WE were treated this week to a magnificent display of talent in the form of two of our own members, Grenville Burrows and Tony Davies.

Together they led us through the panoply of Shakespeare’s works and demonstrated how he had influenced music, how his plots had been used in adaptations and how composers have been inspired by his plays.

With the aid of videos, and supplemented with theatrical declamations by the learned Dr Davies, Grenville spoke with passion and an obvious love of this subject. He led us through a wide variety of composers, music and shows that had the Shakespeare touch. These included Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, Land of Hope and Glory, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Vaughan Williams and even Dire Straits. Works and characters included 12th Night, Henry V, Othello, Desdemona, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Westside Story, The Tempest, Merchant of Venice and even The Lion King. And every single piece was instantly recognised by our members.

In thanking Grenville and Tony on behalf of members, I freely confessed to being in awe of their achievement. The amount of thought, research and time that had clearly gone into this presentation was monumental. Fellow members warmly applauded the protagonists. In football terms, the boys had clearly done good!

We shall hear some Cider Country music on 1 December followed on 8 December with a presentation about the Father of Hi-Fi.

CHRIS DONOUGH