Reviews of Previous Concerts

Schubert: Stabat Mater; Eighth Symphony; Mass No.6 in E flat major D950
St Mary’s Church, Amersham
6th December 2009

The Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society presented a concert of Choral and Orchestral music at St. Mary's Church , Old Amersham on Saturday 5th December with a programme devoted to the music of Schubert.

The Saint Cecilia Orchestra, led by Katie Sharp, was conducted by Ian Hooker and Michael Cobb, the soloists in Schubert’s Mass No.6 in E flat major D950 were Mary Bevan (soprano), Leslie Davis (mezzo soprano), Alexander Sprague and Oliver Johnston (tenors) and Charles Rice (bass).

The evening started with Schubert's Stabat Mater in G minor D175, written when the composer was 18. By this time he had composed quartets, an opera and his first Symphony and so it is not surprising that this is an assured and sensitive work. There are no soloists but he does use three trombones to give solemnity to the orchestral sound. The work was conducted by Michael Cobb, who was awarded the Lascelles Bursary by the Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society and previously helped rehearse Haydn's Creation. He is already becoming an experienced performer as his relaxed and effective conducting showed.

The other work before a short interval was Schubert’s Eighth Symphony - “The Unfinished” written in 1822 and, although fragments of the continuation of the work exist, it seems to form a complete experience even without the last two movements that presumably Schubert had intended to write. We heard a performance that I would consider to be one of the best I have heard from this orchestra, the music was beautifully phrased from the opening cello passage and benefited from a tempo that allowed the many woodwind solos to weave their magic.

The last and principal work of the evening was the Schubert Mass, written in the last year of his life but first performed the following year. The use of two tenors giving a total of five soloists is unusual but certainly the use of the tenors as a trio with the soprano in “Et incarnatus est” in the Credo added added to the lyrical dimension of this central portion of the mass.

The solemn moments are reinforced by the trombones, as in the work that started the evening, and are particularly noticeable in the Gloria, a fugal section in the Sanctus and in the Agus Dei which quotes from Der Doppelganger – a desolate song – that may reflect the composers realization of his own impending death.

The choir sang with feeling and gave an accomplished performance. There seem to be more tenors and certainly the balance of the parts left nothing to be desired. A Thank You to all concerned and especially to Ian Hooker as conductor and Music director.

Bernard Pritchard

 

Bach: Wachet Auf; Hadyn Symphony in E minor (Trauersinfonie); Fauré Requiem
St. Mary’s Church, Amersham
6th December 2008

In company with the Saint Cecilia Orchestra, leader Ed Brenton, Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society presented a varied programme at St Mary’s Church, Old Amersham on December 6.

The conductor was the society’s director of music Ian Hooker for all except for the third work, Cantique de Jean Racine, written by the 19-year-old Gabriel Fauré in 1865, which was directed by David Emerson. A final year student of composition and singing, David was awarded the Lascelles Bursary by Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society, for whom he has been taking some rehearsals during this past year.

The ravishingly beautiful Cantique was performed in an arrangement with accompaniment for strings and harp by John Rutter that was completely musicianly – adding nothing and taking nothing away!

I am sure we will see more of David Emerson in the not-too-distant future.

The evening had started with a performance of Bach’s Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, with soloists Alexandra Kidgell (soprano), Alex Sprague (tenor) and Tom Lowe (bass). The vagaries of the Christian calendar with Easter having a very variable date is occasionally justified, and does enable us to know the year when this cantata – the 140th of more than 200 – was written, namely 1731.

A man of deep religious conviction, Bach has taken Lutheran chorales such as Wachet auf and turned them into works with their own particular glory. This work is a fine and very substantial example of the genius of its composer.

The second work in the first half of this concert was Haydn’s Symphony in E minor, no. 44, known as the Trauersinfonie.

This is one of the 17 symphonies written during the 1770s by someone who was now a master of this form of composition. The clean and musical account of the work, with some excellently played exposed horn passages demonstrated Haydn’s ability to develop fairly simple motifs and musical ideas into an integrated musical work. As always, it had a jolly finale, which never seems to be a problem for Haydn!

The final work of the evening was Fauré's Requiem, Op. 48. It was written in 1887, at a time when the expansive canvases of Wagner were fashionable – but this work is different. It was and always will be unique, with a restraint of writing that heightens its effect on the listener. With the reduction in the number of violins and extensive use of divided cellos in the instrumental writing, the sound is unexpected, woodwind and particularly brass being used only for climaxes. The sections of the work are not those of other requiem settings but emphasise the concept of eternal rest rather than a day of judgement

With the changes to the instrumental writing, an increased emphasis is on the choral and solo singing. The choral society met this challenge and with, I think, slightly reduced numbers, gave a clear and polished account of the work, ably supported by the soloists.

I particularly appreciated the performance of the baritone, Tom Lowe, in Libera Me, the timbre of his voice adding power to the words he was singing.

This was the society’s first concert since the death of Carol Gray, who had been secretary of the society for 25 years and a powerful and constructive voice in the musical life of this area. I am sure she would have been delighted with both the choice of programme and the performances

Bernard Pritchard, published in the Bucks Examiner of 18 December 2008

Elgar: Dream of Gerontius
St. Mary’s Church, Amersham
Saturday May 10th, 2008

A CAPACITY audience at St Mary’s Church enjoyed a fine performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius on Saturday, May 10.

The Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society, soloists and the St Cecilia Orchestra were conducted by Ian Hooker.

I think this is the first time I have heard this work in a church and, although I am not a religious person, the music gained from its environment.

It is a privilege to listen to the work as there is so much of Elgar’s spirit and inner feeling in the composition. He was a Catholic and the original poem by Cardinal Newman haunted him for years.

He even gave his fiancée a copy of the work in 1889, 11 years before its first – and inadequate – first performance.

Listening to earlier works such as Wand of Youth and Caractacus, one can detect the beginnings of the inspirational themes used in Gerontius.

Elgar did not want the work to be classified as an oratorio and when Sir Adrian Boult was considering soloists for the great EMI recording, he looked to the operatic world.

Ian Hooker seems to have followed the same principle when selecting soloists for the performance in Amersham.

The part of Gerontius and the Soul of Gerontius was sung by tenor Richard Edgar-Wilson, who gave a complete and balanced performance of a part that runs through the whole work as a continuous thread. His opening of the second part when, as the Soul of Gerontius, he sings ‘I went to sleep, and now I am refreshed …’ portrayed a sense of release compared with the resignation in the ending of the first part ‘… into thy hands, O Lord …’

The Angel guiding the soul of Gerontius, sung by mezzo-soprano Alison Kettleworth (sic), has some beautiful passages to sing and I particularly remember ‘It is because then thou didst not fear …’ and ‘Yes, for one moment thou shalt see they Lord’.

Elgar has given the bass soloist parts as the Priest and the Angel of the Agony, which allows a great singer to give performances that make one’s senses tingle! Roderick Earle did just that, particularly in his final passage ‘Jesu! By that shuddering dread which fell on Thee’.

The orchestra performed well and the rather reduced string section gave an interesting change of balance.

Although in the louder passages more violin could have been an advantage, the timbre of the quiet passages of string playing had an intimacy akin to chamber music that added greatly to the performance.

Of course the chorus and a semi-chorus acted as earthly friends of Gerontius, assistants to the priest, demons, souls in Purgatory and a choir of Angelicals, who complete this incredible pageant based on the words of Newman and the inspired music of Elgar.

This was a great performance – they even looked evil when singing ‘Ha! Ha!’ in the Chorus of Devils!

Thank (sic) to everyone concerned, and particularly to Ian Hooker, for this performance of music, of which the composer wrote on the score: ‘This is the best of me …’

Bernard Pritchard

Rossini: Petite Messe Solenelle
St. Mary’s Church, Amersham
Saturday, 1st December 2007

The concert was a delightful and slightly unusual experience.

There are so many masses, motets and compositions for chorus soloists and orchestra but probably only one for chorus, soloists, two pianos and harmonium – Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle.

The evening started with a piano duet, played by Christopher Glynn and Timothy End, titled La Petite Fanfare, also by Rossini and one of the last works he wrote in the 30 years he was retired from the discipline of opera composition and living in Paris.

The use of the ‘Petite’ in the titles of the two works by a composer refers to the resources used. The word could apply to this fanfare in a musical sense but certainly not to the mass that we heard in the second half which was grand in its scale, conception and range of emotion.

