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1st May 2010
Mendelssohn Solemn Vespers
Haydn Nelson Mass
Cirencester Choral Society’s
welcome return to Cirencester Parish Church for their concert last
Saturday gave us, apart from anything else, the opportunity to
hear how the acoustics of the church had been improved by the
glorious new stone flooring and the removal of so much wood in the
form of outdated pews that would stifle the resonance of the
largest building. The result was quite staggering. The church now
has a noticeable resonance (even with Saturday night’s capacity
audience of around 400) that amplifies sound, yet manages to
retain clarity. This was the first time that the choir would have
been fully aware of the ‘new’ acoustics and one can understand
that diction in Mozart’s Solemn Vespers which opened the programme
was at times a little indistinct. The work itself is quite short,
but nevertheless is one of Mozart’s finest choral works. By the
end, the choir were in full command and gave a convincing and
thrilling performance of the Magnificat. The first half of the
concert ended with an exhilarating account of Mozart’s Serenade
for strings and timpani played by the Corinium Camerata led by
Adrian Court. They are a fine ensemble and Carleton Etherington
effortlessly coaxed from them a most pleasing performance. The
second half of the programme comprised Haydn’s Nelson Mass. This
was not in fact Haydn’s own title but was affixed later, possibly
coinciding with Nelson’s visit to the Esterhazy palace in 1800, to
which Haydn was employed. The choir, now fully aware of the
acoustic, sang with great clarity and conviction and it was clear
that notes had been well learned and every member was fully aware
of the conductor’s intentions. The soloists in both the Solemn
Vespers and the Haydn Mass were all drawn from the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama. Charlotte Beament (soprano), who had
the lion’s share of solos in both works performed effortlessly
with the purest sound, precise intonation and diction, engaging
with the audience all the time. Here is a performer who is
destined for greatness. Katherine Grosset (mezzo soprano) sang
with great charm and a rich quality that blended perfectly in the
ensemble sections. Alberto Sousa (tenor) has a rich, but light
voice with a pleasing resonance that is perfectly suited to the
Baroque and Classical periods and Ashley Riches (*Bass) who has an
incredibly resonant voice showed great command in his solo, Qui
tollis. Cirencester Choral Society goes from strength to strength
under its conductor, Carleton Etherington. It is always a great
joy to hear Cirencester Choral Society’s performances through the
course of the year and we eagerly await the next concert on
Tuesday December 14th in the Parish Church.
Richard Lester |
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5th December 2009
Bach's Christmas Oratorio
Cirencester Choral Society
concerts are usually sell-out events and last Saturday’s
performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Bingham Hall was no
exception.
This hugely popular work (here sung in English) is arguably the
greatest ever written in celebration of the Christmas story and
was originally performed on Christmas day 1734, ending on the
feast of the Epiphany on January 6th 1735.
The Choral Society and the Corinium Camerata orchestra under its
conductor, Carleton Etherington performed Parts 1, 2, 3 and 6
which tell the story of the birth, annunciation to the shepherds,
the adoration of the shepherds and the adoration of the Magi
respectively, forming a wonderfully coherent account drawn from
the Gospels of St Luke and St Matthew.
In this work, the Evangelist (tenor) tells the story and the drama
is further enhanced by soloists who perform various roles that
include the Angel, and Herod. The chorus, who as usual were in top
form tonight, gave thrilling accounts of the choruses which
provide a commentary throughout, not only in the form of chorales
(Lutheran hymn-tunes), but also extended choruses in Praise of the
Nativity. The Evangelist, Richard Edgar-Wilson, (tenor) projected
the narrative confidently and sang with great eloquence and drama
for what is probably the most demanding role in the work; though
this really needed far more sensitivity from the harpsichord and
cello continuo which failed to give the essential support required
in shaping the melodic structure. The tenor also sings two
demanding arias, his vocal agility in ‘Haste ye Shepherds’ being
particularly effective. The arias, or airs in this work act as
moments of contemplation on which to reflect on the story and form
the most extended pieces in the work. The soprano soloist,
Charlotte Beamont, who studies at the Guildhall School of Music
and Drama sang with great conviction and possesses a clear,
natural voice that was particularly effective as the Angel in the
recitative, shared with the tenor, ‘Be not afraid,’ and in the
aria ‘Nought against the pow’r.’ Katherine Grosset, (Alto) also
from the Guildhall, is a very experienced singer and I enjoyed her
performance of ‘Prepare Thyself Zion,’ although Bach’s music
demands more decoration on occasions.
Julian Guidera (baritone), standing in at very short notice gave a
wonderful account of the aria ‘Mighty Lord and King’ singing with
great assurance and technical skill throughout.
The orchestra, considering their brief rehearsal time, accompanied
with confidence and support for both arias and choruses. The
particularly demanding trumpet solo in the last chorus soared over
both singers and orchestra providing an uplifting and spirited
finale, perfectly announcing the advent of Christmas. If you
missed this concert and it really was a treat, I would urge you to
book early for their next concert on May 1st in Cirencester
Parish.
Richard Lester |