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Musical Collaborations Bob Chilcott Swimming Over London is the first piece Charles worked on with Bob Chilcott. It‘s a poem from How to Make a Woman Out of Water, which was adapted and revised for the King’s Singers. Bob’s ravishing setting sparked a very productive collaboration, and this track (described as his favourite in a podcast by Stephen Connolly) was chosen as the title for the King’s Singers’ new CD. The vocal score is available from Oxford University Press, and is described as: a vivid musical depiction of the colourful dreamscape created in Charles Bennett's text. The solo tenor floats over the soft, jazzy harmonies of the other voices as he narrates the journey through London's sky, noting the 'blackbirds in the sleeping streets' and a taxicab slumbering below.Charles & Bob are currently working on a large number of other compositions, some of which have already received publication. The vocal score of their first carol ‘The Rose in the Middle of Winter’ is now available. Published by OUP, it’s described as: ... a truly beautiful addition to the Christmas repertory, setting a specially commissioned poem by Charles Bennett. The flexible metre creates a sense of movement, while the luscious harmonies and often-homophonic textures provide an anchor to the choral writing. The Rose in the Middle of Winter will appeal to all mixed-voice choirs looking for a poignant centrepiece for a Christmas concert or service.A series of further works will appear shortly, including ‘The Sparrows’ Carol’, ‘The Seeds of Stars’ and a major new commission for the Bach Choir, the BBC Singers and the National Youth Choir. ‘The Angry Planet’ will be a substantial and thrilling display of this vibrant and exhilarating collaboration - and details of a performance in 2012 will follow in due course. Ian Venables Charles’s poem ‘The November Piano’ (from Wintergreen) was set by Ian Venables and can be found on his Naxos CD On the Wings of Love (English Song Series 21). |
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