'Dhammapada' CD Launch Concert

Sunday 6 February, 2011, 8.00 pm

Concert to launch the CD (Stone Records)

A setting of sayings ascribed to the Buddha for a choir of eight soloists and pre-recorded temple bells

Apsara
Ronald Corp, director

Village Underground
54 Holywell Lane
Shoreditch
London
EC2A 3PQ

In a venture of Vignette Productions, the concert took place in the converted Victorian warehouse of Village Underground in the former 'Jago' district of the East End of London, an area which itself has experienced untold transformation in the last 120 years. The vast, old brick walls behind the singers were illuminated with excerpts from the Buddhist text projected alongside reactions to the latter which had been tweeted in by members of the public across the world. These 'new words of common sense' enabled the audience, present or absent, to participate and give voice to their personal thoughts: topics covered ranged from presidential power to the futility of anger to expressions of personal mottos, such as 'the way is not in the sky, the way is in the heart'; among these was even one submitted in Burmese!

Ronald Corp conducted the a cappella performance in a magical atmosphere of crepuscular lighting, candles and ribbons of fairy lights above the audience. The singers of Apsara were Charmian Bedford, Zoe Brown (sopranos), Belinda Williams, Kate Symonds-Joy (mezzo sopranos), Nick Madden, Sam Boden (tenors), Alex Ashworth (baritone) and Samuel Evans (bass).

To see a gallery of photos of Ron directing Apsara at the dress rehearsal, please use the link on the left.

Ronald Corp - Composer and Conductor - Official Website / All contents © 2008 - 2012

Photo courtesy of and © Steve Gillson

Photo courtesy of Martin Cowan