The Fidelio Society showcased a varied repertoire ranging from French folksongs to traditional Irish ballads at its concert last Sunday.
“We really tried to select all kinds of different music from different years and different styles,” said concert director Christopher Walter, Instructor in Music.
The group, consisting of 18 members, performed different songs in Italian, French and English from the 16th century to now.
“I like the dissonance, that they have a lot of pieces. I thought they executed it well,” said Jenny Decker, mother of Ali Decker ’14, a member of Fidelio.
Two love songs opened the concert. The first piece, “Fyer, Fyer!” by Thomas Morley was energetic and complexly layered with the singers’ voices. The second song, “A Boy and a Girl,” by contemporary composer Eric Whitacre, told the story of a couple in love throughout their lives. The last verse of the song was hummed slowly and softly, leaving a feeling of meditation and emotion.
“I try to come any time [Fidelio] performs. It sounded so much like the soundtrack, and they had no music behind them. It was amazing,” said Beth O’Connor, the Sports Information Director at Andover.
Towards the end of the concert, Fidelio performed several more popular songs, including “Somewhere” by Leonard Bernstein and “Danny Boy,” an Irish song. “Danny Boy” was a message from a parent to a son going off to war or leaving as part of the Irish diaspora.
The highlight of the concert was “Nelly Bly.” Fidelio received a standing ovation for the popular piece.
“I think it went really well. We did some stuff that we just learned this term. And it went better this time [than in practice]. We had a good turnout,” said Anna Stacy ’13, Co-Head of The Fidelio Society.
