St Augustine’s Church, Bexhill, Saturday 9 December 2017

Bexhill Choral Society was in splendid voice for its traditional concert of carols and Christmas music. Despite the poor weather – and a number of potential singers having coughs and colds – a very large audience joined the choir and Cinque Ports Brass for an evening which brimmed over with good things.

Ken Roberts is a past master at arranging finely balanced programmes which are able to encompass a wide range of music without ever seeming to bump uncomfortably from one style to another. On this occasion the thing which really impressed was the quality of the unaccompanied singing. On four occasions the second verse of an item was rendered simply by the choir and in each case it was beautifully crafted, the balance excellent and the text crisp and precise. Just occasionally at other times the brass group seemed to overpower the singers but their enthusiasm did not spoil the overall effect.

The evening opened jauntily with the Gloucestershire Wassail and a rousing Joy to the World. David Willcocks’ arrangement of Lo! He comes is too slow for my taste – listen to Maddy Pryor’s rendition! – but this was quickly forgotten with the delights of the traditional Bohemian carol The Angels and Shepherds.

Nigel Howard was allowed a couple of organ solos – the D’Aquin Noel demonstrating the fine upper voices of the instrument – though he spent much of the evening commuting from organ loft to piano via the back row of the chorus! Such is the life of a professional musician.

Ken Roberts’ own Lullaby is a pleasant melody though if the brass were that loud the baby would not get to sleep. The first half concluded with John Rutter’s Jesus Child and a jazzy version of Let is snow.

Among a host of familiar carols in the second half we were also introduced to Alan Bullard’s Scots Nativity and Masters in this Hall, a French traditional carol with real bite.

The final section always draws on more commercial Christmas numbers, and Ken gave us Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree riffing on his saxophone, followed rapidly by an equally adroit Santa Claus is coming to town with clarinet obbligato!

We had joined lustily in the familiar carols and concluded with a full rendition of White Christmas. It may have been cold outside, but our hearts had been warmed by a wonderful evening.

In May Bexhill Choral Society return to the Da La Warr for Brahms’ Requiem.