Verdi Requiem
Massed Choirs of Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead Choral Societies
Sunday 9th November 2008 in the Assembly Hall
The massed choirs of the Royal Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead Choral Societies, appropriately dressed in black and wearing poppies, combined on Remembrance Sunday in a performance of Verdi's magnificent Requiem. The Assembly Hall setting in Tunbridge Wells was somewhat different to that of Milan Cathedral where the work was given its first performance in 1847 following the death of Italy's greatest poet, Alessandro Manzoni, a man greatly revered by Verdi.
The marvel of occasions such as this is that the whole performance is assembled in just one morning on the day of the concert when the orchestra and soloists rehearse with the choirs. Considering the length of the Requiem that is some achievement in itself!
The conductor, Richard Jenkinson, is to be congratulated on bringing together his different forces to produce a compelling and convincing performance. Particularly evident was the care that had clearly been taking in preparing the voices. In their unaccompanied sections (the Requiem aeternam from the Libera me) the pitch held up well as the choirs accompanied the solo soprano as she eventually sailed up to her top B flat - an exquisite moment in the Requiem. Similarly the voices had to be - and were - completely unanimous in the delivery of the declamatory words Libera me.
It was very evident that singers and instrumentalists were enjoying themselves (if enjoying is the right word) in the frequent appearances of the Dies irae, dies illa. The punctuating chords of the orchestra, the descending runs in the strings, the sharply contrasting dynamics and, above (or below) all, the subterranean thumps of the massive Verdi drum helped to focus the mind on the words Quantus futurus tremor est. Indeed this was the sort of sound that is felt - literally - as well as heard! You did not need to understand Latin to get the drift of this music!
The original performance consisted of a choir of 120 and an orchestra of 110. For this performance the odds were, numerically at least, much more in favour of the voices though there were times when the orchestra tended to play with great enthusiasm. None the less the appearance of the eight trumpets for the Tuba mirum, four in the orchestra and four in the balcony, was a dramatic moment. It was very difficult for the basses to project their sound forward into the auditorium given their position at the back of the stage and this tended to make the tenors, the smallest section of the choir but placed at the front, more prominent. It must be very difficult to deal with this given the layout of the hall, short of providing more amplification for targeted sections of the choir.
Of the soloists, particularly outstanding was Catherine King, mezzo soprano, whose voice was rich and full and covered a wide range. The soprano, Sandra Ford, came into her own in the second part of the mass. She floated effortlessly up to her symbolic top C for the words Libera me. Joseph Cornwell, tenor, was indisposed and was replaced by Andrew Mackenzie-Wicks who was at his most compelling in those sections where a lighter tone was required (Hostias) rather than in the full-bloodied climaxes that Verdi so often wrote for his operatic tenor heroes. Martin Robson, bass, drew out the contrasting emotions in movements such as the Confutatis while all four combined at different times to produce pleasing balanced ensembles.
The effectiveness of the performance, its communication of the words of the Requiem, could be judged by the prolonged and enthusiastic response of the large audience. Congratulations to all - orchestra, both choral societies, soloists and, of course, the conductor, whose hard work and endeavour produced such a memorable concert.
© Christopher Harris
View Preview with picture of the "Verdi Drum".
"Summer Sing" at Vale Royal
Rutter's Feel the Spirit" and
Schubert's Mass in G
Saturday 28th June 2008
With children from Herne County Junior School
(No review available - please click on image to view programme.)
Mozart & Puccini
Mozart's Requiem and Puccini's Messa di Gloria
Assembly Hall - 27th April 2008
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society gave fine performances of two well-known and well-loved choral masterpieces last Sunday afternoon in the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall.
The concert began with the Messa di Gloria, written by a youthful Puccini. Although the text comprises the usual sections of the Mass, this is a work which definitely belongs in the concert hall; it is rather too exuberant and operatic in style to be ever considered appropriate in a liturgical setting.
There are some really good tunes in the two extended sections, particularly in the Gloria where the rollicking opening theme recurs several times including the end. The 100-strong RTW Choral Society clearly enjoyed this music and did well to keep up with the driving tempi set by their director Richard Jenkinson. They really were on top form, projecting their voices well across the orchestral forces, only occasionally being drowned out by equally exuberant brass players!
There were plenty of lyrical moments too, not only from the choral society but also by the soloists. We heard the tenor, Michael Bracegirdle, first in the Gloria and it was clear from his first notes that here was a tenor par excellence; his projection, intonation and diction were faultless. In the Credo that followed, the baritone soloist, Paul Carey Jones, showed that he also has a really fine voice. Some brief sections are written quite low in the register and that makes it difficult to be heard over even the quietest strings and woodwind. A moment of sheer magic was their brief duet in the closing Agnus Dei.
I never fail to be impressed by Richard Jenkinson's skillful direction. He brings out all the nuances of the score by paying meticulous attention to detail particularly the dynamics and by his wide choice of tempi. Sometimes the slow sections seem almost dangerously slow, but every note is exactly in place and he does not feel limited by the singers need to breathe. The orchestra relished the fast tempi which were truly exciting (verging on terrifying) and, for the most part, the singers were well able to keep up. Only later in the concert was I aware that the basses fell a little behind in two places but that could have been due to near exhaustion! But Richard always retains complete control.
In the second half of the programme we heard a moving account of Mozart's Requiem. The young Mozart died before completing this last commission and it was left to his friend Franz Sussmayer to weave Mozart's sketches and add his own material to produce the completed work we know today.
This is writing on a big scale and has some dramatic movements for the choir including the Dies Irae and the Rex Tremendae. Their singing sounded fresh and exciting with the sopranos and tenors really coming through the texture. They had clearly maintained their stamina despite their big sing in the Puccini earlier and doubtless a long rehearsal in the morning. In the Confutatis Maledictis the stark contrast between the men's agitation and the ladies' angelic interludes was controlled really well and in the contemplative movements, particularly the lovely Lacrimosa, all eyes of the choir were on Richard Jenkinson as he shaped each phrase to perfection.
The tenor and baritone soloists were joined by soprano Rebecca Ryan* and mezzo soprano Catherine King for the Requiem. As a group they have their own movements in the Tuba Mirum and Recordare and their blend and control was admirable.
Lastly I pay tribute to the superb playing of the orchestra which was always sensitive so that they supported the singers rather than competed with them as can so often happen.
It was good to see a near-capacity audience for this concert with quite a few youngsters enjoying the music-making. With concerts of this quality it is not hard to see why so many wanted to come and listen.
© Paul Jeffery
* Note that Rebecca Ryan replaced Rachel Nicholls who was indisposed (see last page of programme)
Carol Concert - Goudhurst
16th December 2007
No review available - click on image to view programme.
A celebration of the 100th birthday of Roy Douglas
Haydn's Creation
Assembly Hall - 18th November 2007
It is unlikely in the history of concert going that an audience has spanned such a wide age range as was the case on Sunday at the Assembly Hall. The Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society was honouring its president by performing the work of his choice, Haydn's Creation. Roy Douglas, well-loved local musician, famous for his work as amanuensis to at least two of the greatest British composers of the twentieth century (Vaughan Williams and Walton), not only attended the concert, which took place just two weeks before his hundredth birthday, but also graciously received a presentation from former conductor Derek Watmough and current conductor Richard Jenkinson, and then addressed the audience. It was at this moment that the baby called out! A special display in the foyer and a comprehensive article in the programme testified to Roy Douglas's long and distinguished career. In a short interview during the interval he recalled for me some of his musical memories and his long association with Tunbridge Wells. We send him our thanks, congratulations and best wishes.
Like Roy Douglas, Haydn often showed a great sense of humour and an enjoyment of life which he expressed in his music. The Creation was written in 1798 in Haydn's later years, yet it is full of youthful freshness, originality and delight at the 'wonders of His work'. The choir, orchestra (as always, capably led by Jane Gomm) and soloists responded to their conductor, Richard Jenkinson, to convey this in full to the enthusiastic audience. The splendid choruses, which reflect Haydn's admiration for Handel's music, were tackled confidently by the choir with excellent diction and articulation. There was a wonderful array of fine orchestral playing, including some superbly flexible and expressive wind playing. Haydn frequently provided programmatic accompaniments to colour the text as it described the panoply of animal and vegetable life, and these passages allowed us to appreciate our gifted musicians.
The soloists were, as always, excellent musicians who bring a wealth of talent and experience to our local scene. This line-up was no exception - Nicki Kennedy (soprano), Sean Clayton (tenor) and Adrian Powter (baritone), ably joined by Harriet Webb (mezzo-soprano) for the final quartet- and they sang with the childlike wonder at creation and with the nobility required for the work of the Creator. A beautiful sense of human warmth was added for the depiction of Adam and Eve, the singers looking at each other in their duets. Nicki Kennedy was outstanding in her vocal agility and her communication with the audience, whilst Sean Clayton and Adrian Powter sang with dignity and flexibility. Mention must be made here of the beautifully-intimate continuo playing of Christopher Harris (harpsichord) and William Bass (cello) during the Adam and Eve scene.
Haydn's Creation is strangely incongruous for people of the early twenty-first century with their cynicism about religion and their coldly-scientific approach to nature. Yet like the extremes of age in our audience, we would learn much by marrying the wisdom and skill of age with the naive sense of wonder of the little child, just as 'Papa' Haydn did in this wonderfully timeless work.
© Roger Evernden
Fauré at Vale Royal
"Tour de France"
7th July 2007
For their summer season concert the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society performed two choral works by Gabriel Fauré - the Requiem and the Cantique de Jean Racine. They added for good measure a group of three of the composer's songs which, together with other short items, made an attractive filling to the musical sandwich on offer. All this took place in the Vale Royal Methodist Church under the Society's conductor Richard Jenkinson, and in the presence of the Deputy Mayor.
Fauré was only nineteen and still a student when he wrote the Cantique de Jean Racine. It is a remarkably mature and tranquil work which has become increasingly popular in recent years, although opportunities to hear it live remain comparatively few and far between. The first thing that struck me about the Choral Society's performance was that the gentlemen appear to have increased in number and as a result they were not, for once, overwhelmed by the ladies. Even the tenors could be clearly heard, which is of such importance in works that depend so much on harmonic development and texture. A pleasing balance between the parts was supported by a sensitive organ continuo from Michael Bacon who, among his many other duties, is organist at the church of King Charles the Martyr (see postcript below) in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Then came the sandwich filling. First, two well-known songs - Martini's Plaisir d'Amour and Berceuse de Jocelyn - sung by Roland Miller, who has an agreeable light-brown baritone voice, well sustained throughout a considerable range. He was followed by the soprano Sarah Lingard in a group of three Fauré songs, including Aprés un rêve. Lovely, beautifully rounded and authentically French performances impressively accompanied by Anthony Zerpa-Falcon, who made his personal contribution to the programme not by playing French pieces as advertised, but with an account of Chopin's formidable Ballade No.1. The brilliance of the music and of his performance shone through the behaviour of the instrument and the wayward acoustics of the church itself.
Many different arrangements, by no means all of them authorised by the composer, exist of the principal work in the RTWCS Fauré programme, the Requiem. The last time I heard this sublime music was in a live, full-blooded orchestral performance in the huge church of Saint Eustace (the one nobody talks about) at Les Halles in Paris, where the first performance of Grande messe des morts by Berlioz took place. It is difficult to imagine two more dissimilar works - one completely right for its setting: the other definitely not.
So it was with eager anticipation, as they say, that I looked forward to hearing one of the stripped down versions in which the voices and the organ would be heard to best advantage. And, of course, that solo violin in the Sanctus which, on this occasion, was played by George Clifford. I realise that it is risky for an Englishman to criticize a Frenchman - and Fauré of all people - on a matter of musical taste, but in an otherwise chaste and austere setting what purpose does this decoration serve? However you answer this question there is at least one point on which I am quite clear: it should be played, as the composer intended, as a wispy, ethereal descant suggesting an angelic chorus, and not as though it were part of a violin concerto for chorus and orchestra.
