Art Deco weekend: Octavius Choir brings jazz classics to Waiapu Cathedral in Napier

The Octavius Chamber Choir will bring jazz classics to Waiapu Cathedral during the Art Deco Festival.

Napier’s Octavius Chamber Choir is Puttin’ on the Ritz for Art Deco weekend.

The concert is at the Waiapu Cathedral on Saturday, February 21.

The choir, joined by a string quartet, will take listeners on a musical journey through the jazz clubs and dance halls, Hollywood studios and radio stages of the early 20th century, spokeswoman Raewyn Towers said.

“The mood of the time encompassed optimism and glamour, and a belief that modern life could be stylish, sophisticated and full of possibilities.”

The programme will feature music by composers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George and Ira Gershwin. Many of their songs were first heard in films and stage shows: Night and Day, The Man I Love, In a Sentimental Mood, Three Coins in the Fountain and Mancini’s Charade.

“Other songs have become standards through their association with important events of the era,” Towers said.

“A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Bye-Bye Blackbird and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy capture the mood of wartime romance and resilience, while Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Mister Sandman remind us that in uncertain times people turn to music for comfort, hope, and a little sparkle.“

Swing and syncopated rhythms are a feature of the era, heard in It Don’t Mean a Thing, Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Maple Leaf Rag.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’ is pure Fats Waller charm and lush, lyrical melodies feature in a song made famous by Frank Sinatra, Fly Me to the Moon," Towers said.

“A burst of choral joy – a celebration of life, light, and the sheer pleasure of singing – will be heard in My Spirit Sang All Day by English composer Gerald Finzi.“

The final sequence of songs in the 90-minute concert will feature the choir and string quartet celebrating their enjoyment of jazz music with All That Jazz from the show Chicago, and two Gershwin compositions, I Got Rhythm and Rhapsody in Blue, in which swagger, energy and sweeping lines reflect the confidence and style of the Art Deco era.

Octavius is a 12-voice choir based in Napier, directed by Anthony Tattersall. The members are active in other choirs and some work professionally in music tuition and performance. The group presents three or four concerts each year in Napier and sometimes further afield.

The string quartet for the concert are members of the Cathedral Strings orchestra which plays in special services in Waiapu Cathedral. They play in other local orchestras and also teach music in local schools and in their own studios.

What: Puttin’ on the Ritz – a concert by Octavius Choir

When: 1.30pm, Saturday, February 21

Where: Waiapu Cathedral, Browning St, Napier

Entry: No tickets required; Koha/donation appreciated