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10th December 2011
Handel: Messiah
Cirencester Choral Society brought a
little bit of traditional festivity to Cirencester Parish Church last
Saturday with their recital of Handel's famous masterpiece, Messiah.
Although Cirencester Choral
Society is not a professional choir, there was nothing amateur about
this performance. After months of rehearsal, the choir's performance
was neat, engaged, and entirely committed. From the very first notes
you could feel the full force of all their months of hard work
released in glorious harmony, and the choir performed throughout with
evident relish and enjoyment. They were a joy to watch.
The choir remained responsive to
their professional conductor, Carleton Etherington, throughout the
evening, which made for a clean and neat performance. Carleton
conducted with energy and sensitivity, resulting in a very fine-tuned
and well-balanced sound which reverberated beautifully around the
acoustics of the parish church.
The accompanying 'Corinium Camerata',
made up of local professional musicians, were also highly engaging.
The overture was played with absolute precision, and this was
maintained throughout the whole evening. Special praise must go to
Jenny Rees, the choir's regular accompanist, who stepped in at the
last minute to play the harpsichord.
As well as professional musicians
and a professional conductor, the Choral Society also sourced their
soloists from Guildhall; a wise move, as it allowed us to fully relax
into the beautiful melodies. Iria Perestrelo, soprano, was
particularly engaging as she fully embraced the storytelling aspect to
her solo performances, while Paul Curievici's crisp tenor notes were
pure and uplifting.
The Choral Society themselves held
their own spectacularly well amongst these professionals. Their
'Hallelujah' chorus met with spontaneous applause, and was the most
powerful performance of the night, showcasing as it did the strength
of their combined voices as well as the force of their enthusiasm and
cohesion as a choir.
To tackle and deliver such a high
standard of a work such as Handel's Messiah is a huge accomplishment
for a non-professional choir, and was definitely a success on which
they should be congratulated.
Amy Ryder |
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7th May 2011
Fauré: Requiem
Vierne: Messe Solonnelle
Cirencester Choral Society offered a
brave programme for their latest concert in the town’s Parish Church.
Fauré’s Requiem is well loved and most of the audience would
have been familiar with a professional recording or two, so
expectations were naturally high. By contrast, Louis Vierne’s works
are little known (at least outside his native France) so a convincing
performance was required to introduce his music to the sizeable
audience.
However, the concert opened with Vierne’s Trois Improvisations
for organ, majestically performed by Anthony Hammond, the Church’s
Director of Music and Organist. The opening Marche épiscopale
showcased the sheer power of the organ and its dynamic range before
falling dreamlike into the Méditation. Hammond’s musical
phrasing evoked an almost vocal quality from the organ - it was hard
to stop one’s mind drifting.......until the Cortège started like a
clap of thunder, bringing the audience back into focus.
Carleton Etherington then took to the stage and as he raised his baton
to ready the choir there was a fleeting instant where they all
appeared to smile at him. For those who caught the moment, it was
clear that this was a choir intent on enjoying their performance.
Unencumbered by an orchestra, Carleton was able devote his full
attention to the choir. The benefit was evident in the choir’s
response to Carleton’s input as they sang Vierne’s Tantum Ergo.
Entries were crisp and precise with a good dynamic range and balance
throughout the choir, despite relatively few tenors. Vierne’s Messe
Solennelle did not give the choir a chance to rest but they
maintained energy levels throughout. The performance was compelling
and Carleton was able to adjust the tempo to suit, with an instant
response from the choir. The final Agnus Dei was emotive and
the choir impressed with their ability to hold their tuning in the
quieter passages. The performance could have been improved with more
precision in the timing of consonants and more attention to the end of
phrases. However, these are minor points and should not detract from a
solid performance.
Fauré’s Requiem followed the interval and took the concert into
familiar territory. William Armiger was the baritone soloist,
projecting a most pleasant tone. However, his timing did not always
match that of the choir and organ, perhaps highlighting the perils of
communication and sight-lines in a historic church! Many prefer a
treble, instead of a soprano, for the Pie Jesu. However, few if
any could fault Katie Etherington’s refreshingly clear soprano
rendition. She negotiated the octave intervals with deft precision and
her diction was excellent.
Judging by the response of the audience, the concert was thoroughly
enjoyed by all.
John Rees
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