CONCERT REVIEWS
2022
Handel Messiah
Thank you so much for your great contribution to our Centenary Concert on Sunday. It was a day that many of us will remember for a long time, and well worth the wait that the pandemic enforced on us.
The Anvil is a terrific venue – we could see and hear and the seats were comfortable! The four soloists were excellent and it was lovely to hear those well-known arias sung with such style and panache. The orchestra had to work hard in order to play to David Hill’s exacting standards, but we certainly benefitted from his attention to detail in that respect, as they accompanied us so well. Wasn’t the trumpeter brilliant!? It was interesting that after the re-start in ‘Let us break their bonds’, David Hill suddenly started to give us more direction, and even smiled a couple of times!
It was clear from the ovation at the end that the audience were there to support us and that they had very much enjoyed the concert. There really were some stunning moments – ‘Great was the company’ with its declamatory opening, made an arresting start to the second half, and ‘For unto us’ went very well, with ‘wonderful, counsellor’ sending shivers up my spine each time. I also thought that ‘Glory to God’, although only a short chorus, came over very effectively.
It’s a shame that it takes such a milestone occasion for all the choirs to get together, as it just felt so good! As the conductor of the joint rehearsals I could feel that excitement right from the first notes of the first chorus sung at the first rehearsal – and it just got better and better as we got closer to the big day. Even more important is that you ‘pulled it out of the bag’ on the night – so well done and thank you for being part of this special occasion. I feel privileged to have had responsibility for the collective musical preparation for the day.
The final words are comments I have had, and tweets from the bass soloist and conductor:
“The Concert last night was wonderful, so uplifting. It was a joy to be in the midst of you all, and was hard not to sing in the final chorus!”
“What a memorable day yesterday.
All in all, a fabulous experience.”
“…was bowled over by the whole thing – loved it.” She was impressed by the clarity of our diction!
From Jamie Hall: ”Sitting in my dressing room at @AnvilArts in sunny #Basingstoke, listening to a choir of 300 absolutely nailing The Messiah for @davidhconductor… I have no idea if tickets remain available but it’ll be a good night out for those who can make it. “
From David Hill: ”Thank you and to all who made it happen after all this time! Bravo to all the performers, choirs, soloists and orchestra!”
Jamie Hall then added: ”My thanks to everyone in the choir. The final Amen was thrilling! “
Have a good summer, and I look forward to seeing many of you next year – our first as The Hampshire Choral Festival!
David Burgess”
2020
A Celebration of European Choral Music
It’s the very first day of Britain not being in the European Union anymore and here we had the WCFC in Chandlers Ford Methodist Church performing an entire concert that celebrated European choral works and no mention of politics at all. The concert took us from Germany to Austria, on to Russia, France and Italy, back to Austria and ended in Bohemia. The choir was accompanied in several items by a brass quintet (2 trumpets and 3 trombones) and, right from the very beginning, in a Bach motet (where they were joined by a flautist), they displayed a smooth blend and cohesive sound.
The choir showed their ability to sing with energy and attack in Haydn’s Insanae et vanae curae and also mastered the Old Church Slavonic language in Glinka’s Cherubic Hymn, which had a rich sound, appropriate for the Russian style. Rossini’s operatic flair was evident in a short motet and was executed with a nice sense of drama. It is always good to see a choir singing with enjoyment and, on several occasions, the enthusiasm was clear for all to see. In the Fauré and Bruckner pieces there were times when the men’s enthusiasm momentarily resulted in a less focused sound, but one could not fault their commitment.
Dvořák’s Mass in D occupied the second half of the concert, in a version for organ and brass and timpani. The composer’s gift for melody was amply in evidence and there was much lyrical singing, with a fine semi-chorus taking the solo parts. Sachin Gunga, Sub-Organist at Portsmouth Cathedral, had already shown his musicianship in sensitive accompanying in the concert’s first half, and in Dvořák’s ‘Benedictus’ his meditative solo was exemplary. The composer’s lilting melodies were delightful to hear, with the exchanges between the altos and the full choir in the ‘Credo’ especially fine. Throughout the work drama, rejoicing and contemplation were all conveyed well. Conductor Graham Kidd is to be congratulated for a performance that was both rousing and stimulating and for overseeing an inspired piece of programming.
Duncan Eves
This review appeared in the Hampshire Chronicle
2019
A Baroque Celebration
The Evening of February 2nd saw the Methodist Church in Chandlers Ford as the venue for a concert of Baroque music given by the Winchester City Festival Choir under the direction of Graham Kidd. Forget Brexit, we had a musical tour of Italy, (Spain), Germany and London.
The programme began with Monteverdi’s “Beatus Vir” probably written in about 1630. Apart from one or two timing and tuning issues, the work was enjoyable to listen to and Graham Kidd’s direction was, as always, on the mark. I’m not sure that the acoustics of the building were particularly helpful to the choir, but certainly the tutti passages felt much more secure.
The “Dixit Dominus” by Isabella Leonarda seemed a difficult piece, but I have to say that all the melismatic passages were really well controlled. The soloists were absolutely delightful (as they were in the other pieces). How refreshing it is to hear Baroque music sung without a wide vibrato.
Domenico Scarlatti, started off in Italy, but ended up in Madrid where he wrote much of his music. The “Iste Cofessor” was singularly delightful and beautifully sung.
The first half concluded with Carissimi’s “Jepthe,” which involved Graham Kidd revealing his prowess at multitasking. A difficult work, well executed, although I felt that some of the middle part entries were a little lost behind the volume of parts already singing.
The second half gave us works by Bach and Handel. The “Lobet den Herrn” by J S Bach was exceptionally well controlled and well balanced. The final work, Handel’s Chandos Anthem No. 9 was a fitting end to the concert. The orchestra supported the choir really well, and they together with the excellent soloists all played their part to bring an excellent ending to the evening.
2018
Hands across the Ocean
This review appeared in the Hampshire Chronicle:
‘Hands Across the Ocean’ Concert
Winchester City Festival Choir, Thornden Hall, Chandler’s Ford – Sat 27/01/18
MASS OF THE CHILDREN by Rutter
GOD’S GRANDEUR by Briggs – premiere
CHICHESTER PSALMS by Bernstein
The theme of this enterprising concert was Anglo-American connections, a very topical idea in view of the meeting that had taken place at the World Economic Forum in Davos two days earlier. A setting of Gerald Manley Hopkin’s poem ‘God’s Grandeur’ by David Briggs opened the evening. Briggs, who was organist at Gloucester Cathedral before a change of direction into composing and freelance virtuoso organ recitals, now lives in America. This piece, a world première specially commissioned by WCFC, contained some challenging vocal writing as well as a thrilling organ part. The choir rose to the challenge with enthusiasm and Richard McVeigh flooded Thornden Hall with the computerised sampled sounds of Hereford Cathedral organ. The choir are to be congratulated on stimulating the growth of new choral music.
2018 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein, whose ‘Chichester Psalms’ were written for Chichester Cathedral. The mix of Hebrew language and Bernstein’s uncompromising harmonies are a test for any choir and WCFC threw themselves into his jazzy rhythms with panache. Rachel Cook, an ex-Winchester Cathedral chorister, gave a beautiful rendition of the blues-inflected Psalm 23.
John Rutter’s ‘Mass of the Children’ occupied the second half of the concert, for which the choir was joined by soprano Alexandra Stevenson, baritone Edmund Saddington and Romsey School’s Cantare! choir. Both soloists sang with clear diction and blended well with each other. Rutter’s lyrical lines emerged from the choir with a freshness of sound and with controlled tone in the soft sections. The youthful sound of Cantare! was particularly pleasing.
The first half of the concert featured a Sextet for Wind and Piano by American Gary Schocker, which was brilliantly played, full of colour and virtuoso moments. Pianist Gilly Slot also provided the upper part of the piano duet arrangement of Bernstein’s ‘Candide’ overture with conductor Graham Kidd as her partner. His enthusiasm and inspiration were a major factor in the success of the evening.
Duncan Eves
2017
Saturday 13 May
WCMF concert
The Winchester and County Music Festival began life in 1921 with the aim of providing an opportunity for smaller choirs to perform more demanding works which they would be unable to undertake with their own resources. For 2017 singers from Botley, Overton, Twyford and Winchester provided a splendidly large choir to give a powerful performance in Winchester Cathedral of Mendelssohn’s rarely heard oratorio St. Paul. Written in 1836 and first performed in that year in Dusseldorf and Liverpool and in Birmingham in 1837, the work tells the story of Paul’s persecution of the Christians, his conversion, baptism and ordination, as told in the Acts of the Apostles.