Next we heard a jewel by Fauré – Cantique de Jean Racine. The text was a Catholic prayer from the 17th century and the music was pure magic written by the 19-year-old composer in 1865 at a time when he as much influenced by the church.

The choir obviously enjoyed Fauré’s melodic line and harmonisation – which gave an idea of what would follow with his Requiem and Messe Basse. The word Basse is translated as low or little and the original version was accompanied by harmonium or organ.

At about the time Fauré was writing the Cantique de Jean Racine he composed his Dolly Suite for piano duet. They are dedicated to Hélène Bardac, who was so tiny when born she was called Dolly. Aspects and experiences of childhood are represented in the six pieces.

There is a large and interesting repertoire for two pianos, especially if you include transcriptions of orchestral compositions, and it is a pity that the expense of having two good pianos at one time, leaves this repertoire largely unexplored.

After the interval we heard the main work of the evening, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennele, with harmonium, played by Michael Wood. Soloists Rachel Nicholls, soprano, Harriet Williams, mezzo-soprano, Philip O’Brien, tenor and Roderick Earle, bass were among the finest quartet of soloists I can remember at one of these concerts, with probably the soprano aria O salutaris hostia towards the end of the work being the most outstanding contribution.

The use of the harmonium introduces a problem of balance and although I had the impression the number of singers in the choir was less than usual, it was still more than the 12 Rossini anticipated.

This meant the harmonium, with its unique sound was only heard properly when accompanying soloists – but it was exquisite in that context.

The choral writing is lucid and melodic and must have been enjoyed by the choir who gave of their best.

Towards the end there were two instrumental sections – unusual – but they formed an interesting link between the Credo, probably the emotional climax of the work and the final pages, which include the soprano aria I mentioned earlier and the final Agnus Dei.

Our thanks to all for another interesting programme.

Bernard Pritchard

Bach: St Matthew Passion
St. Mary’s Church, Amersham
Saturday, 20th May 2006

This was a very special concert, marking conductor, Ian Hooker’s 25 years at the helm of the Amersham & Chesham Bois Choral Society, and how his choir sang for him! It was obvious that every member of choir and orchestra had their heart in this performance, and the applause at the end said it all. In fact, to start at the end, the final notes died away to a poignant silence of several seconds before bringing us back to earth after a stirring and memorable interpretation of this sublime work.

This, to many minds, is Bach’s most devout composition, and usually performed during Holy Week. In a church rather than a concert hall it heightens the devotional experience, and no one at tonight’s concert could have failed to feel uplifted as the familiar story unfolded so eloquently. We have become used to this work sung in English, though the translated words at times sit uneasily with the structure of the music. The technical difficulties of a double choir seem to have been overcome, and the interweaving contrapuntal orchestral parts played with skill and sensitivity.

The Prologue was taken at a brisk speed and the choir’s entry assertive. The warm and expressive voice of the Evangelist, Richard Edgar-Wilson (tenor) complemented the thrillingly sonorous Christ of Simon Kirkbride (bass). The soprano aria “Break in grief” was especially moving, as was the chorale “Here would I stand beside Thee”. Daniel Auchincloss (tenor) and Trevor Alexander (bass), as the disciples in the Garden, showed great depths of emotion with “I would beside my Lord be watching” and “Gladly would I take upon me”.

The soprano Sarah Redgwick and contralto Louise Mott sang with sensitivity, especially together with chorus in “Behold my Saviour now is taken”. Both have rich voices so appropriate to these roles and in this duet their singing, amid sharp interruptions from the choir, had a particularly dramatic effect. The final chorale before the interval bewails the frailty of mankind.

The sorrowful contralto solo, “Ah! Now is my Saviour gone!”, which begins the second part, took us into the courtroom, the people shouting for Jesus’ death and Peter’s denial of Him. There was a hushed pause after the Evangelist announced the sound of the cock crowing, and he continued gently with a sombre reminder to Peter, whereupon the contralto’s reflective “Have mercy, Lord, on me” was impressive in its quiet intensity. In the bass aria “Give, O give me back my Lord” one could sense the disciples’ troubled resignation to the fate that awaited their Saviour.