Once again the soprano and baritone soloists shone in their performances. Sarah Lingard's Pie Jesu was pure and beautifully controlled, while Roland Millar sang Libera Me with great clarity of diction and conviction. With very few exceptions the choral entrances and exits were well managed by Richard Jenkinson, and it is clear that he shares to the full John Rutter's view that Fauré's masterpiece should be treated as a liturgical work for modest forces to perform in church, which is exactly how the composer conceived it.
I couldn't agree more.
© Robert Hardcastle
Postscript - King Charles the Martyr By way of a complete digression, the only other church in this country I have found dedicated to King Charles the Martyr is in the delightful small port of Fowey, in the West Country. If you are aware of any others, please let me know.
Elgar at Rochester - with the Bach Choir of Wiesbaden
The Kingdom
Rochester Cathedral - 27th May 2007
In Rochester Cathedral on the Sunday of Pentecost the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society, and their friends from the Bach Choir of the twin town of Wiesbaden, gave a performance of The Kingdom by Sir Edward Elgar to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth.
The combined choir of more than 150 voices was supported by the Bernadi Symphony Orchestra, led by Andrew Bernadi. The four soloists were Sally Harrison (soprano), Kim-Marie Woodhouse (mezzo-soprano), Jon English (tenor) and, at short notice, Christopher Foster (baritone). The oratorio was conducted by the Choral Society's musical director Richard Jenkinson, who not only kept his formidable forces together but deployed them to great effect.
It was a memorable occasion for many reasons, not the least of which was the powerful impact made by the orchestra in the opening bars of the Prelude, and by the entry of the choir a little later. The whole of the ancient cathedral reverberated, it seemed, with the glory of Elgar at his majestic best, with the richness of his harmonies, those purposeful forward-moving motifs so brilliantly orchestrated, and just enough of the drooping cadences of Gerontius to remind us of what he had earlier achieved as a choral composer.
The soloists worked well together, playing their parts to take the narrative forward at all the crucial moments. There were times when they had to defend themselves against the sheer volume of the orchestra and the cavernous sound quality of the cathedral itself. These losses of balance cannot be laid at the door of the performers or of the conductor: they are - almost without fail - the fault of the composer, and Elgar is by no means alone in this regard.
The show-stopper in the second part of the work - The Sun Goeth Down - illustrates the point. Here Elgar brings his orchestra under much stricter control: the lightness and delicacy of the orchestration allow the soprano voice to move centre stage and to blossom and to flower most beautifully. For this solo passage Sally Harrison, as Mary, seized her opportunity with relish, and who can blame her?
Even the most ardent admirer will admit that for all its power and conviction, The Kingdom is a flawed work. It is scarcely a coincidence that after it was first performed Elgar abandoned his plan for a successor work, and composed no more religious music other than short motets for special occasions. 'There is no point in writing music', he notes in his diary, 'that nobody wants to hear'.
Nevertheless, this last oratorio certainly deserves to be heard, especially when it is performed to the impressive standards achieved by Richard Jenkinson and his Anglo-German band of musicians. A further performance is to be given later this year at the Lutherkirche in Wiesbaden on Saturday 24 November.
© Robert Hardcastle
Organ recital by Richard Jenkinson
Vale Royal Church - 21st April 2007
Fund raising concert
No review available - click on image to view programme.
Music for Palm Sunday and Good Friday
"Procession of Palms" by Malcolm Williamson
"The Crucifixion" by John Stainer
Saturday 24 March 2007
- Vale Royal Methodist Church
This was their second concert of the day, the afternoon performance having been given at St Mary's Church in Goudhurst.
There was a near-capacity audience at Vale Royal for this concert of seasonal sacred music. The two contrasting works presented took us from the jubilant procession into Jerusalem through to Jesus' last hours on earth and his Crucifixion.
The concert opened with Malcolm Williamson's "Procession of Palms", written over 40 years ago but still sounding fresh and vibrant. The familiar words of two hymns "Ride on! Ride on in majesty!" and "All glory, laud and honour" are given distinctly different treatment from the hymn tunes normally associated with them. Williamson's melodies are no less effective and show that 20th century composers are perfectly capable of writing tunes!
"Ride on!" is accompanied by a largely independent organ part, which begins pianissimo, with a rhythmic pattern which is repeated throughout but whose harmonies become more dissonant and dynamics gradually increase finally reaching fortissimo - one is reminded of Ravel's Bolero! The choir clearly relished this music and, despite the earlier performance, their voices sounded fresh and unforced. Their gaze was fixed on their conductor, Richard Jenkinson, whose control was admirable.
For "All glory" the choir and organ are reunited and some unexpected modulations add to the excitement! The work has an unexpected ending with the upper voices singing a hushed "O Saviour of the world" where the musical line is rather angular (reminding us that this is a 20th century composer) followed by a melodious 2-part setting of the Benedictus and finally an exultant Hosanna.
John Stainer's "The Crucifixion" made for a complete contrast. This work is often dismissed as Victorian sentimentality. Yet it has stood the test of time with choirs and choral societies providing performances year on year and audiences clearly appreciate this work. That several of the hymns are well established also speaks volumes.
Written for choir with tenor and bass soloists, this performance was unusual in that the bass solos were shared. The soloists were drawn from the choral society ranks and Richard Jenkinson took the unusual step of conducting their solos. The earlier performance must have taken its toll on their voices; their delivery lacked sufficient projection and their upper ranges were strained at times. The lack of projection prevented the organist from employing more appropriate registrations, especially in "King ever glorious" which was a great pity.
The noisy wind supply to the organ also detracted from the quieter solos - the church was never properly quiet - clearly those who maintain the organ need to sort out the wind leakages as a top priority! By contrast, the choirs' projection was just right throughout and, in "Fling wide the gates!" and "The Appeal of the Crucified", the organ was able to blaze away without drowning the voices. Great stuff! The choir was, in fact, in fine form. The intonation, diction and blend were all highly commendable. Ends of phrases were very neat and the diminuendos were very skilfully done - most choirs are good at crescendos, but diminuendos are usually either non- existent or executed too rapidly.
