What a privilege and a pleasure it was to meet the wonderful Will Todd who made time in his busy schedule to join us in our musical Zoom session on Wednesday February 24th. Will discussed the eclectic mix of music which inspired him to become a musician, ranging from Leoncavallo’s La Bohème to The Who and the album Quadrophenia, and gave us an insight into the formative experiences of his childhood when his preferred activity was to simply explore and teach himself to play his family’s piano.
Will’s love of choral music is reflected in a large output including masses, anthems and larger sacred concert works including Mass in Blue which has been performed hundreds of times around the world since its 2003 premiere. The work is a ‘cross-over’ piece, transcending the boundaries of liturgical, classical and jazz. There have been many composers such as George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, who have found the fusion of these styles exhilarating and inspiring. In Mass in Blue, there is a dynamic blend of strong choral singing, against which the solo piano and solo soprano weave a dense melodic tapestry. Will played us some video excerpts from the work, and it is certainly exciting and often moving.
We extend many thanks to Will for taking time Zoom with us and Liverpool Welsh Choral are delighted to announce that we have plans to perform Mass in Blue at the Cornerstone Theatre at Liverpool John Moore’s University in March 2022.
