Various Composers - The Music Never Ends (Vasari Singers)

Information

1. Traditional - Waltzing Matilda (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
2. Traditional - Danny Boy (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
3. Traditional - Vem kan segla förutan vind? (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
4. Traditional - El Paisanito (arr. Ward Swingle)
5. Ward Swingle - Romance
6. John Lennon, Paul McCartney - The Fool on the Hill (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
7. John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Penny Lane (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
8. John Lennon, Paul McCartney - Blackbird / I Will (arr. Jonathan Rathbone)
9. Michel Legrand - You Must Believe in Spring (From "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) [arr. Gareth Giles]
10. Michel Legrand - How Do You Keep the Music Playing? (From "Best Friends") [arr. Alexander L'Estrange]
11. Michel Legrand - The Summer Knows (From "Summer of '42") [arr. Gareth Giles]
12. Kevin Olson - A Summer Sonnet
13. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 1, Live with Me and Be My Love
14. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 2, When Daffodils Being to Peer
15. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 3, It Was a Lover and His Lass
16. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 4, Spring
17. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 5, Who Is Silvia
18. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 6, Fie on Sinful Fantasy
19. George Shearing - Songs & Sonnets from Shakespeare: No. 7, Hey, Ho, the Wind and the Rain
20. Stephen Sondheim - A Little Night Music: Send In the Clowns (arr. Ward Swingle)
21. Duke Ellington, Ben Parry - It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) / Swing Time [arr. Ben Parry]

Vasari Singers

Gareth Huw Davies, double bass

Gareth Giles, piano

Jeremy Backhouse, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naxos

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Close harmony singing is the vocal equivalent of a jazz big band, and this programme is the Vasari Singers’ personal tour of a style in which they have excelled for years. Their connection with Ward Swingle and the pioneering Swingle Singers is explored in arrangements ranging from traditional folk songs such as the haunting Danny Boy, to favourites by The Beatles and the delicious harmonies of Stephen Sondheim. George Shearing’s English musical background and American jazz influence combine in his Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare, and the album closes with a cleverly integrated and up-beat version of Duke Ellington’s classic It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that swing).

Founded in 1980, Vasari Singers is one of Britain’s premier chamber choirs, led by founding conductor Jeremy Backhouse. Known for its wide-ranging repertoire—from Renaissance to contemporary—the choir performs regularly in major UK venues and internationally. Vasari is especially noted for commissioning new works and producing acclaimed recordings, including many premiere recordings and three Christmas music collections. During the 2019–2020 choral singing hiatus, the ensemble engaged global audiences through virtual performances, including the praised Heaven Full of Stars. Their recent releases include Five Mystical Songs and Music on Christmas Morning, both met with critical acclaim.