The Snow Queen
Hall For Cornwall
With a gruelling Panto schedule behind them, the Hall For Cornwall team somehow found the energy to pull out all the stops to showcase this magnificent community effort. The Cornish Sinfonia, Duchy Ballet, Newquay and Truro Stagecoach Choirs and Ivybridge and Teignmouth Community Choirs presented two glorious stories with dance, music, song and film visuals.
The first half of this delightful late afternoon show brought us the much loved Cornish tale of The Mermaid of Zennor. Conductor and local musician, David Frost, composed the music specifically for Duchy Ballet’s interpretation of the story and Kay Cecile Jones narrated as the dancers portrayed the strong ties between those who work on the sea and the fantastic creatures who reside in the deep waters below.
David Frost again conducted the Sinfonia for the main performance of The Snow Queen, with music composed by Paul K Joyce, who also produced the show. Normally a frightening and wicked tale this version was child friendly, but just as powerful and moving as Andersen’s original. A recorded narrative by Juliet Stevenson relayed the story in both poems and prose, along with a backdrop of film displaying horrific frozen wastelands gradually melting away as the children of the story fight evil with innocent, but powerful, love.
With Hall For Cornwall’s superb technical crew providing just the right atmosphere with lighting and sound, this was a community performance in every sense of the word and a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening.