhout (Christmas concert in a church in the Oud bit!)...
I did a great deal of Christmas shopping there!

AND, they had a real ass in the Nativity at the town square... tho' it looks blurred below:

But the concert was a pure delight - Christmas concerts so often are - but the church acoustics, and the clearly-joyful crowd made it all feel very special indeed...
We went of course from the sublime (Wexford Carol) to the ridiculous (See Amid... accompanied by attention-seeking pianist:- very funny!); from Elizabethan England to California via The Comedian Harmonists!
...and the packed church also was full of percussionists, as the Sleigh Bell (Keys) players were all terrific... and did excellent horse impressions in Sleigh Ride!
Chris Hatt's young family were terrifically amused to see Daddy wearing the Turkey carcass hat.... he does look quite spiffing thus!

It was great to see our Dutch friends Gertie & 'Riet too - a bonus!

Thank you, as ever, Thomas (& his sister) and Eurotheater for all your hard work...   

Here's a quick photo of the excellently-lit church just by our hotel... this angle just felt right somehow!