A composer who hit on a new idea of writing tunes to describe high-end Italian wines is helping put on a charity concert.
Three friends, the wine tune composing pianist Pamela Chilvers and singer Harriet Kirk both from Caversham and composer Anne Eustace of Hurst, have got together to stage the concert.
The talented trio’s concert will feature well-known and also ‘underperformed’ English songs at St Mary’s Church, Henley on Saturday, August 12, 5pm-7pm.
The concert is to support The Chiltern Centre at Henley which helps young people with disabilities.
Pamela, who is the concert pianist accompanying mezzo-soprano Harriet’s singing, has written four of the songs being performed.
They’re based on poems by William Blake, Christina Rosetti, Emily Dickinson and Theodore Roethke.
Two of the songs are dedicated to her grandson Rafael Flutter, 13, who has sung professionally since he was nine.
The wine tunes, which are not part of this concert, came about after Pamela visited an Italian vineyard on a wine circle trip. She gave the family there a CD of her compositions.
Later they met to discuss her writing music to go with their wines, something Pamela hadn’t heard of before.
She has just finished the music for the twelfth wine.
The first five tunes have been published by Mozart Edition GB as a piano score: Five pieces from Ronchi di Cialla.
Each wine’s character is shown in its tune. The music for the vineyard’s flagship Schioppettino di Cialla shows ‘the importance and grandeur of this exceptional red wine.’
At the August fundraiser, four songs were written by Anne Eustace.
“There is one song for each season represented by a character. Spring is a nymph, summer is a young man very pleased with himself, autumn is a wicked trickster, and winter is a queen, wearing an icy crown and feared by animals and plants,” Pamela says.
She has written both the words and the music.
“The concert was supposed to be four years ago, after my songs were composed, but covid intervened. It’s good to be doing it now and for such a good, worthwhile cause,” she said.
“The concert will start with songs by English composers Ivor Gurney, Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells, Roger Quilter and Benjamin Britten. Some of these are so beautiful they make my knees turn to jelly.”
Singer Harriet Kirk is a mezzo-soprano who works with Grange Park Opera and Opera Holland Park.
Tickets are £18 or £20 on the door (including wine) and £10 for under 18s (no wine). They can be bought by visiting https://www.chilterncentre.org.ukand going to News & events.