Saturday’s performance provided a successful opportunity to admire Mendelssohn’s elegance, romantic lyricism and superb control of his forces. The chorus responded well to the dramatic numbers as well as the more reflective ones, tackling the more complex contrapuntal music well, relaxing in the chorale numbers which reflect on the story. There was some impressive four part singing by the women’s chorus, and the gentlemen were suitably dramatic when needed. Three soloists caught the lyrical style of their arias well, tenor Adrian Green and bass Edmund Saddington being particularly affecting in their duet ‘For so hath the Lord’. Soprano Helen Bailey also caught the reflective, flowing melodies of her arias, even if she seemed a little less secure in some of the recitatives. The Festival Orchestra was led by Elizabeth Flower and provided a secure and at times powerful accompaniment, underpinned by the might of the cathedral’s grand organ. There was some lovely clarinet playing in ‘O Thou, the true and only light’ and a solo cello enchanted us in ‘Be Thou faithful.’
The whole performance was directed with clarity and security by Graham Kidd, and even if Mendelssohn’s later oratorio Elijah of 1846 is the better known and more memorable work, Saturday’s performance of St. Paul was most pleasing and a welcome opportunity to hear a work which is not performed very often these days.
Martin Hall
21 January
Winchester City Festival Choir, Thornden Hall
Concert goers at the Thornden Hall were treated to some musical delights on Saturday January 21st when the Winchester City Festival Choir, under the direction of Graham Kidd, gave a really good performance of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle together with two operatic choruses, one by Rossini and the other by Verdi.
The concert opened with the “Prayer” from Moïse by Rossini. A delightful piece but not an easy chorus with which to start as the chromatic lines and higher registers in the middle parts can lead to some suspect tunings. However, the chromatics were quite safe in their intonation! The second chorus was that of the “Hebrew Slaves” from Nabucco. By now the choir had warmed up and the whole piece was well controlled both in terms of tempo and dynamics.
The audience then had a real treat with a Galop -Marche by Albert Lavigniac, superbly played by Gilly Slot, Ed Slot, Graham Kidd and Sophie Ainsley playing the one piano at the same time. Amazingly, arms, hands and fingers never seemingly got in the way in this wonderful “lollipop!”
The main work of the evening was the Petite Messe Solennelle, again by Rossini. This is a piece that could have stood entirely on its own in the programme without anything else, as it is neither “petite” nor “solennelle.” It is a mammoth work scored for chorus, soloists, harmonium and piano. Iestyn Evans did a excellent job in trying to tame a harmonium which didn’t seem to want to quieten down when accompanying some of the soloists! The four soloists, Tamsin Steven, Lilian Sediles, Andrew Hayman and Ciaran Yeo were superb in every respect. Rossini may have been an opera composer, but any opera style of singing was left in the opera house and everyone was treated to some absolutely delightful singing. The choir rose to the occasion and Graham Kidd’s very infectious enthusiasm had more than a positive effect on the choir. At the end of the concert, the busiest person on stage, Gilly Slot deserved a gold medal for her very accurate and extremely tasteful accompaniment.
David Burgess
2016
Winchester and County Music Festival Concert, Romsey Abbey
On the evening of 7th May the Winchester and County Music Festival Choir and Orchestra were joined by a large audience in Romsey Abbey, for an evening of Mozart conducted by David Burgess. On this occasion the choir comprised the Botley Choral Society, Overton Choral Society and the Winchester City Festival Choir. Accompanying the large body of singers was an orchestra of 28 players.
It seems a total injustice that Mozart, despite all his genius, had to scrape a living. In the year before he wrote the Vespers K. 339 his mother died, and he was rejected by the lady of his affections. Despite this, Mozart poured out music of amazing vitality.
The Vespers opened with Dixit Dominus. From the beginning it was clear that we were in for a special evening; the choir and orchestra were well balanced and responsive, and the conductor David Burgess radiated all the energy and invention which Mozart had imbued into this piece. The soloists, Helen Bailey, Soprano, Marie-Anne Hall, Contralto, Adrian Green, Tenor and Tom Herring, Bass Baritone entered at “Gloria in Patri”, and made a very professional sound. Of special mention was the movement “Laudate Dominum” and Helen Bailey’s lyrical introduction to the chorus. The Vespers were brought to an end with a rousing Amen, and the musicians were greeted with enthusiastic applause.
Only the first movement of the Requiem was written in its entirety by Mozart. Due to his failing health, the rest of the work was completed posthumously by others, based on Mozart’s musical shorthand notes, and recollections from his pupils. Nevertheless, Mozart’s genius shines through.
