Drums and Guns at Lir

I went to see Drums and Guns, a words and music presentation devised by Iain Burnside with a dozen performers drawn from the vocal programmes at RIAM  Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Juilliard School.  We heard a great range of material based on the theme of war and insurrection in a semi staged format. The set list is posted below. There was much to enjoy and  I was moved, amused and thoroughly entertained over the 70 minutes. I loved the tongue twisting music hall songs beautifully enunciated  by the Guildhall ladies. There three baritone combination was richly sonorous.

 Pushed to pick a stand out moment,  Dutch baritone, Rick Zwart gave me goose bumps with his acapella rendition of Eric Bogle's, And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda with the company joining in a Stephen Foster-esque final chorus.  It was as if I'd  never heard this song before .  I don't think Bryn himself could have delivered a better version of All Through the Night delivered in Welsh by Mr Zwart with all male chorus.  Irish performers  among the party were Sarah Brady,  Eadaoin Copeland, Callan Coughlan and Sean Boylan. The Guildhall team were Claire Lees, Felicity Turner and Michelle Santiago and Rick Zwart.  Representing Juliard were Julia Wolcott, Dominik Belavy Adam Rothenberg Matthew Swensen.

More of this kind of thing please!

ps I was delighted to meet musical legend Brush Shiels in the foyer. Brush tells me he is busy gigging in Germany and Holland.