The King's Singers

A popular, English, acapella sextet who have their roots in Kings College (hence their name), The King's Singers have been well esteemed for decades following their inception in 1968. Although they frequently change members, the class and talent they possess is always consistent. It's sometimes hard for opera groups to find the right balance between different types of voices, but this is something that the current crop of King's Singers have no problem with. Two pairs of baritones and counter-tenors compliment each other with the addition of a bass and a tenor to form the perfect combination. The King's Singers are probably most popular in England for their performances at the BBC Proms, and in 2011 they put on a very admirable show indeed. They introduced themselves to the Royal Albert Hall with the song La Bell' Si Nous Étions by Francis Poulenc, a number where they took it in turns to be the lead singer whilst the other members accompanied with very short melodies underneath. It was an easy listening introduction for the crowd. Between songs, The King's Singers even played the role of storytellers, explaining the background of their various songs before beginning to sing.
Some personal highlights of mine were La Belle Se Sied Au Pied De La Tour, where David Hurley's first lead singer role of the night with possibly the most amazing and almost angelic voice I have ever heard. Also the song Pilons L'orge, which although only lasting for under a minute, is very quick tempoed and clearly very well rehearsed. The King's Singers are arguably the best opera acapella group that the UK has to offer, and the six of them singing together is simply fantastic and certainly not something to miss out on listening to.

Over fifty years, The King's Singers sound has remained consistent, preserving their wonderful unity of tone and precision in articulation. During those years the make-up of the group has remained two counter-tenors, two tenors, one baritone, one bass, but their repertoire continues to range ever more widely, from madrigal and polyphony to bespoke arrangements of pop and comedy songs. I love all of it. and would travel a fair distance for the pleasure and privilege of hearing The King's Singers live. If I could send them one message, it would be to boost up the bass register a bit, at the moment the higher voices are quite dominant. Just a suggestion!

What a fantastic concert both by Vars Musica and by The King's Singers! It was completely sold out a week before the event!
An absolute pleasure to listen to both ensembles equally!
A repertoire of over 700 years of music, both ensembles with their own specialities: The King's Singers with their close harmonies and Vars Musica with their improvisations.
Former members of Vars Musica came on stage for a final improvisation together with the current members.
For the final encore, Vars Musica joined The King's Singers for a very special Lullabye by Billy Joel.
Memories are made of evenings like this one.

Because there was no ticket purchasing information on the Songkick webpage that advertised the event and because the venue's webpage had no information nor telephone number that could be called to gain information about the event and because when emailed, the venue did not respond to the query regarding time of event and "how to purchase tickets" for said event - we did NOT go, therefore we did NOT have an opportunity to witness what I have thought to be the finest vocal ensemble I've ever heard before (having gone to their shows in Toronto from whence I hail).
Sad, isn't it.....

Having gotten into them watching YouTube I was surprised most of the familiar members were replaced by young talents. I was hoping for more traditional songs (their rendition of Loch Lomond, Down to the River to Pray, and the likes are absolute beauty) thus a bit disappointed by the set list this time. Nevertheless they made beautiful, beautiful harmony that brought many of the audiences to tears, especially with Danny Boy and Furusato (a Japanese folk song) they sung for encore.

What can I say? The King's Singers are sheer perfection! The concert I attended was sold out and they had several standing ovations. No matter what the program/genre, they bring the same high level of musicianship and beautiful singing, so it is always a great performance. They are legend - do not hesitate to go hear them!!

The last time I saw the King's Singers was ages ago and this was an entirely new group. They did a fantastic job of maintaining the legacy with a tremendous range of Christmas both sacred and secular.