The tenors and basses came into their own for the short sections of 4-part harmony; in so many performances by church choirs these passages can be very ineffective and, in some cases, downright embarrassing - but not here. Bravo!
Richard Jenkinson, their conductor had clearly rehearsed his forces exceptionally well; all eyes were on him and he communicated what he wanted very effectively. The concert was accompanied by talented young organist, Alistair Curtis. His contribution added enormously to the overall performance. The playing was crisp and rhythmic and his choice of registrations was sensitive with one or two very minor exceptions.
© Paul Jeffery
Carols at St. Barnabas
10th December 2006
No review available
Click on image to view programme.
Tunbridge Wells Civic Concert
Handel – Coronation Anthems & Bach – Magnificat
Assembly Hall Tunbridge Wells, 12th November 2006
The concert given on 12 November in the Assembly Hall by the Tunbridge Wells Choral Society, in its 102nd. year, formed part of the 400th. Anniversary celebrations of Tunbridge Wells. The programme presented an interesting juxtaposition of choral music in honour of a secular monarch, George II, and Jesus, the man born to be king. As such, the music, respectively by Handel and Bach, contrasted celebration from a universal point of view and a personal one.
The almost-100-strong choir was on good form under the direction of its regular conductor, Richard Jenkinson, giving a splendid opening blast of vibrant tone in Handel’s Zadok the Priest. The unsympathetic acoustic of the Assembly Hall did not help the more exposed passages where vocal counterpoint and individual entries were prevalent. Handel wrote for a more spacious and grandiose setting, and the need for this was apparent throughout the four Coronation Anthems. Throughout the choral items, the orchestra (ably and positively led by Jane Gomm) responded well and played with accuracy and insight. The challenging brass parts were played with great panache, led by Jeremy Clack. The continuo playing showed flair and precision, but the player deserved a better instrument than the digital keyboard provided. The Bach Magnificat allowed plenty of opportunity for the large audience to enjoy solo playing. The one solo orchestral piece was Bach’s Suite no 3 in D major - a good choice because its orchestration and key complemented the Magnificat. This well-known piece was played accurately, but lacked careful shaping of phrases and dynamics, and parts were, frankly, rather dull. More rehearsal time would permit more perceptive interpretations of these orchestral pieces included in basically choral programmes. This was apparent in the accompaniments to the choral works as well.
The Bach Magnificat is much more personal and expressive than the Handel anthems, and the four soloists came into their own here. They were Nicola-Jane Kemp (soprano), Louise Armit (mezzo-soprano), Julian Alexander Smith (tenor) and Adrian Powter (baritone). They exhibited fine tone and sensitive expression in both solo items and when in duet, and they communicated well with the audience. This was not easy because they were positioned on the stage between choir and orchestra. This was far from ideal, because they needed to ‘speak’ directly with the audience in these small-scale movements. The Magnificat consists of a series of short sections, and continuity is of the essence if the flow of the music is to work. The logistics of staging did not facilitate this. Similarly the choir had to respond quickly to new moods, dynamics and textures, and this did not always happen in this technically challenging music.
Despite the problems associated with lack of rehearsal when all the forces come together on the day and the consequent broad-brush approach when expressive details were called for, the concert was well received by the audience and the choir clearly enjoyed the experience. That amateurs and professionals can work so well together producing challenging repertoire in such effective ways is a great treasure of the British musical scene. May the Tunbridge Wells Choral Society continue this great work well into its second century. Certainly Handel would not say ‘God rot Tunbridge Wells …and all its damned sawing fiddlers’ if he were here today, as he is reported to have said in 1759.
© Roger Evernden
Summer Concert - Vivaldi Gloria & Rutter The Sprig of Thyme
Vale Royal Methodist Church, 24th June 2006
It was good to see a capacity audience supporting the latest concert given by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society last Saturday (24 June) at Vale Royal Methodist Church, Tunbridge Wells. On this occasion the choral forces were strengthened with additional voices from potential new members and by a large choir from Somerhill School, Tonbridge.
The programme was ideal for a beautiful midsummer’s evening with nothing too heavy or serious. The concert opened with John Rutter’s “The Sprig of Thyme”, a collection of 11 traditional songs which, to quote the composer, “brought delight and pleasure during postwar times now tinged with nostalgia because for the most part they are forgotten and gone from our lives”. His settings are imaginative using diverse combinations - songs for upper voices only, songs for gentlemen only, songs for the whole choir, some accompanied, some with piano, some with orchestra. The Somerhill School choir joined in with the first and last songs and the girls sang with the sopranos for “I know where I’m going”, their youthful fresh voices blending surprisingly well with the adult singers.
It is unusual these days to see so many tenors and basses (24 in all) and they gave a good account of themselves in their numbers with clear diction and good tone for the most part – some were glued to their scores much of the time which is always a concern for the conductor! The upper voices were clear and made a really lovely, unforced sound; however, the words were not always clear because of a lack of consonants in places. They had clearly been well rehearsed, with neat endings to phrases, good balance between the voices and well controlled dynamics.
Between the choral works were two instrumental interludes. The Sussex Camerata string quartet played two short arrangements. The first was Shostakovitch’s Romance from his filmscore for The Gadfly, well-known to all Classic FM listeners, followed by Gershwin’s ever popular Summertime, both exquisitely played. Then came a frothy organ Sortie by Frenchman Lefebure-Wely played with considerable aplomb by the Society’s director of music, Richard Jenkinson; an item which went down well with the audience judging by the applause!
The concert concluded with Vivaldi’s well-known Gloria, with the children from Somerhill School adding brightness to the soprano line throughout. They had clearly been well prepared – this is exhausting music for adults to sing let alone for boys and girls. The advantage of having just one instrument per part was the balance between voices and orchestra – the latter never masked the former but their energy was fundamental to the overall effect. Richard Jenkinson was adventurous in his choice of tempi. Et in terra pax was taken somewhat slower than usual and this allowed the harmonic shifts to make maximum impact whilst Propter magnam gloriam took of at such a pace that it took several bars to settle. The last movement was also taken at a rather exciting tempo which seemed to unsettle players and singers alike.