The crowd’s demand for Christ’s crucifixion is interspersed by a melodic chorale and tender soprano aria “For love my Saviour now is dying”. Upon Pilate literally washing his hands of Jesus the contralto sings the beautiful calm aria “If my tears be unavailing”.

The choir then portrayed the horror the onlookers must have felt on realising how Jesus had been manoeuvred, and the bass “Come healing Cross” was sung in understated tones with viola da gamba adding a particularly poignant timbre. “Ah, Golgotha” and “See the Saviour’s outstretched hands!” were beautifully sung by the contralto. The scene on the Cross was chilling, a measure of the depth of feeling inspired in Bach by the Passion of Our Lord. The final chorus emphasised a feeling of hope, ending a performance that must be counted among this choir’s great achievements.

The subtleties of the changing moods throughout this work – from reverence at the beginning, to uncertainty, outrage and finally despair and sadness – were all reflected in this superb performance. The choirs, including the ripieno choir from Dr. Challoner’s Grammar School, did not falter, and the vocal soloists well deserved their ovations. Credit also goes to the nine soloists from the choir who sang with confidence and feeling.

Special mention must be made of the continuo; cello and two organs, also the remarkable viola da gamba and bassoon.

In all, this was a superb performance, and congratulations go to Ian Hooker, whose achievements were recognised at the end of the concert by a presentation on behalf of the choir.

Jean Pritchard

Dvorak Stabat Mater Ddolorosa
St. Mary’s Church, Amersham
Saturday May 10th 2003

The text of the Stabat Mater dolorosa comes from a 13th century poem, probably written by Jacopone, a Franciscan monk, that is used in the Catholic liturgy. It describes, initially, the agony of a mother watching her son die on the cross, the grief of a parent outliving her offspring. This was a particularly poignant piece for Dvorak, who had seen three of his children die in two years.

Dvorak was an accomplished writer for voice and although his reputation now depends largely on his instrumental writing, he composed no fewer than 11 operas during his career. The music of his Stabat Mater is different to much of his better-known orchestral writing, less nationalistic and based on a more traditional style. I am sure that he had an urge to relieve his family sorrows through the medium that was his natural way of expressing himself and thus we have his Stabat Mater, written in the years shortly before 1880.

The work was performed at St Mary's Church, Old Amersham, by the Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society, with the Saint Cecilia Orchestra conducted by lan Hooker. The soloists were Olivia Keen soprano, Elizabeth Sikora alto, Joseph Comwell tenor and Stephen Holloway bass.

The music is full of emotion as would be expected from its origins and this places a responsibility on the performers. The programme notes comment on "the profound expression of warmth and compassion for the human condition" and this was reflected in the performance.

It was enthralling and one that I, and I am sure many of the audience, will remember for some time. The soloists were outstanding, particularly the two male voices, the bass having a full rich tone that resonated within the church and the tenor revelling in the often high register of the tenor writing.

There are moments of great beauty in this work and moments of drama. We enjoyed a balance between soloists, choir and orchestra, together with a very high standard of performance reflecting the hard work that had taken place as well as the ability of lan Hooker to inspire those performing under his baton. Both the opening and closing sections are particularly noteworthy and there is exciting use of unaccompanied choir, such as in the final section when, after an initial amen, we have a declamatory chorale-style passage from the choir. This has a great dramatic effect before the relaxed closing bars when the orchestra gently repeats music from the opening of the work.

Bernard Pritchard

Selected reviews of previous concerts

“Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral sang with their usual full-throated exuberance”
(May 1997, Bach: St John Passion)

 “What a superb concert, an unusual and ambitious programme, remarkable performances and how lucky we are to have such delights presented to us on our doorstep”
(December 1997, Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms, Britten: St Nicolas)

 “Every word of the text could be distinctly heard. ... The choir was constantly on the alert”
(May 1998, Handel/Elgar/Vaughan Williams)

 “This ... was the most disciplined and stimulating performance I have heard from them .... graced by the unfailingly clear and expressive baton of Ian Hooker.”
(December 1998, Haydn: Nelson Mass, Mozart: Vespers)
 

“The chorus reached new heights of virtuosity throughout the evening”
(May 1999, Verdi: Requiem)

“Congratulations to all concerned for a superlative performance”
(December 1999, Bach: Christmas Oratorio)

 

Amersham and Chesham Bois Choral Society