Confluence

The Concert

Christchurch Priory,14th July 2001

Such a large and diverse group of performers were obviously going to create something of a logistic nightmare when it came to organising and scheduling rehearsals. The hours leading up to the concert were edgy and fraught!

However, fears went unjustified as the concert progressed. The change - overs between performers in the first half went smoothly and were cleverly masked by an excellent ad-libbed commentary by Sue Clifford. The audience of over 250 were quickly won over by the groups, and were vociferous in their positive responses to each act, culminating in a magical performance by Pipeworks, which spontaneously generated a chorus of clapping to the beat.

Silver Messenger went smoothly, from the sound of swans entering at the start until the final resonant notes and the retreat of the swans. The audience was astonished by the complexity and variety of the piece, from jazz to modern classical, to the romantic and pastoral, the clangorously percussive and the beautifully atmospheric. Also the appearance of sounds from all around the Priory created a unique atmosphere, with sounds coming from behind, from the sides and even from above. Musicians and choristers processed through the aisles and engaged in call and response from opposite ends of the nave.

Many people helped out in the production, including Barry Tomlinson and the Grange Singers of Christchurch, who arranged the assembly of the staging, John Bolt who demonstrated the lighting and electrics, and 15-year old Jack Pritchard, who made a marvellous job of operating the lights for the performance. We were also lucky once again to enlist the sound projection services of Richard Walker, and also Darren Jones of Tangent Media who had made the recording for the CD of Otter - lutra lutra on the Stour.

The final act of Confluence had been devised by Angela King. This was a procession to the sea with bottles of water gathered from each tributary of the Stour, where the water would be released. People who lived near the tributaries in question were invited to act as representatives of their place, and to take the bottle to the sea. Many had gathered the water themselves, discovering new places and making new acquaintance with local streams. The original plan was for the bottles to arrive by boat during the interval and be processed up to and around the inside of the Priory. They would then be taken back to the quay and released into the sea at the end of the concert. However, this idea had to change shape suddenly when it became clear that we had to cut a large amount of time from the duration of the evening. The interval was reduced, and the first procession and boat journey abandoned. Instead the bottles each with their tributary name were placed in the porch of the Priory, making for an interesting sight for people arriving, and enabling audiences to get a feel for the tributary names as they entered. At the end of Silver Messenger, a small procession band led by Karen drew audience and water-collectors to the quay, where the bottles were poured out, uniting the tributaries and rivers with the sea.

The concert was deemed a great success by organisers, performers and audience:

"truly remarkable so eclectic and rich in content." Russ Gannicott, youth worker with the Lighthouse.

"the setting and the atmosphere was so appealing and unforgettable. The diverse range of music was so compelling, it was impossible to guess the next mood." Brenda Harris, audience.

"What a fantastic piece of writing - so encompassing of so many issues and involving such a cross section of the community." Philippa Forrest, singer.

"Incredible. The thought of the efforts of so many people culminating in one final night was almost too much to comprehend" Mark Pritchard, performer.

Two CDs are available, recorded at the Christchurch Priory concerts. One features the complete Silver Messenger, (and includes James Crowden's libretto) the other a selection of highlights from the first half of the concert. Look at our RIVERS, RHYNES AND RUNNING BROOKS PUBLICATIONS for details of cost and ordering.