Our tour of North Northumberland in early May features two main evening concerts and two afternoon ‘tasters’ – all add Northumbrian elements to a musical menu of choral works about the sea, voyages of many kinds and life’s transitions.

The choir opens the 2024 Wooler Arts Summer Concerts series with a programme entitled Far from Land at St Mary’s Church, Wooler on Saturday 4th May at 7.30pm.

The centrepiece of the concert is Wooler-based composer John Casken’s Uncertain Sea, interleaving two poems by Beadnell-based author, broadcaster and local historian Katrina Porteous – one featuring the words of the late Redford Armstrong, an Amble fisherman, in Northumbrian dialect – to evoke the sea and those who brave its dangers. John Casken says, ‘The powerful sea images of Katrina’s wonderful poems have drawn from me music that I count as some of my most personal.’

 

The programme includes two more of Casken’s pieces, the first performance of Floore of Allegories on a text of the metaphysical poet George Herbert, and Caedmon’s Hymn, setting a translation of the 7th century poem by the supposedly illiterate cowherd born near Wooler who, according to Bede, was miraculously empowered to compose and sing this poem in honour of God the Creator.

 

The next day, the choir performs Transitions at St Paul’s RC Church, Alnwick on Sunday 5th May at 7pm. Katrina Porteous joins them to read some of her works interspersed with the choir’s pieces.

 

Katrina will read new work as well as old, including poems from her forthcoming Bloodaxe collection, Rhizodont, which explores the deep history of the Northumberland coast, human and natural.

As well as more of John Casken’s music, including Sunrising, written in 1993 for the 900th Anniversary of Durham Cathedral, other composers include James MacMillan, who was taught by Casken at Durham University in the 1980s, and John Tavener – we perform his Song for Athene, which made such an impact at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

On a lighter note, both concerts include choral arrangements of folksongs related to the sea by Vaughan Williams, and Northumbrian folk-song settings by W G Whittaker – Newcastle-born friend and walking companion of Holst and Vaughan Williams – and Derek Hobbs, formerly head of music at Ashington High School and arranger of Singin’ Hinnies.

In addition to their two main evening performances, the choir will be giving free half-hour ‘taster concerts’ at local tourist venues:

• Ad Gefrin, the Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery in Wooler, on 4th May at 2.15pm
• The Alnwick Garden on 5th May at 1.45pm

All are welcome to the Joyful Company of Singers’ concerts – for details of venues and ticketing links, visit our performances page www.jcos.co.uk/performances

 

Photo Credits:

John Casken by Sarah Jamieson

Katrina Porteous by Joe Grabham