Hoylake Choral Society
     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
 
 
 

One of the main objectives in creating this website is encouraging and enabling our members and the public to contribute to it. Our society has expanded considerably and successfully over the last few years. This website should facilitate both the membership and the public expressing opinion on our activities, on past or future concerts, on our performances, and on our continuing development.

We would like you to comment in whatever way you think would be helpful, topical, informative, critical, interesting, or amusing. In the interests of the society, we expect all those making comment to provide their name(s). We will not publish anonymous comments.

Your comment may be as brief as a few sentences, or, much longer. We hope you may find the articles interesting and possibly informative. And having said that of course, I should say you are equally encouraged to make comment on the comments or contributions of others.

Send your comments to the following e-mail address:

Editor@HoylakeChoralSociety.org.uk


Comment 7: 21-Jun-08 (Rod Tann)

Messiah

It's not an easy task to write a critique, when there is next-to-nothing to criticise!

Choosing a masterpiece such as 'The Messiah' by G F Handel, has both its advantages and drawbacks.

The obvious advantages are that the choir are probably familiar with most of the notes before rehearsals begin and also that, short of an earthquake, a full audience can be guaranteed.

A possible drawback may be that the vast majority of that audience also know exactly what they expect to hear and will be waiting eagerly for it.

Because of such familiarity, many will also be hoping for something special, to distinguish it from other performances they have heard elsewhere.

In this performance by Hoylake Choral Society under their conductor, Jim Wrightson and supported by an able team of soloists and the Sefton Chamber Orchestra, the advantages were evident and the possible drawbacks  dispelled.  The audience was treated to a wonderful evening of music making of the highest standard. 

Jim Wrightson set well judged tempi throughout, which gave us a brisk, but comfortably paced performance. The Choir sang with great enthusiasm and assurance. There was much evidence of good drilling; words came over clearly and meaningfully, and the ends of lines were crisply enunciated. Given the disparity in numbers between the men and women of the choir, special praise must be accorded to the men, who obviously worked very hard, and this succeeded in maintaining the balance. Only perhaps on occasions in the closing sequence of choruses was their lack of numbers evident.

The soloists also gave much pleasure. The bass soloist Richard Strivens did not come over as having a powerful voice, but he made a clear and  pleasing sound. It was perhaps worrying that the orchestra might have overpowered him somewhat on occasions. The Tenor, Gordon Pullen, gave us some wonderful embellishments to his arias.  His recitatives were delivered in a particularly authoritative way, reminiscent of the Evangelist role in the Bach Passions. The Alto, Elinor Carter again didn't have an over-powerful delivery, but her contribution was made in an assured and very musical way, which was
most pleasing.  It might have been preferable for the aria "But who may abide" to have been sung by the bass soloist, as is more traditional. The Soprano Gillian Winstanley has a stunning bell-like vibrato-less voice.  She sang with great agility and pureness of tone.  It's not a criticism to suggest it would have been good to have heard the "Rejoice Greatly" aria in the alternative 6/8 version for a change!

The orchestra provided solid support, with excellent playing throughout. Special honours must go to string players, notably the violins, for whom this must probably be one of the most taxing works of its kind in the repertoire, with hardly a note's rest from beginning to end.

It should also be said that it was very evident that the Society is organised with Rolls-Royce-like precision, which reflects well on Tony Woodhead's Chairmanship and his very supportive Committee and helpers. 

To sum up then – this was a performance with which Hoylake Choral Society can justifiably be very proud and should be seen as a highwater mark in its achievements and a fitting culmination to its 60 years of existence.  May it continue to give us such pleasure for many years to come.



Comment 6: 19-May-08 (Erica Bastow - Alto)

CHATSWORTH CHORAL WEEKEND

with Nigel Perrin

(attended by the HCS Alto Sisters Erica Bastow and Di Morley!)

The first day was given over to rehearsing the Monteverdi Vespers (quite an experience!) while the repertoire for second day “ BACH AND BEYOND”

included the following items:     [1-9 by J S Bach)

  1. In Deepest Grief
  2. Herr, Unser Herrscher
  3. Magnificat in D – lst movement
  4. B Minor Mass – Crucifixus
  5. B Minor Mass – Et Incarnatus est
  6. Jesu Priceless Treasure – Chorale
  7. Gute Nacht ihr Wesen
  8. Air on G String – arr. Carolyn Smith (modern interpretation)
  9. Badineriearr. C. Smith (modern interpretation)
  10. Brahms – I waited for the Lord
  11. Brahms – Let all men praise the Lord.

(The ‘Swingle’ elements of 8 and 9 were a refreshing contrast to the main items.  It struck us that these items made up quite a reasonable chunk of a programme.)

One of the advantages of this type of themed  programme is that with fairly short items, it perhaps pleases more people.  The interspersed  light-hearted  numbers were particularly pleasing to rehearse and perform.  There must be lots of similar music out there somewhere! It is possible that we might attract younger singers (and audience) if our repertoire included more lighthearted items.  Just a thought!

