TRUST THE SILENCES (ONCE MORE)

VOX Cape Town presented “Trust the Silences (Once More)”, its most immersive and ambitious choral project yet, to an audience of over 400 in a sold-out Bishops Memorial Chapel. This sequel performance took place as a result of the overwhelming response to the first contemporary choral extravaganza “Trust the Silences” that took place in November last year.

Gentle lighting by Tara Notcutt enhanced the pre-performance atmosphere as Bronwyn van Wieringen (piano) played fragments from the musical programme, inviting listeners to embrace the soundscapes of the evening. While still headed by the unleashed kinetic energy of “Cloudburst” (featuring percussionists Dylan Tabisher and Cherilee Adams), this year’s programme included brand new pieces by Eric Whitacre (United States) and Ēriks Ešenvalds (Latvia). These works, ranging from the sublime to the intimate, offset the devastation of the minimalist masterpiece at the centre of the performance, “When David Heard”.

Guest vocalist Richard Brokensha performed the deeply moving songs “To Build A Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra and “Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead. VOX replaced the synthesised choir in the latter track, possibly the first time that this has been done. An organ transcription of “Fly to Paradise” performed by Johan van der Walt provided a climactic finale to our journey of sound and silence.

This concert was the sequel to the second part of a series of “New Soundscapes” in which VOX intends to expose audiences to fresh choral sounds. Proceeds from this performance were donated to the Bishops Chapel Improvement Fund to maintain this acoustic jewel for future musical events. Special moments from the performance were captured by Alun Marchant, to whom we are very grateful.