A recital for St Nicks
The enforced period of isolation which we had to go through in lockdown has spawned many a creative triumph. Shepperton resi-dents Caroline and David Perkins, both per-formers, found an idea emerging, giving them an outlet for their creativity and giving them hope. David is a composer and skilled pianist, Caroline is an actor, so the idea was to take some of David’s piano pieces and juxtapose them with poems, which Caroline would per-form. The concept of blending poetry and music grew and developed. They found po-ems relevant to the feelings we were experi-encing during the pandemic which David set to music and the end result was Life, Love, Heartache & Hope, a concert of choral sing-ing, instrumental music and spoken word, a musical and poetic journey into the human condition. It was performed initially at the Riverhouse Barn, Walton on Thames, in Autumn 2021 to great acclaim, and has since had several other performances. Shepperton is excited to now have the chance to hear this special concert as Life, Love, Heartache & Hope is coming to St Nicholas Church on Sunday 4th February at 5pm, as part of the church tower & resto-ration appeal. This will be a rare treat for the senses, lightening the mood in the cold and dreary mid-winter. The concert starts with Songs of Heartache and Hope – clas-sic poems set to music and performed by the Loveday Singers and members of the Sonore String Quartet. The poems have been chosen as representative of the strength of the human spirit. Amongst them are well known pieces from Robert Frost, Shakespeare, John Donne and Rudyard Kipling whose words and sentiment are as relevant today as they were when they were written. Poetry may not get the engagement today it deserves, but this rendition will give the poems themselves a refreshed feel and may open this world to some of us who have not yet got to grips with the genre. The second part of the event will feature orig-inal music, interwoven with poetry from the Romantic era – including Wordsworth, Cole-ridge & Barrett Browning – which combine to tell a story from birth to old age, a life lived to the full. The evening promises to be full of surprises and emotion, it will be an event like no other. One member of the audience said “It was the most enormous, uplifting pleasure to be there”. Another said “I enjoyed your poet-ry and music performance so much that it brought tears to my eyes. The words of so many familiar poems brought beautifully to life and enhanced by music”. So, escape the cold and grey – go and be transported and uplifted. Tickets are limited, so make sure you don’t miss out.