The final programme of Confluence Concerts season took place at Heliconian Hall on Wednesday night.  It was billed as The Confluence Songbook and, if there was a theme, it was about doing live versions of music that had been streamed during the Plague.  But really by the time we saw it it had outgrown that.  For, in addition to the full line up of Confluence artistic associates there was a raft of guests which resulted in a fairly lengthy and very eclectic programme.

There were somewhere. between 25 and 30 numbers depending on how one counts them and they ranged from Morley, Bach, Purcell and Porpora to Charlie Chaplin and Indigo Girls  plus new compositions and poetry.  There was pretty much something for everyone and I’m sure each audience member had a different view on what the highlights were so I’m just going to pick out a few personal favourites.

I really enjoyed some of the ensemble singing especially of adaptations of 16th and 17th century works.  There was a very clever reworking of Thomas Morley’s Now is the month of maying and a suitably exuberant rendition of Purcell’s drinking song If all be true.  I also liked a sort of mash up by Bijan Sepanji of Vaughan Williams’ setting of Come Down O Love Divine with some Monteverdi and M.Neydavood’s Zefiro Morgh.

Ryan Davis never fails to impress me and I really enjoyed his complex viola piece Dreaming After All and his prairie inspired violin/viola duet Lavender Jump played with Bijan Sepanji.  Suba Sankaran and Dylan Bell’s a capella version of Bach’s Invention BWV 772 almost made me regret skipping the Bach Festival this year.

Patricia O’Callaghan, backed by Robert Kortgaard on piano and a string ensemble, absolutely nailed Piazzolla’s sassy and somewhat acid Yo soy Maria.  I also liked her version, with Suba, of Matthew Barber’ Where the River Bends.

I have to mention Martin Gomes’ passionate poem, Africa, My Motherland commemorating the women in his life and his Cape Verdian heritage.  Beautiful writing and passionate delivery combined here.

There were lots of arrangements by Andrew Downing who also played bass.  Larry Beckwith organised, sang, played violin and probably did the washing up.  Teiya Kasahara contributed mightily to the vocals and piano/vocal guitar duo merrah and thom put in a live appearance while the the KöNG duo contributed a filmed performance.  A full evening.