However, the overall effect of Vivaldi’s masterpiece was most pleasing and the soprano soloists, Sarah Lingard and Harriet Webb were well matched and sang with beautiful tone and considerable confidence.
The orchestral forces comprising strings, oboe, trumpet and piano/continuo were superb throughout, making their contribution tell without ever overshadowing the voices. Richard Jenkinson is to be congratulated for masterminding an evening full of warm but vibrant playing, fine singing and an excellent choice of programme.
© Paul Jeffery
The Magic of Mozart
Coronation Mass, Solemn Vespers, Ave Verum Corpus, Piano Concerto No. 21,
Exultate Jubilate
Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, 26th March 2006
In a "star is born" sequence, more appropriate to Hollywood than to Royal Tunbridge Wells, a rehearsal pianist took over as soloist to steal the show with a dazzling performance of a Mozart piano concerto, in the middle of a recent choral concert in the Assembly Hall.
To present a programme of choral music by Mozart to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth is a fairly obvious idea. To include a piano concerto in such a programme may be regarded as unorthodox and enterprising. But to invite your rehearsal pianist to take the solo part is nothing less than brilliant - provided, that is, his name is Anthony Zerpa-Falcon.
Under their conductor Richard Jenkinson, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society and a well-balanced group of soloists - Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), Catrin Johnsson (mezzo-soprano), Philip Salmon (tenor) and Andrew Rupp (baritone) - started with a somewhat tentative performance of the Vesperae solennes de confessore, K339. This is a work which, with its sharply contrasting episodes and changes of key, needs more commitment than in fact it received. Not even the soprano Lesley-Jane Rogers in the Laudate Dominum, a section sometimes performed on its own, could bring the music fully to life, and I started to wonder if, perhaps, it had not been given sufficient time in rehearsal.
But such gloomy thoughts were soon dispelled, like clouds on a bright spring day, with the way in which the choir sang Mozart’s sublime setting of the motet Ave, verum corpus, K618. Originally composed not for chorus but for four solo voices, strings and organ, it has become one of the Choral Society’s set pieces which they perform with a radiant sonority and sense of control - a tribute to Richard Jenkinson’s choral training.
There followed a lightening of the atmosphere and some amusement in the stalls as the hydraulic platform slowly raised the Steinway piano, for all the world like a cinema organ of the 1930s, from the bowels of the Assembly Hall to the much higher level of the stage. Barbara Maw’s single A natural to tune the orchestra drew a trickle of applause (although it must be said that she played it very well), and we then settled down to await the arrival of the conductor and the pianist Anthony Zerpa-Falcon, suddenly elevated from his place in the orchestra as organ continuo to become the instrumental soloist of the day.
The opening bars of the C major concerto, K467, were a shock: ‘surely too fast,’ I thought. Then came the piano entry: brilliantly clear and precise, wonderfully elegant and assured. Only later did I learn that it was Anthony who set the tempo with the agreement of the conductor, and he was absolutely right to do so. This was a young man’s interpretation, full of verve, drive and confidence, in which there was no risk of the orchestra supporting the soloist in the plodding manner we hear all too often in this work. In their performance all members of the orchestra matched the delicacy and enthusiasm of Anthony Zerpa-Falcon, and provided a perfect balance to his pianism.
There is a point to make here. Those of us blessed with two good ears hear everything in stereo, left and right. Most of the time we are not even conscious of this. We don’t have to do anything about it - it’s just the way the whole thing works. But at this concert the instruments were by chance arranged in a very unusual way, with the piano well above the orchestra. So there was a sense of vertical up and down in the perceived sound as well as horizontal side to side. I found the experience quite fascinating - but perhaps I have spent too much of my time in the recording business!
To return to the concerto and Anthony Zerpa-Falcon, whose whole approach to the work avoided any risk of sentimentality in the gorgeous (but now notorious) andante. The finale skittered along irresistibly and, like the first movement, included a short but brilliant cadenza by the celebrated pianist and Mozart scholar Géza Anda.
This was a performance to treasure by a name to remember - rarely have I head such waves of applause in the Assembly Hall or anywhere else for that matter. Anthony Zerpa-Falcon will surely go far.
After the interval two choral pieces remained. The Exsultate, jubilate K165 with its celebrated Alleluia, beautifully sung by Lesley-Jane Rogers, followed by probably the most loved of all Mozart’s masses, the so-called ‘Coronation Mass’ in C major, K317. This joyous work is scored in such a way that the solo singers are constantly to be heard - as a quartet, in pairs or in solo lines that contrast dramatically with the choir as a whole. It was given a splendidly coherent performance to remind us that this was, after all, a choral concert, and a very good one at that.
© Robert Hardcastle
Carols at Goudhurst
11th December 2005
No review available
Click on image to view programme.
Brahms Requiem
Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, 20th November 2005.
In their November concert, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society presented an all Brahms programme. This was built around Brahms’ masterful German Requiem, but the audience was delicately warmed up with his more understated Variations on the St Anthony Chorale. The programme was carefully directed by Richard Jenkinson, who drew some lovely sounds from the accomplished Bernardi Chamber Ensemble. The woodwind players especially were on top form in the opening, with some fine articulation and mellow sound. Brahms’ orchestration is nothing if not subtle, and Jenkinson, sometimes with a baton and sometimes without, navigated its waters with real precision. The tender 7th variation, so difficult to bring off successfully with its siciliano-esque dotted rhythms, was handled with the care and precision that characterised the whole performance. As with the opening moments of the Requiem, the orchestra responded well to his direction and the colours they produced together were rich and varied ones.
Even when split by an interval, the Requiem is always an enormous task, with its long choral passages and giant fugues, but in the main these were performed with terrific energy and great conviction by the choir. The sopranos were on fine form, with their top notes ringing out wonderfully well at the climax to the 2nd movement. The performance of the 6th movement, Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt, was a similarly massive one, with the climax “Death, where is thy sting?” thrillingly realised; this was a magnificent moment. Throughout the choir performed with poise and excellent intonation, even if occasionally the tenors got slightly ahead of themselves. This was perhaps a consequence of the rather slow tempos Jenkinson chose for the opening two movements as he was clearly looking to set a scene of transcendental peace. He was, though, not afraid to bring out the bolder moments. The timpani, so important to the dramatic impact of the 2nd movement, were given due prominence. So, too, the horn section, which performed splendidly throughout.
