News of some more musical events, this weekend I am performing once again with Balsham Singers - this time in Orff's Carmina Burana.  We are performing this piece in a version for piano and percussion by the composer.    It is based on the poems contained in an early 13th-century German manuscript (found in 1803) from the Benedictine abbey of Benediktbeuern, south of Munich in the Bavarian region.   Themes covered include the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of Spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.    Still pretty relevant for a modern audience!    Its on on at Holy Trinity Church Balsham this Saturday 12th May.

HMS Pinafore is also relevant to a modern audience, a more recent text but older music than Carmina Burana.   This is to be Swaffham Bulbeck Summer Theatre's first production in a new theatre - or to be more accurate in a new barn.    The old barn is being redeveloped and so the company has moved to a new location on the other side of the village.  Wonders have already been worked converting it and building a full sized raked stage which in due course will be rigged as a ship.    With the change to the new venue we are also doing an extra night so the production will run 6th to 9th June.   I am playing Ralph Rackstraw, and my son is in it this year as the Midshipmite.

I realise that the new barn looks small in the photo compared to the old one -but in reality we didn't use all the space before.   The actual capacity is only slightly smaller - hence the extra night in the run.   What will be different is that the audience will be laid out "landscape" style toward the stage rather than "portrait" style - so it should all be more intimate.