Another discovery we made (although possibly Howell is already aware of this) was that much music is available free, downloaded from the internet.  The two websites mentioned (and used over the weekend) were:

www.handlo.com

www.tributek.com

Hope the above is of interest.  We can highly recommend this particular weekend as we felt we learned a lot of good technical tips from Nigel Perrin and we are now looking forward to the John Rutter Workshop Day at Withington in early September.


Comment 5: 1-May-08 (Peter Cox)

Review of April Concert

There was much music that I enjoyed hearing for the first time in Hoylakes Choral Society’s April concert, the Verleih uns Frieden for example, the harmony of which afforded me a frisson of excitement. 

Simon Russell’s Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes combined a happy choice of registers with a wonderful sense of rhythm – not heavy but lilting, and encompassing the phrases.  Bryn Calfaria was a work of much solemn power.  It must be an enormous boon to the choir to have such a sympathetic accompanist.

I was relishing the Cantique de Jean Racine – originally composed for the organ.  It has a touch of Berlioz’s Shepherd’s Farewell about it, the limpid beauty, the gentleness and radiance.  Did it have to be so short?

As for the major work, Faure’s Requiem, I have always preferred this scaled down version to the full orchestral arrangement. The intimacy is better served this way.  I always treasure that part in the Offertorium describing Tartarus and darkness.  The soloist quietly glides in, wonderfully done on this occasion, and soon after comes the Fac eas domine, a really high point for the choir here.

The Hosanna was strong and declamatory.  The Pie Jesu, sung by Lynne Rogers, was finely accomplished.  The Agnus Dei was appropriately quiet and smooth, and the Dies Illa, sung with strength and conviction.  In Paradisum ascended to the aethereal heights, from which it took me, personally, some time to descend. 

The soloists were splendid. Stuart Keen has consistently performed well with HCS.   Edward d’Arcy Hatton’s voice was rich and powerful.  He would do well as Elijah!!!

The conductor and musical director, Jim Wrightson is undoubtedly guiding the choir through one of its very best periods.


Comment 4: 21-Nov-07 (John Steele - Tenor)

Verdi Requiem, Saturday November 17th 2007,
from a singer's point of view

I had wanted to sing this requiem for some years but accepted that the choir was not big enough. Every season seemed to begin with Ted Powell saying to me, "When are we going to sing the Verdi Requiem again?" It was so pleasing that Ted managed a few rehearsals. He had had the CD in hospital for several months and was listening to it, with me in the room, only the day before he died.
Quite early in September I was impressed and encouraged by the gusto, energy and confidence that our sopranos exhibited in some of their entries. It has not always been so. The contraltos are always a joy to listen to. They have a lovely deep, smooth sound. Never outrageous or cocky like sopranos but a reassuring presence. Frankly I was shocked on occasions by the raw, naked, virility that our basses displayed. At times it was a little raucous but it was exciting. The tenors were a disappointment. They were not numerous enough for such a work and that can't be gainsaid.
My regret that we could not manage an orchestra was considerably dimmed by the outstanding performance by David Houlder. The man is a magician. I read that he was not note perfect, but then neither was I. Just watching him play, when I was not singing, of course, was a treat in itself.
The performance was excellent, one of the great and most exciting evenings of my life. We had been so well prepared that I was positively straining upon the leash to get started. I had no doubts that all would go well. It did go well! I'd been intelligent enough to choose to stand next to a tenor who all night long didn't miss an entry, didn't sing a wrong note and, unlike me, didn't have a habit of turning over two pages at one go!
This brings me to our long-suffering, hard-working Musical Director. Just superb, as usual.
The soloists....the mezzo was so lovely and the tenor was splendid.
I only had a few moments of concern all the way through. In the last piece there was a few seconds when I began to worry. I count all the time. I find counting easy. I try to listen to the other parts of the choir and keep together with them. My eyes never leave the Mus. Dir. What never? No never! (You know the rest). In number seven we also had a soprano soloist. I felt she was pulling us apart. Luckily in just a few seconds all was sweetness and light again.
What an evening I had. Thanks Jim.


Comment 3: 20-Nov-07 (Kieran O'Hagan - Bass)
Summary of Glyn Mon Hughes' Review
in
 Liverpool Daily Post

Glynn Mon Hughes (Daily Post) thought we were 'courageous' for taking on Verdi in the comparatively tiny venue of Hoylake chapel, accompanied by organ rather than a full blooded orchestra.  But he was impressed, by everyone involved. 
He gave emphatic praise to David Houlder ("note perfect");  to Jim, who "had the chorus exactly where he wanted them", and to a "powerful set of soloists from RNCM", that included Blake Fischer, who "was especially striking in the Ingemisco Tamquam Reus movement".
As for the choir, he referred to our startling contrasts, from the thunder of Dies Irae and the Sanctus to the pianissimo sections of the Libera me, this last he refered to  "as moving as they were atmospheric". 
He concluded: "A sterling performance, one of which conductor and performers could be proud".

If you want to read the whole article it can be found on the Post's website.


Comment 2, 1-Sep-07 by (Lawrie Schonfelder - Bass)

Verdi in the Roman Arena, Verona

Verona arenaAs a gift to ourselves for our fortieth wedding anniversary my wife and I spent several days in Verona where we saw Verdi's Nabucco and Aida in the Roman Arena.

