Barry Lee reviews the June 17 performance of Kentigern



                    

Maria Anthony's "Kentigern, St. Mungo of Scotland" is the culmination of all her years of performing and songwriting. This thought struck me as I sat in St. John the Evangelist church in Lawrence, Kansas, listening intently to the first performance of her Scottish folk opera. The songs and narration were intertwined to good effect, with one complimenting the other. Maria's vocals and guitar work were enhanced by a chamber group of musicians and vocalists who movingly rendered the various vocal and instrumental parts of the opera. The words and melodies are some of maria's strongest and best. The opera's finale, "Saint Mungo's Farewell Song" and "Gloria" rank with her most beautiful compositions. "Kentigern" is a wonderfully interwoven tapestry of music and narrative encompassing the many emotional colors and events of an extraordinary life.


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