The accomplished soloists Charlotte Kinder (soprano) and Stefan Holmström (baritone) performed with dignity and poise, Holmström in particular with some superb top notes, eloquent vocal phrasing and very clear diction. I wasn’t quite sure why they had to leave the auditorium after each solo when there seemed ample space from where they performed. However, this did not detract from a compelling performance all round of this masterpiece of the 19th century choral repertoire.
© Christopher Dyer
Rutter Requiem & Bernstein Chichester Psalms
Vale Royal Methodist Church, 2nd July 2005
We go to choral concerts to hear other people sing, so it was a real pleasure the other day to attend a concert given by Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society [and friends] in which all their voices could be clearly heard without being swamped by an over-powerful orchestra. All too often these days choirs cannot be heard properly. It is not a question of being unable to hear the words: the musical lines tend to get lost as well, and audiences simply cannot follow passages so lovingly polished in rehearsal.
Sometimes the fault lies with the singers themselves for not giving enough in performance. At other times it is the conductor who must be blamed for not creating proper balance between choir and orchestra. And occasionally, I am afraid, it is the composer himself who must carry the can for over-writing orchestral parts. What looks magnificent on a silent, printed score does not always work well in the lively acoustic of a concert hall, cathedral or church. Even such great masters as Brahms, Elgar and Vaughan-Williams, whose causes I would champion to the death, are sometimes guilty of over-egging their puddings.
None of these problems bothered the RTWCS, in excellent form, giving us spirited performances of choral works needing only limited instrumental support. The singers had a chance to shine, and it was a chance they seized with great enthusiasm. Their conductor, Richard Jenkinson, allowed them only six weeks' rehearsal time, but he ingeniously devised a programme which revealed different aspects of the choir's strength: clarity of diction and purity of tone in Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, for example; caution thrown to the winds in an exhilarating account of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms; and a beautifully controlled performance – tranquil with touches of contrasting drama – of John Rutter's Requiem, that remarkable work which within six months of its publication received over 500 performances in the USA alone.
Nor was this by all means all. The RTWCS was very well supported by soloists, including the attractive soprano Emily Ward, now on the threshold of her professional career, with a voice of great purity and promise. From the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra came Helen Pye, whose oboe playing is always a joy to hear, as is the warm, unfailing musicianship of Chloë Allman-Ward, leader of the cello section. Also taking part were Sarah Wicks (flute), Charlotte Seal (harp), Tim Saxby and Chris Nall (percussion) and at the organ Christopher Harris, whose performance of a fanfare by Jaak Lemmens came as a great delight to his audience – but disturbed all the pigeons within a 300-yard radius of the Vale Royal Methodist Church.
This is a new venue for the Choral Society. They now have a new conductor. They have made changes in their programme-building and in their rehearsal policies. Are these changes likely to be permanent as the RTWCS embarks on its second hundred years of music-making in Tunbridge Wells? It may be too early to say, but one thing is already clear. The high standards of the past years are being fully maintained. Our much-loved choral society has lost none of its vigour or enthusiasm. The prospects for the future sound pretty good to me.
© Robert Hardcastle
Haydn 'Nelson' Mass & Duruflé Requiem
Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, 17th April 2005.
The Tunbridge Wells Choral Society concert at the Assembly Hall on Sunday 17 April introduced the good-sized audience to a varied programme. Coupling the ‘Nelson’ Mass by Haydn with the Duruflé Requiem and adding on two eighteenth century concertos which featured trumpets was a cunning idea in terms of economical use of orchestra players, but turned out to be less successful musically. The Mass, the Symphony by Boyce and the Concerto by Vivaldi (solo trumpets expertly played by Julian Pore and John Shaddock) complemented each other well. The mood of the Mass is alternately solemn and jubilant. Conductor Richard Jenkinson brought out some fine singing from the choir of 90, marked by good attack and exciting tone. The Bernardi Chamber Orchestra proved a small and tightly-controlled group with some excellent individual players and as such gave a strong support to the choir. The Vivaldi Concerto also allowed us to enjoy the leader Andrew Bernardi’s expressive cadenzas.
The solo quartet of Lesley-Jane Rogers, Patricia Hammond, John Upperton and Graham Dinnage sang with wonderful maturity of tone and interpretation. This was particularly true in the introduction to the Agnus Dei movement.
The Duruflé Requiem proved to be more of a problem. Emotionally, it inhabits another world, although by chance it needs a similiarly-constituted orchestra to accompany. To capture the mood of this deeply introspective work, the performance desperately needs the incense-saturated, acoustically-reverberant atmosphere of a French cathedral. In the dry and very secular surroundings of the Assembly Hall, even the considerable talents of organist Andrew Baars could not conjure us into the right location. He produced some tones commendably reminiscent of a French organ and played with impeccable virtuosity, but in the end the digital organ and dead surroundings defeated his attempts. A similar problem faced the choir. The frequent plainsong-inflected unison lines with ethereal accompaniment cruelly exposed the ensemble, vocal tone and intonation of the choir’s individual parts. The choir needed much more flexibility to their conductor’s expressive directions, but the atmosphere was wrong. Despite this, moments of beauty and drama were apparent. This was a risky piece of programme planning, and the two Baroque orchestral pieces, although played splendidly, did not form a very comfortable frame for this very personal and reticent piece. However, it was good to hear this work and it provided special challenges for all performers, many of which were met with musicianship and commitment.
The programme leaflet contained not only helpful background notes to the music and the performers, but also a tribute to Wilmarc Ellman, who has recently announced his retirement as accompanist to the society after 25 years. This is an essential role which can really transform rehearsals for both conductor and choir, yet one which is largely invisible to audiences at the resulting concerts. The tribute rightly highlights Wilmarc’s considerable skill and versatility as a musician, expresses the Society’s thanks and wishes him well.
