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| Full house for Tippett |
REVIEW: HIGHGATE CHORAL SOCIETY
All Hallows’ Church by Jane Wild
WHEN many good concerts struggle to fill seats it is heartening
to see the Highgate Choral Society continuing to command such an
impressive turnout.
There was a healthy smattering of young people in attendance too
and the evening felt like a real social event. Hundreds filled Gospel
Oak’s All Hallows’ Church to hear three choral works,
under the baton of Ronald Corp (pictured) with his New London Orchestra.
To mark 100 years since English composer Michael Tippett’s
birth, the choir sang his most widely performed creation, A Child
Of Our Time. This oratorio is an immense work, tackling complex
issues. The libretto tells the story of a 17-year-old Jewish boy
who shoots a Nazi officer in outrage at the treatment of his mother,
sparking a pogrom.
The choir built up atmospherically in first foreboding chorus and
some of the hushed passages were very effective. But in the capacious
church, the voices spread out, losing clarity.
From the back at least, it sounded blurry, and in the more heavily
scored sections it veered towards wallowing. However, the soloists
were excellent, singing with a tightness essential in the roomy
acoustic. Soprano Virginia Kerr stepped in at the last moment with
a top quality performance.
There were good moments throughout the evening. Mendelssohn’s
Verleich Uns Frieden and Verdi’s Te Deum were well delivered
and in the Tippett, it was the tender spirituals where the choir
performed best. When seeing and hearing the more than 200-strong
choir singing at full force it was hard not to be moved. The New
London Orchestra too, provided commendable support.
A talented pair
AS concerts celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir
Michael Tippett, Wigmore Hall celebrates the partnership of Tippett’s
great friends, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Pears was the perfect
foil for Britten, singing in roles including Peter Grimes and many
other songs.
Here musicians who performed at the Aldeburgh Festival – a
festival celebrated by Britten and Pears, as they lived close by
in Southwold. The performers join experienced Wigmore soloists pianist
Roger Vignoles and tenor Philip Langridge at the concert.
The programme includes Britten’s Four Burns Songs, Sechs Holderlin-Fragmente,
Canticle II: Abrham and Issac, as well as work by Maconchy.
For more information ring 020 7935 2141.
Handel on hymns
THE Handel House Museum is one of the hidden joys of Mayfair, offering
an insight into the composer’s life from the rooms where he
lived.
And on Sunday the museum is presenting a fascinating event on the
relations between the composer and Methodist preacher John Wesley.
They struck up a great friendship, frequently sharing dinner in
Covent Garden and in time Handel set the words of three works by
his brother Charles Wesley, to music for hymns, published in 1726.
Soprano Sarah Moule and harpsichordist Kasia Tomzcak are joined
by David Hunter from the Historical Music Recordings Collection
at the University of Texas.
For more information ring 020 7399 1953.
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