27 June 2017 14:15 PM
Community interest company Kidenza brought a classical world tour to Horsham children last weekend and we sent along our youngest team member to review it. Unfortunately, though she took an intense interest in the show, she has yet to learn to write. Fortunately she took her mum with her, who can.
Kidenza produces fun classical concerts for kids with the aim of making classical music accessible to all. This production “Around the World with Kidenza” at Brighton Road Baptist Church on Saturday was a real highlight. The show was really interactive, with attractive visuals playing on two big screens. Conductor Steve Dummer, animateur Claire Lambert and 14-piece orchestra kept the audience absorbed with a diversity of sounds and instruments from around the world.
The show opened in Spain with the Toreador Song from Bizet`s Carmen, went to China for the Empress of the Pagodas by Maurice Ravel, jetted to Antarctica with the chilly sounds of La Glace by Alexander Glazunov. This was followed by a dramatic change in temperature in Africa where the whole orchestra became percussive with excellent audience participation lead by Jo Richards on bongo drums.
Off to Australia, we learnt that digeridoos were made from eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites, and the children became kangaroos, cucaburras and dingos.
The classic Mambo from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein brought us to the US. The audience had to shout Mambo twice during the song and resist shouting it four times (where it sounded like it should be). Needless to say the Horsham toddlers got it right. “You can always trust a Horsham audience,” said Steve.
Next up was a pirate battle in the Caribbean before coming home to England for a Jolly Sailors Hornpipe, as performed at the last night of the Proms. Again there was fantastic interaction for the kids who played percussion including a bicycle bell, squeaky chicken and pepper.
This was a great event and education for the whole family and kept our 3½-year-old wide-eyed with wonder. Kidenza are back in Horsham on the 16th of December, 2.00pm at Christ`s Hospital – do not miss.
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