This has to be the most spectacular setting in existence in which to experience two of the grandest of romantic Grand Operas by Verdi. When it was built by the Romans in the first century A.D., the Arena could have held some 30,000 spectators. After two thousand years it still has 45 rows of marble seats round the oval shaped gladiator pit which now houses the stage and the stalls. When full, it now seats only, (only!) 16,000. In 1913, to celebrate the centenary of Verdi's birth, a performance of Aida was staged in the Arena. This proved to be such a success that a festival of opera is staged there each summer. Many of these operas are by Verdi who was a native of this North Italian region.

The setting is one for which dramatic spectacle and grand gesture is more important than subtle acting and delicate musical phrasing. It is perhaps surprising that a single unamplified voice can fill such a vast space, especially one that is open to the sky. The staging of Aida in particular was exciting. The triumphal march scene, pictured here, was quite breathtaking.

Aida Verona

 Nubucco was musically more effective, perhaps because it has more memorable arias than Aida. The singers all looked the part and all sang and acted well. The staging was impressive but followed the all too prevalent fashion for abstract sets and nondescript costumes.

Nabucco Verona

In both operas the chorus singing was exceptional. With such a huge stage and a vast auditorium space there was scope for a very large chorus and there must have been well over a hundred in this one. In both the big choruses, the Triumphal March in Aida and the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Nabucco, the singing was sensational.

Opera in the Verona Arena was an experience of a lifetime. The drama of Verdi's music, the high quality of the singing and the spectacular nature of the 2000 year old setting was remarkably exciting. The experience has made the prospect of singing the Verdi Requiem this coming November all the more enticing.


Comment 1, 25-Jul-2007 by (Kieran O’Hagan - Bass)

A visit to the birthplace of Verdi, May 2007
‘What in the name of……?’ There we stood, my wife and I, in the middle of an empty road, wondering had this trip been such a good idea after all. We had journeyed by rail from the lush rolling hills of Tuscany, and now, on a hot sultry Sunday afternoon in the middle of May, we stood near the exit of a run down station called Busseto, 25 kilometres North west of Parma.  During the 4-hour, 3-train journey up through the monotonous northern central plains of Italy, we had shared growing doubts with glances and frowns.  We had, ominously now it seemed, been the only passengers to disembark from a two-carriage, 30mph antique, masquerading as an Italian train.  It was the third and final train of the day.  We had boarded it at Fidenza on the main Bologne-Milan line, stressing to the guard that we wanted off at Busseto.  He had looked at us, oddly.  When we exited at Busseto station, and gazed along the desolate Viale Pallavicini that led apparently to nowhere, it seemed as though we had disembarked at a ghost town. 

How could  this be? Busseto (or more accurately, the village of Le Roncole, a mile from its centre) was the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi.  So where was the welcome, for the hundreds of thousands who visit this shrine every year?  Where were the national flag and bunting, or the portraits or statues, of Italy’s best loved, best known composer, who, when he died in 1901, brought 300,000 mourning Italians onto the streets of Milan.  Every town and city in Italy had a Piazza Verdi or a Via Verdi.  But Busseto station said nothing about the man.  There wasn’t even a toilet nor a ticket clerk in Busseto station.  There was graffiti everywhere, and sickly yellow crumbling walls, and a darkened interior less inviting than a Brixton underground.

Verdi Statue PhotoHaving survived this experience, the three day visit improved immeasurably.  We stayed in an old very large farmhouse called Podere San Vitale about half a mile from the home in which Verdi was born.  Verdi would have you believe he was born into poverty; not a bit of it! His birthplace, a house and inn combined, looks quite substantial even now.  It must have had the air of prosperity about it 200 years ago. 

The tiny church of San Michele, where Verdi learnt to play the organ, is only a 100 metres from his home.  It is an evocative treasure trove of Verdi memorabilia.  The church’s history goes back more than a millennium, and is well worth a visit in itself.  You can sense that, despite his lapse from Catholicism, these early childhood immersions in religion and ritual profoundly influenced him all his life, perhaps most manifest in the Requiem and in his final works Stabat Mater and Te Deum.       
   
The town of Busseto claims Verdi as it’s own, having built a theatre in his name, established a Verdi museum of sorts in the home of his most famous patron, Antonia Barezzi, and not least, organised countless Verdi festivals, concerts and competitions.  The theatre is a visiting must, if only to ponder the mystery of why Verdi refused ever to set foot in it, even on the opening night.  It is architecturally, and in terms of décor, a pleasant experience, but it is too small, particularly for the grand operas of Verdi.  He told the town council to go spend their money on the poor, but they insisted on building this theatre.  Verdi’s relationship with the town’s folk was ambiguous.  They treated Verdi and his partner Giuseppina abominably (though normal for the time) because they lived out of wedlock for nearly 20 years.  This is the main reason why they left Busseto and settled in Sant ‘Agata, twenty  kms away.
   
A visit to Busseto and Verdi’s birthplace is to be highly recommended, with this proviso: don’t travel off season, and don’t arrive on Sunday, by train!  


 
 
This page updated 26-Nov-2007
 
 
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