The Requiem started with the Kyrie. David Burgess dictated a brisk pace, and the basses, followed by the other parts, responded with spirit. Many of the movements had fast running passages which the choir executed well. In the Confutatis and the Agnus the choir treated us to some lovely softer singing. The orchestra played sensitively throughout; of special mention were the fast passages in the Dies Irae and Recordare which were brilliantly played by the lower and upper strings respectively. Another delightful passage was the duet between the trombone and the baritone soloist in the Tuba Mirum.
At the end, it was clear that the musicians and the audience had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Pulling together an event like this, where choirs and orchestra rehearse separately until near the performance, is no mean achievement. This was an outstanding event, and credit should be given to David Burgess, Paul Timms and Graham Kidd who rehearsed the individual choirs.
Keith Tomkinson and Mike Rowland
Saturday January 30th
WCFC Annual Concert
The WCFC and orchestra performed the Vivaldi “Gloria” and the Haydn “Nelson” Mass on 2016 at the Thornden Hall in Chandlers Ford The choir and orchestra responded positively to Graham Kidd’s enthusiastic musical direction. If there were one or two tentative tunings in the opening movement of the Vivaldi, these soon dispelled as the intonation in the chromatic melodic lines and also the tritones was really very good. The fact that the two soloists, Jocelyn Somerville (Soprano) and Felicity Turner (Mezzo-soprano) used hardly any vibrato in their singing was delightfully refreshing and it was a joy to hear Baroque music sung in this way.
The two instrumental concerti that were performed between the choral works were wonderfully played and very tastefully accompanied by the orchestra. Fiona Jones’ delightful oboe playing left the audience wanting more and Rebecca Toal’s mastery of the D Trumpet was superb.
The “Nelson”Mass by Haydn was again well sung, although occasionally a seemingly over enthusiastic tenor line left me wondering why I couldn’t hear the altos very well! Again, all the soloists blended in together, particularly the tenor and bass soloists when singing alone with the orchestra, and they in turn were well supported by some very competent playing. The orchestra noticeably supported the choir which was really pleasing to the ear.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening, acknowledged by an appreciative audience, and this choir and orchestra are certainly worth listening to. Graham Kidd did an excellent job as conductor.
Duncan Bradley
2015
WINCHESTER CITY FESTIVAL CHOIR: Tsunami Tribute
It is always rewarding to encounter impressive new repertoire when listening to local choirs’ performances. Winchester City Festival Choir chose to mark the tenth anniversary of the Asian Tsunami with a piece for adult and youth choirs, organ, brass and percussion premiered in the Royal Festival Hall in 2008. Chris Williams’s Tsunami Requiem is an accessible yet powerful evocation of how humble people’s lives were disrupted by the force of nature, combining English and Latin texts. The scoring was transparent enough to allow voices to carry over the bright instrumental accompaniment and the well-focused voices of Cantare, twelve girls from Romsey School, also made their presence felt.
Cantare was magnificent on its own in two Adiemus items by Karl Jenkins. Singing from memory and with confident but not obtrusive solo voices they were a credit to their director Amy Thompson.
The adults offered a modern sacred piece at the start of each half of this programme. David Briggs’ O Lord support us was very moving but Paul Mealor’s Royal Wedding anthem, Ubi caritas, is not for choirs faint of heart or intonation and adding organ support only underlined pitch insecurities.
WCFC saved its best for last. The choir exuded confidence and strength in John Rutter’s brilliant Gloria, using the same instrumental forces as the Requiem. Balance was good between voices and accompaniment as well as healthy articulation of the Latin words. Joyous precision in Rutter’s syncopations was achieved by almost all the singers. Even the challenging final fugue came together, in no small measure due to the immaculate conducting of Graham Kidd.
The brass ensemble alone was slow to settle into a Japanese folksong arrangement but provided responsive support in both the main choir items, especially the Rutter.
Apart from distracting disagreements over stands and sits and the fact that St. Swithun’s arts’ centre’s subdued lighting prevented listeners reading the important Requiem words in their programmes this was a creditable and innovative evening.
