BIRDS OF PARADISE

The singing of birds has been the subject of human song since earliest times. They have always been our companions in garden and field, and the effortless elaborate power of the sound emanating from such a tiny creature has drawn our imagination. We like to imagine that birds sing the way we do, expressing joy, grief, tenderness, or even greed in the case of Ivor R Davies’ raven; but in fact not only are the mechanics of their song different – they produce sound with a stretched membrane, the syrinx – but the reasons for their song are also not apparently aligned with ours – most of their song serves to mark territory or attract a mate. So when we put the voice of love or despair into the beaks of our feathered friends, it is purely a reflection of ourselves. Here then is a brief survey of the ‘throes’ of the human heart – as Robert Bridges’ nightingales describe them – heard by human ears in the voices of birds.

Octopus is a multi-faceted ensemble which appears in various sizes, from 24 to 100 singers, in the forms of the Octopus Chamber Choir and the Octopus Symphony Chorus. Since its foundation by conductor Bart Van Reyn, Octopus has worked on a project basis, swiftly securing a pre-eminent position in Flanders. The ensemble consists of a mix of accomplished semi-professional and professional singers, and offers singing students a stepping-stone to a professional career.

Their repertoire spans late Baroque to the present day. In addition to regular a cappella programmes, they sing oratorio and symphonic choral works, from Bach to MacMillan.