The food of love for St Valentine’s Day

Our thanks to St Bride’s Choir, their Director of Music, Robert Jones, members of the Profugo Players, and not least the creative duo of Graham Hill and Matthew Morley for a splendid evening brushing up the Shakespeare of an enrapt audience at St Bride’s yesterday.

The event – Shakespeare ‘n’ Love – was a homage to Shakespeare’s verse on the theme of love and took place on the eve of St Valentine’s Day, the feast day of the third century martyr who has long been associated with lovers (and, unrelatedly, bee keepers!).

St Bride’s Choir were delighted to collaborate again with Profugo Arts, which is led by director, playwright and current churchwarden, Graham Hill. There were spoken performances of Shakespeare’s sonnets and scenes by four talented members of the Profugo Players including the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, with our Juliet dramatically placed high above in the minstrels gallery. A daunting climb had it been attempted.

Shakespeare’s words have inspired composers and musicians across the centuries. As early as 1599, Thomas Morley – a local composer who lived in Shakespeare’s parish and whose works are regularly performed at our Sunday services – published a melody for “O mistress mine”, the words of Feste in Twelfth Night.

Morley may have been the first but he was certainly not the last to set that text. The programme opened with a beautiful and little-known setting by Herbert Murrill. What followed, drew from the amazing range of solo, choral, operatic, musical and even pop song settings which the bard’s verse has inspired over the centuries.

The evening showcased the talents of our extraordinary choir with a rare opportunity to hear them all sing as soloists. We really are spoiled by the breadth of repertoire, musicianship and vocal talent they displayed not only last night, but week in and week out at our services.

The choir has established an outstanding musical reputation since it was reformed after the war but its existence is wholly reliant on the generosity of our visitors and supporters and the evening served both as a musical showcase and a fundraising event. Our next fundraising event is a Pancake Party and Auction of unique items on Shrove Tuesday, 4th March. All are welcome!

The evening ended tongue in cheek with a rousing rendition of “Brush up your Shakespeare” from Kiss me Kate with its timely wooing tips for would-be valentines.

We close this review with Prospero’s words from the closing scene of The Tempest which were sung in one of the final musical items.

And there is no finer example of why we should continue to honour our greatest playwright and the musical works he inspired.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.