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| An eclectic festive mix |
REVIEW - North Camden Chorus
St Mary’s Brookfield by Sarah Dawes
A FORMER pupil of Acland Burghley School in Tufnell Park, Daniel
Harrison, was one of the soloists in Friday’s concert at St
Mary’s Brookfield, in Dartmouth Park.
A rather larger audience than usual heard the North Camden Chorus
(NCC) perform Durufle’s Requiem. This was written in 1947 and
is largely based on Gregorian chants. With Mark Denza accompanying
them on the organ, the choir made a passable attempt at this challenging
work, doing justice to the emotional and intellectual quality of
the writing.
The audience were charmed by the beautiful Pie Jesu, where Harrison’s
solo cello combined with the solo soprano, Sarah Busfield, who stepped
into the part at the last moment when the original soloist cancelled.
The baritone soloist, Andrew McWilliams, also gave an eloquent and
elegant performance. He is a regular member of St Mary’s Church
Choir.
Harrison then impressed the audience with a stunning recital of
three movements from Bach’s unaccompanied Cello Suite No.3
in C, where one can scarcely believe that there is only one instrument
involved; all that string crossing and double-stopping.
The chorus then returned to sing Tippett’s arrangement of Five
Spirituals, (from A Child of our Time) and did more than justice
to the mood of these laments against slavery with their themes of
hope, faith and redemption; with metaphors of death as escape to
the promised land and freedom from life’s cares.
The soprano and baritone soloists delighted us with their jazzy
cadences rising above the voices of the chorus.
The varied programme continued with Stephanie Leonard singing Gershwin’s
Embraceable You and Frances Grant, Lana Quaid and Sophie Wise gave
us I Wish I May from The Witches of Eastwick, accompanied as usual
by the intrepid original conductor of NCC, Neil Bowman, who directed
the Durufle in the absence of his colleague Ian Gibson who was too
ill to attend.
The concert ended in a joyful mood with two carols, Boris Ord’s
Adam Lay Ybounden, and O Come, All Ye Faithful; a fitting start
to the festive season.
Sir Colin on Sir Edward
PREVIEW - Sir Colin Davis
The Barbican
I REMEMBER hearing baritone’s Benjamin Luxon perform Elgar’s
Dream of Gerontius about 10 years ago in Birmingham under the baton
of Simon Rattle.
It was a snowy night adding extra weight to the poignancy of the
work – and now Sir Colin Davis (right) is conducting bass Alastair
Miles, alongside mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and tenor Ben Heppner,
with the LSO and its chorus at the Barbican.
A great and powerful oratorio depicting a dying man’s journey
to heaven.
Do schools shun carols?
FURTHER to my call to hear about your favourite Christmas carols
Shirley Shelton, from Hampstead Chamber Choir, write: “In Hampstead
Chamber Choir’s (HCC) Christmas concert we are including In
the Bleak Midwinter, while O Come, O Come Emmanuel is our first
congregational hymn.
“We’ve noticed audiences don’t sing out carols with
quite the enthusiasm of previous years.
“This is sad. Perhaps schools are chary of such music now,
so it’s less familiar. HCC has therefore cut down on audience-participation
carols this year – with only four – and taken in more
advent items including three Tallis pieces. One of our other congregational
hymns is O Little Town of Bethlehem, but this time in the Walford
Davies setting. It probably won’t produce quite the same spine-tingling
effects in verse three as the Vaughan Williams, but it’s worth
an occasional outing.
“In the Bleak Midwinter is my favourite too, for much the reasons
you give. The speaking simplicity of the words is perfectly matched
by the music.”
Please continue sending details of your favourite carols to classical@camdennewjournal.co.uk
n At Hampstead Parish Church on Friday are carols in aid of the
Royal Free Cancer Research Trust while on Saturday the Highgate
Choral Society perform at St Michael’s Church, South Grove.
Another treat on Saturday will by the Royal Free Music Society performing
Vaughan-William’s Fantasia alongside carols.
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