Thank you to Wimborne Minster for hosting Richard McLester running another of his Road To Golgotha Reflections Evenings. It was great to meet new people and explore the music from The Passion that Richard has composed and produced.
The next confirmed date is St Peter’s Bournemouth, 30th March 2015 – although more dates are pending! For all dates, click here…
All posts by Conical Sphere Media
Thank you to Wimborne Minster for hosting Richard McLester running another of his Road To Golgotha Reflections Evenings. It was great to meet new people and explore the music from The Passion that Richard has composed and produced.
The next confirmed date is St Peter’s Bournemouth, 30th March 2015 – although more dates are pending! For all dates, click here…
The following review appeared on Cross Rhythms on 3rd September 2013…
I found listening to this, the soundtrack for the 2014 performances of the Dorset community theatre project The Poole Passion, a very powerful and moving experience.
It works perfectly well without the acting, although it made me want to go to Poole and see their next Passion production. The music is taken from many sources but the recording still makes a refreshingly different whole. I was captivated from the first few notes Alexandra sings on the opener.
There is a strong Middle Eastern soundscape with Aramaic and Latin being used, the latter being intoned by guest baritone Jonathan Prentice on “Golgotha” and “Sanctus”. “River”, “Lament Of The Tenebrae”, “We Have Fallen” and “Eleutheria” are more hymn-like songs with strong melodies and memorable lines.
“Lament Of The Shalmaj” is my favourite, a setting of the Lord’s Prayer. The medieval shawm opens with raw power keening over a ground tone, followed by the exotic sounding Aramaic setting. Complete magic!
“Gethsemene” opens with the violin in the wilderness and leads to relentless drums which build and build before Richard gives us the pain-filled prayer in the garden. There are more exciting African drums in “Golgotha” for the crucifixion. “Resurrection” takes simple Latin words while breathless hope becomes triumphant certainty.
Thoroughly recommended.
Reviewed by Stella Redburn, for Cross Rhythms
I found listening to this, the soundtrack for the 2014 performances of the Dorset community theatre project The Poole Passion, a very powerful and moving experience.
It works perfectly well without the acting, although it made me want to go to Poole and see their next Passion production. The music is taken from many sources but the recording still makes a refreshingly different whole. I was captivated from the first few notes Alexandra sings on the opener.
There is a strong Middle Eastern soundscape with Aramaic and Latin being used, the latter being intoned by guest baritone Jonathan Prentice on “Golgotha” and “Sanctus”. “River”, “Lament Of The Tenebrae”, “We Have Fallen” and “Eleutheria” are more hymn-like songs with strong melodies and memorable lines.
“Lament Of The Shalmaj” is my favourite, a setting of the Lord’s Prayer. The medieval shawm opens with raw power keening over a ground tone, followed by the exotic sounding Aramaic setting. Complete magic!
“Gethsemene” opens with the violin in the wilderness and leads to relentless drums which build and build before Richard gives us the pain-filled prayer in the garden. There are more exciting African drums in “Golgotha” for the crucifixion. “Resurrection” takes simple Latin words while breathless hope becomes triumphant certainty.
Thoroughly recommended.
Reviewed by Stella Redburn, for Cross Rhythms
As guests for the wedding of Paul and Philippa Chappell enjoyed champagne and canapés, Richard set the mood by playing continuously on a piano set outside on the beautiful riverbank.
After two hours, the guests made their way to the wedding reception marquee where Richard continued to play during the meal until the wedding speeches.
Bishop’s Court Farm is a beautiful manor house and gardens, set alongside the river at Shapwick, Dorset. As the river runs alongside the gardens, it provides the perfect setting for wedding guests to relax before attending the evening meal.
For more information, visit the website; http://www.jchappell.co.uk/.