St Mary in the Castle, Hastings, presented Hastings Philharmonic (HP) choir and Guestling Bradshaw School Choir on Saturday, July 7 . Considering it was a very hot day and evening there was a good audience supporting Marcio da Silva (conductor) and of course the choirs. The school choir performed first and was delightful, with some of the girls and boys showing their enthusiasm by gently dancing to the rhythm. As there was no orchestra, a new combination of piano and organ accompaniment was an interesting addition to this musical extravaganza.
The choice of the HP choir was wonderful as was the sound and the voices of the three soloists who were also joined by Marcio da Silva. We heard some well known Arias by Puccini, Verdi, Mozart, Mascgani, Donizetti and Offenbach. Verdi’s Hebrew Slaves’ Chorus, a favourite of many (and mine) sounded magnificent as did Brindisi from La Traviata. The concert started with a piano piece: “Opera Fantasy Overture Arr.”, played by accomplished pianist Francis Rayner. This was a most exciting evening of musical treats. It was the last of the Philharmonic’s concerts for this season but next season starts with another interesting performance on October 12 – Brahms and Beethoven, again at St Mary in the Castle, and November 10 at Christ Church, with Handel’s Messiah, accompanied by choir and orchestra. Further information is available on the Hastings Philharmonic website .
Photos: Heidi Foster