Derek Beck
Saturday 31st January
Annual Concert, (Gloria, Tsunami Requiem, Ubi caritas, O Lord, support us)
“Saturday was a blast… …firm fans in the audience… …much moved by the Tsunami Requiem but enjoyed the whole programme.” (G&T)
“Congrats on last night. Fabulous.” (PH)
“my guests… …really enjoyed it and found the Tsunami Requiem particularly moving – as did I.” (CRW)
“The concert was super… …what I did really like was the north/south of the mouths. Very noticeable. You can quote me on that. ‘mother’ was a poignant moment” (Michael Waterson)
“…well thought out programme with many excellent moments and plenty to engage” (Derek Beck)
“A pleasure, any time!!! I did indeed (enjoy the nice chords)” (Lauren Chinn – 2nd trumpet)
“I really enjoyed the concert. It’s nice to have plenty to do” (Huw Llewellyn – 1st trombone)
“Enjoyed playing tonight, the choir were very friendly.” (Graham Brown – 1st trumpet)
“Very enjoyable indeed.” (Mark Streather – percussion)
“…was great to be a part of it” (Jamie Langridge – 3rd trumpet)
2014
Winchester & County Music Festival concert at Winchester Cathedral
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A Sea Symphony and STANFORD Songs of the Fleet
This concert was an unusual treat, providing the opportunity to hear two works which are not performed as often as they deserve. Also, since Stanford was Vaughan Williams’ composition teacher, there was a special chance for comparison.
Once again, the organisers of the Festival, and especially Derek Beck, achieved the feat of getting separately rehearsed choirs – from Itchen Valley, Overton, Sarisbury, Twyford and Winchester – to produce very good performances. The soloists – Cecilia Osmond, soprano, and Stephen Gadd, baritone – added considerable lustre, their graceful yet powerful strength of tone often soaring over the combined forces of full choir and orchestra to wonderful effect.
C.V. Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet are settings of poems by Henry Newbolt. In these Stephen Gadd gave clear accounts of youthful expectation, the enthusiasms of service life and leadership, and in the last song, the sadness of the loss of comrades. These achieved the needed depth of feeling and clear changes of mood. In these, the choirs sang refrains which echoed each verse very movingly, especially in the last song, Farewell.
The thrilling fanfare and choir opening of Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony – Behold, the sea – is surely one of the most vivid evocations of the power of the sea in music, and this set the tone for a lyrical and moving performance. For Whitman, there is spiritual significance in the universality of the seas to which all nations and people are linked, and ultimately recognise their vast similitude.
After the first movement’s stunning opening, Cecilia Osmond’s solo passages declaiming the flags of nations came over with ringing clarity. In the reflective second movement, On the beach at night alone, the semi-chorus (provided by the chamber choir Viva Voces) provided beautifully balanced support to Stephen Gadd’s thoughtful solo work. This contrasted vividly with the strong vast similitude entry by the full chorus, carrying Whitman’s words powerfully.
In the third movement, the tempo makes great demands on orchestra and choir alike, and both conveyed the sea’s restless movement. In the longer last movement, The Explorers, VW uses all the resources to declaim the journey of the soul, and choir and orchestra achieved wonderful climaxes, with the soloists carrying long lines over full forces with great power.
Inner choir parts were often very impressive. The Festival Orchestra led by Elizabeth Flower provided effective and often thrilling support throughout, as always. Many thanks for a truly exciting and rewarding performance!
Geoffrey Bennetts
Saturday 1st February
WCFC Annual concert
A meticulously planned and prepared concert satisfied a large audience in the excellent Harvey Hall of St. Swithun’s School. Items ranged from the early seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries and in addition to four choral items from the evening’s promoters, Winchester City Festival Choir, there were two zestful instrumental pieces. The latter included Mozart’s Piano Sonata in D for four hands, on this occasion provided by the choir’s accompanist Gilly Slot and its conductor Graham Kidd. Energy and clarity marked their interpretation and these qualities carried through to the rest of the well-paced programme.
The evening opened with Gabrieli’s In Ecclesiis for voices, organ and brass ensemble. To suggest St. Mark’s, Venice, where the composer was organist, Graham placed trumpets and trombones in opposing galleries whilst on-stage were the full choir and a superb young vocal quartet together with organ continuo (Gilly Slot). This was an imposing start with tight choral ensemble and stylish solo singing. Sadly, modern brass instruments are infinitely brighter than their Renaissance predecessors which at times disadvantaged the quartet.
Bruckner’s 1854 motet Libera me made a darker end-of-first half. Intonation and balance would have been better served if the three trombones had played across the stage facing the continuo strings and organ rather than directly into the audience. This was the choir’s most challenging contribution and it still demonstrated good diction and secure ensemble. The sunnier text of Pergolesi’s (or Durante’s!) early eighteenth century Magnificat brought more positive choral tone to the proceedings and benefited from the support of the string orchestra with organ as well as all four soloists.
