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)
- In Deepest Grief
- Herr, Unser Herrscher
- Magnificat
in D – lst movement
- B Minor Mass –
Crucifixus
- B Minor Mass – Et
Incarnatus est
- Jesu
Priceless Treasure – Chorale
- Gute
Nacht ihr Wesen
- Air on G String –
arr. Carolyn Smith (modern
interpretation)
- Badinerie –
arr. C. Smith (modern
interpretation)
- Brahms – I waited
for the Lord
- 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
 As 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.
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.
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.
 Having 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!
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