© Roger Evernden
Carols at Goudhurst
12th December 2004
No review available
Click on image to view programme.
Handel's Messiah
Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, 11th November 2004
A Memorable 'Messiah' on Remembrance Sunday
With its themes of suffering and redemption, Handel's matchless masterpiece, 'Messiah', proved an exceptionally fitting way to mark Remembrance Sunday, with a fine performance from the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society at the Assembly Hall. However familiar Handel's glorious arias and choruses, the potency of the drama that unfolds can still come with a sense of thrilling shock.
This performance effected a harmonious interpretation, with deft, exceptionally well-controlled playing by small orchestral forces, with fine keyboard continuo from Wilmarc Ellman and subtle - and occasionally arresting - ornamentation from the very accomplished soloists.
The selection of tempi is always a challenge: too fast, and the rich texture of the scoring of the inner parts can be submerged; too slow, and the impetus which needs to be sustained can be lost. Again good judgment was in evidence: a brisk pace - with occasional exceptions - kept a strong sense of momentum. The chorus coped admirably with the changing dynamics and speeds, and never better than with the wonderful contrasts of 'Since by man'. There was, however, an evident straining at the leash at rare moments of over-excitement, including the urgent, if breathless 'Hallelujah'.
Intonation was excellent, balance good - although at times a Russian basso profondo or two would have helped to anchor the choir still more firmly. A small point: many singers' heads remained buried in their scores, with too little facial and hence vocal expression - bad for the conductor and bad for the audience, too: the choir is a key part of the performance, an actor in its own right. It can therefore add dramatic impact to signal the kaleidoscopic shifts of mood which Handel engineers, such as the searingly poignant 'And the Lord hath laid', or the taunts of 'He trusted in God'.
Among the many highlights was a richly eloquent rendition of 'The trumpet shall sound', where Jeremy Clack's superbly clear trumpet gave excellent support to the supple bass-baritone of Gerard Delrez. There were also excellent effects in 'Lift up your heads', with neat contrast provided by the small semi-chorus.
The soloists indeed offered many memorable moments, with Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano) demonstrating pure musicality, especially in a sadly-curtailed affirmation of 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' and an expressive 'Rejoice greatly', and Jon English both lyrical and eloquent, not least in the exacting ranges required by 'Thou shalt break them'. William Missin's counter-tenor displayed the same clean lines and sensitive musicianship, though there could have been a greater sense of passion, for example in his duet with tenor 'O Death, where is thy sting'. This is - and needs to be - part of a triumphant denouement, preparing us for the ecstatic 'Amen', the astonishing final 11 bars of which evoked a fittingly warm, enthusiastic response from an attentive, appreciative audience.
Congratulations to everyone, and a special word for the new conductor Richard Jenkinson, who has already made his mark impressively and from whom many more good things can be looked forward to eagerly.
© David Taylor
Gala Centenary Concert - with Bach Choir of Wiesbaden
May 2004
The three works chosen for this groundbreaking concert were a 21st century tribute to 20th century music. In the Poulenc Gloria the combined choirs made a powerful entry on Gloria in Excelsis Deo. It was followed by a serenely beautiful Domine Deus sung by Charlotte Ellett. Her soprano floated effortlessly above the orchestra and chorus to fill the Assembly Hall with gorgeous unforced sound.
After a storm of applause Klaus Ute Ludwig from Wiesbaden performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Each solo passage was splendidly taken, the big tune ripe and schmaltzy .I doubt that I shall ever hear a better or more exciting live performance than this.
In the final piece, Belshazzar's Feast by William Walton, the opening repeated chords from the trombones followed by male voices were electrifying in their effect. The clarity of the orchestral playing was matched by the excellent enunciation of the choir. The baritone Anthony Michael- Moore excelled in the solo role, handling the crucial solo passages of the narration with an assured dramatic thrust and firmness of tone. No praise is high enough for the singers, whose choral sound was sharp and dramatic, or the orchestra, the quality of whose playing was matchless throughout, or for their conductor, who carried music of these very different styles forward with an easy responsive elegance matched by great care for balance.
Derek Watmough could not have brought his long career with the society to a more successful or more rewarding conclusion. He will be greatly missed.
© Robert Hardcastle
Spring Concert
Ravel Pavane, Fauré Requiem & Rutter Magnificat
Assembly Hall - 13th April 2003
Review not available
Bach Christmas Oratorio
30th November 2003
In Memory of Mary Standen
This concert was directed by guest conductor Steven Devine. Derek Watmough will return in May to conduct his last concert before his retirement, after 30 years with the society.
This performance was especially notable because of the linking of a traditional British choral society with Finchcocks Baroque, an orchestra where period instruments were played in a truly authentic manner. Steven Devine chose lively tempi and this immediately captured the life and energy of Baroque music.
It was to the choir of about ninety's credit that it caught the sense of vitality heralded by the orchestra. Considerable care was taken with phrasing and diction and a sense of line was always evident.
There was a true partnership between the excellent team of solo voices and the solo instruments, The urgent continuity between the items achieved by Steven Devine contributed greatly to the sense of drama and narrative. His timing was impeccable, exactly matching the mood changes, relaxing into contemplation when necessary. The choir responded with confidence and clearly regarded themselves as an equal partner with the orchestra rather than being accompanied by them.
The solo voices were Faye Newton (soprano), with her beautifully clear and pure vocal line, David Clegg (counter tenor) who is well known for his ability to portray characterisation and drama, Joseph Cornwell (tenor), whose narrative recitatives had great flexibility and control and Simon Grant (bass) who managed to convey religious detachment and strong presentation. These voices were of the highest calibre both in vocal quality and in musicianship. Their dignified and unobtrusive movements from stage left to centre to take part in the story added to the inherent drama of the music.
The soft tone of the instruments allowed a wonderful blend between the array of woodwind, including the oboe d'amore and original flauto traverso, and the gentle strings. The continuo was a fine balance between chamber organ and harpsichord placed on opposite sides of the orchestra. All the musicians played with a sense of articulation, so that a smaller dynamic range than we are used to was more than compensated for by the subtle shaping of musical lines. The clarity and energy of the orchestral sound encouraged the choir into an athleticism of which it can be proud. Steven Devine clearly saw them as equal partners and treated the amateur choir with the same unfussy trust and respect that he expected from the professional orchestra and they responded to his scholarly understanding of this splendid music.