The violins, cellos and double bass offered a splendid movement from Rossini’s first String Sonata of 1804. There was operatic colour and strong momentum aplenty and good balance between sections
–none able to avoid the technical demands of this entertaining work.
The concert concluded with the full chamber orchestra accompanying Mozart’s beautiful Solemn Vespers, K.339. Graham directed this entirely from memory and if more of his choristers had followed his example the effect would have been even more vivid. This was again very well prepared and paced. Of the soloists, soprano Alexandra Stevenson was magnificent throughout but well matched by Adrian Green’s resonant and authentic tenor and the highly experienced Nicholas Pepin. counter-tenor and Edmund Saddington, bass. The master-mind behind this enjoyable event remained Graham Kidd whose precise and supportive direction was all a choir could wish for.
Derek Beck
2013
Winchester & County Music Festival Concert at Romsey Abbey
The combined choirs of Overton Choral Society, Sarisbury Choral Society and the Winchester Festival Choir met in the splendid Romanesque surroundings of Romsey Abbey, together with the Winchester Festival Orchestra under the direction of Graham Kidd to present a concert of two less well-known works from the repertoire.
The first half comprised Beethoven’s Mass in C, written while Beethoven was still a young composer, but which displays nevertheless music of mature insight bearing the hallmarks of the composer’s style.
The choirs managed some sensitive dynamic control and effective phrase shaping, contrasted with suitably dramatic and enthusiastic singing to convey the many mood changes in the scores which is serene and lyrical at times, only to be followed later by passages of stormy drama as Beethoven seeks to match music with text.
The choirs were supported by an able group of soloists who blended musically as an ensemble, very evident in the extended solo writing of the Benedictus. The orchestra accompanied sensitively and all responded well to Graham Kidd’s clear directions
The second half was the Magnificat by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of the great Johann Sebastian. This youthful piece was written in the newly emerging ‘Classical’ style, though with evidence of the Baroque influence inherited through his father.
Here we saw sections for full choir interspersed with extended solo movements in which the obvious talents of the soloists were demonstrated. The crystal purity of Alison Hill’s soprano voice soared with exquisite phrasing in the Quia respexit, while Nick Madden, tenor, showed vocal agility and dexterity in the melismatic runs and wide ranging leaps of Qia fecti mihi magna.
The choirs, who were unoccupied for lengthy periods at times, managed rhythmic buoyancy in the faster movements and expressive singing to convey the chromatic lyricism of the Et misericordia.
The orchestra played its role commendably and Graham Kidd managed the forces under his control with clarity and authority. The performers were rewarded with prolonged applause from an appreciative audience.
Jeffrey Williams
Saturday 11th May
Winchester & County Music Festival Concert at Romsey Abbey
The combined choirs of Overton Choral Society, Sarisbury Choral Society and the Winchester Festival Choir met in the splendid Romanesque surroundings of Romsey Abbey, together with the Winchester Festival Orchestra under the direction of Graham Kidd to present a concert of two less well-known works from the repertoire.
The first half comprised Beethoven’s Mass in C, written while Beethoven was still a young composer, but which displays nevertheless music of mature insight bearing the hallmarks of the composer’s style.
The choirs managed some sensitive dynamic control and effective phrase shaping, contrasted with suitably dramatic and enthusiastic singing to convey the many mood changes in the scores which is serene and lyrical at times, only to be followed later by passages of stormy drama as Beethoven seeks to match music with text.
The choirs were supported by an able group of soloists who blended musically as an ensemble, very evident in the extended solo writing of the Benedictus. The orchestra accompanied sensitively and all responded well to Graham Kidd’s clear directions
The second half was the Magnificat by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of the great Johann Sebastian. This youthful piece was written in the newly emerging ‘Classical’ style, though with evidence of the Baroque influence inherited through his father.
Here we saw sections for full choir interspersed with extended solo movements in which the obvious talents of the soloists were demonstrated. The crystal purity of Alison Hill’s soprano voice soared with exquisite phrasing in the Quia respexit, while Nick Madden, tenor, showed vocal agility and dexterity in the melismatic runs and wide ranging leaps of Qia fecti mihi magna.
The choirs, who were unoccupied for lengthy periods at times, managed rhythmic buoyancy in the faster movements and expressive singing to convey the chromatic lyricism of the Et misericordia.
The orchestra played its role commendably and Graham Kidd managed the forces under his control with clarity and authority. The performers were rewarded with prolonged applause from an appreciative audience.
Jeffrey Williams
