  Elizabeth McKeon introduces the choir and the programme for the evening
 Dorothy Paterson
Brian Welsh
choir in full song
Elizabeth Thomson
Andrew McFarlane
Agnes Ovenstone vote of thanks |
| | | Penicuik Community Choir - 4 March 2019 |
Click on the links to hear the songs
A great crowd turned out for the Guild
social coffee evening with the Community
Choir entertaining us
with a selection of popular songs. This was a preview of the
choirs new programme, their full diary of events yet to start.
Music from the shows and favourite films, with some scottish extras brought
back memories for many of the audience, with a few singing along to those golden favourites.
We
followed the concert with endless cups of coffee, tea, and lots of
tasty home baking, with members of the choir joining us.
 Elizabeth
McKeon once again led the choir for the opening song 'This is Me',
taken from the film The Greatest Showman, an American musical film
directed by Michael Gracey in his 2017 directorial debut. Written by
Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, the film is inspired by the story of P. T.
Barnum's creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the lives of
its star attractions.
An early Scottish flavour with 'Gin I were a Baron's Heir',
composed by Joseph William Holder (1765-1823), an Englishman and a
music graduate of Oxford University. It appeared in Scots Minstrelsies
in 1893, and A Treasury of Old Scots Songs.
Brian Welsh and Dorothy Paterson sang as a duet.
 Back to an old favourite that everyone has heard. "Coulter's Candy",
also known as "Ally Bally" or "Ally Bally Bee", is a Scots folk song,
written by a former Galashiels weaver, Robert Coultart
(1832–1880). The song was an advertising jingle for the aniseed
flavoured toffee that he manufactured in his house in Melrose and sold
around the markets of the Border towns. To call the children to buy his
sweets he cleverly played his whistle and made up this song.
We
continued the floor tapping, singalong theme, with a medley of well
known songs made famous by the group Abba. Starting with 'Super Trooper',
the title track from their 1980 studio album of the same name, written
by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The song's name refers
to the Super Trouper, a make of stage spotlight known as a followspot
used in large venues, to track moving players on stage.
This was followed by another Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus composition "Money, Money, Money". Released as a single on 1 November 1976, it was a follow-up to "Dancing Queen", both from the album Arrival.
Following in the wake of the movie Mamma Mia written
by British playwright Catherine Johnson, we heard the title theme,
again composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The title of
the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia".
Slowing down the tempo we heard 'My Love my Life' sung as a solo by Elizabeth Thomson. This song was one of the last songs to be recorded for the album Arrival, and used in the film Mamma Mia.
From
the Swedish Abba, and the Greek islands of Mamma Mia, we headed to the
mountains of Austria for a medley from the hit musical Sound of Music.
 Opening with 'Do-Re-Mi', written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the 1959 musical.
Maria is teaching the notes of the major musical scale to the Von Trapp children who learn to sing for the first time.
Then we heard the title song 'The Sound of Music' , with everyone recalling Julie Andrews rushing on top of the hill singing 'the hills are alive with the sound of music', which introduces Maria, a young novice in an Austrian abbey.
Quickly followed by 'Edelweiss',
named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps. Sung
in the musical by Captain von Trapp as he bid farewell to the
Austria he knew and loved.
The final song from the musical was 'Climb every Mountain',
is sung at the close of the first act by the Mother Abbess. It is
themed as an inspirational piece, to encourage people to take every
step toward attaining their dreams.
Another change of scenery and time. This time the song 'On the Street Where You Live', a
song with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, from
the 1956 Broadway musical, My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's
Pygmalion.
This solo was sung for us by Andrew McFarlane.
 We were heading toward the end of the evening but a real Scottish favourite formed the penultimate piece from the Choir 'Highland Cathedral', a
popular melody for the Great Highland Bagpipe. This melody was composed
by German musicians Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb in 1982 for a
Highland games held in Germany. It has been proposed as the Scottish
national anthem to replace unofficial anthems Scotland the Brave and/or
Flower of Scotland.
 The grand finale piece was the choir's signature tune 'You Raise Me Up', a
song originally composed by Irish-Norwegian duo Secret Garden. The
music was written by Secret Garden's Rolf Løvland and the lyrics
by Irishman Brendan Graham. The song is best known for the version
popularised by the Irish band Westlife
A tumultuous applause
followed what had been a fantastic presentation of great
songs which we wish the choir well in their 2019 programme throughout
the year. If tonight's performance was anything to go by they will
bring a lot of happiness to many people throughout the year.
Published - 6 March 2019
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