The result was a performance which demonstrated a sense of artistic integrity beauty and excitement.
© Roger Evendon
Carols at Goudhurst
15th December 2002
No review available - click on image to view programme.
Vaughan Williams The Sea Symphony & In Windsor Forest
11th November 2002
Devoting a whole programme to a single composer, in this case Ralph Vaughan Williams, is not something that usually goes down well at the box office and to choose one of his most demanding works the Sea Symphony, as the main attraction, suggests a degre of audience loyalty to which most performing societies can only aspire.
But on the whole the Choral Society's courage paid rich dividends. The opening work was the increasingly popular romance The Lark Ascending. More robust fare followed with the cantata In Windsor Forest, consisting of five songs chosen by Vaughan Williams from his opera To John in Love. The various sections of the choir were heard to good advantage against the fairly lightly-scored orchestral settings used by Vaughan Williams for these very characteristic pieces.
The main work of the afternoon was the Sea Symphony, a huge floundering piece, halfway between a symphony and a cantata, based on a poem by Walt Whitman. Here the orchestra really came into their own: the opening fanfare, and the great shout from the chorus Behold, the Sea, were electrifying in their effect.
Of the contrasting more reflective passages, perhaps the most magical was On The Beach At Night Alone, beautifully sung by the baritone Johnathan Gunthorpe, with great feeling for infinite space and time. His fellow soloist, soprano Yvette Bonner, sang with clarity and purity of tone but she could not always be heard above the tempestuous orchestra.
To be fair, the same has to be said about the chorus as a whole, but for this state of affairs Vaughan Williams himself is largely responsible.
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society served Vaughan Williams well, perhaps even better than the great man deserved.
© Robert Hardcastle
Opera Gala Concert
Assembly Hall - 14th April 2002
A Concert of Popular Opera Arias and Choruses
No review available
Click on image to view Programme
Carols at Goudhurst
16th December 2001
No review available - click on image to view programme.
Mozart - Requiem & Symphony no. 40
11th November 2001
Mozart's great Requiem Mass in D minor (K626) was the main work in the concert given by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society in the Assembly Hall on Remembrance Sunday.
From the first entry the chorus impressed with their admirable clarity of diction: what a blessing it is when even from a familiar text the words are clearly heard.
The balance between the tenors and basses on the one hand, and the greater number of altos and sopranos on the other, was also well managed, and the way in which the the chorus as a whole dealt with their entrances and exits was a tribute not only to Derek Watmough's thorough training of the choir in rehearsal, but also to his well-tried conducting technique.
There was at least one moment, in the Offertorium, when I caught his baton positively quivering with intensity.
The RTWCS chose its four soloists with equal care. Each of them sang their solo parts with individual distinction, but when their voices came together either in duet or quartet, the ensemble also worked well.
The soprano Rachel Nicholls has a pure clarity of tone, while the mezzo-soprano Kathryn Turpin provided an effective contrast with her warmth and smoothness of line.
Kevin McLean Mair, who trained at Aldeburgh, has one of those attractive English tenor voices entirely free of mannerism, and Martin Robson has a splendid Giovanni-like bass that filled the Assembly Hall with no difficulty at all.
© Robert Hardcastle
Rutter Requiem & Puccini Messa di Gloria
8th April 2001
What a joy it was to hear a choral concert so full of good tunes, as presented by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society and their musical director Derek Watmough. First we heard Puccini's Messa di Gloria a fresh youthful work.
The piece is delicately and ingeniously scored. The brass section is used sparingly, but to great effect, as befits an admirer of Verdi. The benefit of such skill and restraint in the use of the orchestra was immediately apparent in the Kyrie, in which Derek Watmough achieved a perfect balance between voices and strings.
Then followed the splendidly spirited Gloria - a tune more suitable for a music hall than a church, one might feel - which gives way to a tenor solo once described as the first genuine Puccini aria.
Then is the Gratias agimus tibi, in which Huw Rhys-Evans excelled, as he did in the Credo, later, with Et incarnatus. The South African-born baritone John Fletcher, was also very impressive in the poignant Crucifixus est and in the solo Benedictus in the middle of the choral Sanctus.
Surprisingly perhaps, there is very little for the soprano to do in this work - Alison Smart's delightful voice was to be heard to great advantage later in the concert - but the two male soloists worked extremely well together as they sang their alternate parts in the Agnus Dei, supported by more fine singing from the chorus.
Almost certainly composed for some other purpose, this closing section of the Messa di Gloria is structurally the weakest link, to coin a phrase.
It leads to the Mass or at least the music, to a sticky end, and the audience had to be reassured by the conductor before allowing itself to applaud! But applaud it did most generously, and rightly so, for all the glories that had gone before.
After the interval came the Requiem by John Rutter, one of the most attractive of recent works by British composers, which in less than twenty years has won for itself a permanent place in the choral repertoire.
And it is not difficult to see why. As we know from his celebrated carols, John Rutter knows all about writing for the human voice, his orchestral skill and sense of scale and shape are of a standard to match, and he writes tunes Andrew Lloyd Webber would give his eye teeth for.
The work opens with a solemn funeral beat that creates an atmosphere of sinister gloom, suddenly dispersed by a wonderful burst of sound on lux aeterna. From that moment on all is well, and we are carried forward to the moving simplicity of the Kyrie.
The second section, Out of the Deep has a demanding cello obligato, very well played by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society's Chloe Allman-Ward, while in the pastoral The Lord is my sheperds setting there were also quite outstanding performances from Helen Pye (oboe) and Jane Lister (harp).
The choir remained seated as they gave celestial backing to Alison Smart's moving Pie Jesu, while under Derek Watmough's direction the choir and the orchestra, led by Martin Palmer, created a marvellous sense of fulfillment as they brought Rutter's work, unlike that of Puccini, to a most satisfying and convincing conclusion.
© Robert Hardcastle