Old World - New World concert

Jan and I went to a concert held in Norwich's Roman Catholic cathedral this evening. It was given by two choirs: one, Escorial, from Norwich; and the other, Musica Missouri, from St. Louis, Missouri. They sang a programme of mainly sacred music spanning eight centuries, from Pedro de Escobar to Ola Gjeilo (no, I hadn't heard of him/her either).


The American choir was conducted by Philip Barnes, whose style can accurately be described as flamboyant.


The English choir was conducted by our friend Chris Duarte in a more restrained manner.


For some numbers the two choirs combined. The standard was very high throughout - a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

We did our bit for Anglo-American relations by going to the pub afterwards and chatting to several members of the Missouri choir. I made a point of praising the altos, who sang particularly well. We also explained that the recent wet weather is exceptional, but they said that they preferred a bit of rain to the 108 degrees F and wildfires they're having back home. (108ºF? What's that? Oh, 42C. Yes, that's pretty hot.)

The Americans are here for another week, combining more concerts with visiting Blickling Hall, the North Norfolk Railway and other touristy things.