David Fanshawe (Chandos 60) Concert

18 March 2019

The most famous musical work of David Fanshawe (Chandos 60), called ‘African Sanctus’, will be performed in Deddington on Saturday 6 April, at 7.30pm, by the highly acclaimed Chipping Norton Choral Society.

David Fanshawe (Chandos 60), who died in 2010, was a musical visionary who travelled around Africa recording the music he heard for posterity. He then combined these recordings of African music and sounds with classical choral music to create incredibly haunting, emotional new pieces of music.

James Speakman, Deputy Head of Music at Stowe, is also the new piano accompanist and Assistant Conductor of the Chipping Norton Choral Society.  James will be playing the piano at the concert in Deddington as part of the performance.

Conductor, Peter Hunt, who is himself a popular composer and author of some of the most well-known music books for choirs called ‘Voiceworks’, knew David Fanshawe. Peter writes:

“David was an exceptional man, well ahead of his time in fusing musical styles and sounds to create something new and magical, an approach we take for granted nowadays. African Sanctus is a challenge and a joy to perform, and it should give the audience a thrill to hear this entrancing, evocative music performed in Deddington church where the acoustics are so good.”

David used to attend every concert at which African Sanctus was performed, and Peter Hunt has invited his widow, Mrs Jane Fanshawe, to attend the concert in Deddington in April as the Choir’s special guest.  Peter continued:

“We are incredibly lucky to live in an area with so many gifted musicians, composers and singers in our midst.  We’ll be performing ‘African Sanctus’ with a few others pieces of music inspired by Africa and I know this will be a truly exceptional, enjoyable concert; the sort of music you don’t hear every day in Oxfordshire”.

Tickets for the concert cost £15 each and are available on the door; online by emailing tickets@cncs.org.uk; by phone calling Nick Watkins on 07988 233299, or instore, from Jaffe & Neale bookshop in Chipping Norton and Eagles in Deddington.