Daily Archives: 5 July, 2015

Bath Camerata: Spirit of America

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The Guildhall, Bath, 4 July 2015

Bath Camerata

Bath’s prestigious chamber choir chose to celebrate American Independence Day this Saturday with an all-American programme, and where more appropriate than the splendours of Bath’s Guildhall, built at precisely the same moment as our cousins across The Pond were fighting to cede from the English Crown. Sir Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of George III looked out across the Guildhall audience as Bath Camerata took to the stage. He would hardly have approved of such celebrations.

After 29 years under the leadership of former King’s Singer Nigel Perrin, Bath Camerata was also marking its own quiet revolution. This was the first outing under the direction of their gifted new conductor, Benjamin Goodson. And what a splendid debut it was, announcing a renewed focus and purpose from this much-loved choir.

At the heart of the concert stood a beautiful arrangement of the traditional American song Shenandoah, sung with quiet intensity. Tippett’s Spiritual arrangements, Barber’s famous Adagio arranged for voices, and Bernstein’s jazzy Warm Up demonstrated to the full the choir’s impressive expressive range, moving with ease between very different styles. When they sing softly, the music has a powerful concentration; when the 24 voices go off at full tilt, they blow you out of your seat.

Britten’s exceedingly English Flower Songs seemed a little out of place in this programme, and the choir too did not appear entirely convinced, but their strength is their trademark arrangements of popular songs. Regulars will have heard Billy Joel’s And So It Goes many times before, and they perform it brilliantly. Everyone was tapping their feet by the end, and the lengthy ovation was richly deserved.

An excellent start, then, for a new era with Bath Camerata. We look forward with excitement to their development over the coming years. They are truly the jewel in Bath’s choral crown.

Jonathan Cross

 

HASTINGS PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

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Christchurch, St Leonards-on-Sea,  Saturday 4th July 2015

Hastings Phil Choir

The last time I saw the choir in action was in an exuberant performance of Carmina Burana. Today’s concert was intended to be a complete contrast – it certainly was!

In the sumptuous Anglo-Catholic surroundings of Christchurch, St Leonards,  the choir presented a concert which was rather unusual. Firstly it began at 5pm and was preceded by tea and cake. Secondly the choir sat in a less formal arrangement, around the piano and their stalwart accompanist, Francis Raynor.

Groups of Items were introduced by members of the choir and the audience was requested to refrain from applause until the end of the concert. The music was therefore allowed to proceed in a manner which created a more reflective mood.

The first four sections presented contrasting settings of the texts Ubi caritas, Ave verum, Ave Maria and O magnum mysterium. Each section began with Gregorian chant sung by three male soloists and the conductor. Composers of other settings included Durufle, Arcadelt & Victoria. Contemporary works came from Lauridsen, Mawby & the musical director himself, Marcio da Silva.

It was also very good to hear three short songs by Da Silva which formed part of the final, mixed, section ending with two pieces by Eric Whitacre. The longest and most demanding, for audience and performers, was the most avant-garde piece of the evening, When David heard.

This complex work sets a very short text in a number of ways, contrasting sound and silence, dynamics and texture, broken and smooth lines and much repetition with minimalist tendencies. In the Christchurch acoustic the performance was highly effective. It was very moving, especially with the background to the piece being explained as a response to the death of the son of the composer’s friend.

It is difficult to select other highlights but mention should be made of the septet, made up of soloists and members of the choir – Lin Westcott, Barbara Cornish and Alexander McMillan – who gave a marvellous performance of Ave Verum by Imant Raminsh, a composer I would have liked to have learned more about, being a new name to me.

The soloists Sarah Rowley, Victor Soares, Phil O’Meara & Henry Bennett gave some beautiful performances. I did, however, feel that the men were less comfortable with some of the chant, which is a different discipline in itself. However the male voices of the chant gave a lovely contrast to the mixed forces at work in the other settings.

Hastings Philharmonic Choir was once again on top form. They have shown a high level of control and depth of feeling in this music. To create a programme which does not rely on exuberance and flashiness is a risk today. How refreshing to be able to sit back and be transported to a higher realm as this sustained, luxurious and highly emotive music works its magic.  What’s next?

For more information on the choir visit  www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk

Stephen Page