CALDICOT Male Voice Choir combined in concert with the Chepstow based Divertimenti Recorder Consort to raise funds for Parkinson's Research UK last Saturday (25th April).

The concert had been arranged by Steve Lewis of the Chepstow and District Parkinson's Support Group and the venue was the magnificent St Mary's Church, Chepstow.

The audience were treated to a musical feast of six courses with the choir delivering two well-balanced performances of power and precision; either side of a 20 minute showcase of recorder harmony in each half. The sweetly intoned woodwind medleys were provided by the excellent Divertimenti Recorder Consort; the members of which are all from the Chepstow area. The group has been together for three years. They performed two eclectic sets of recorder music which spanned a period of over 500 years.

Musical genres as disparate as the sacred music of the Renaissance composer William Byrd were juxtaposed with the work of 20th century composer Jelly Roll Morton. Their programme visited many styles of music including Renaissance, Baroque, Folk Song, Jazz, Swing and Latin American Dance.

The choir, under the guidance of Sian Hatton and Shirley Anne James and accompanied by Steve Berry and John Nicholson; provided an amalgam of light and shade throughout its work.

At the conclusion of a wonderfully entertaining evening; the organiser Steve Lewis thanked Caldicot Male Voice Choir and the Divertimenti Recorder Consort for their generous support. A debt of gratitude was also expressed for Reverend Chris Blanchard for the use of the church and the Monmouthshire County Council Passenger Transport Unit (MCC PTU) for providing a coach for the choir. Special thanks are also extended to coach driver Geoff Taylor of MCC (PTU) who voluntarily drove the coach to the concert.