SOMERSET Chamber Choir's recent concert at King's College Chapel in Taunton refreshed the senses for the New Year.
Tempting fare and exemplary performances make these
evenings irresistable and as expected things were well up to the mark. Edward Elgar's
'Te Deum' and 'Benedictus' always impress but are somehow too contrived, leaving
many a listener dissatisfied. Here the choir's complete assurance must have won Sir
Edward still more converts and it certainly whet the appetite for the music still
to come.
Vaughan Willimas' Mass in G next, undoubtedly a masterpiece and just
the music to demonstrate the chamber choir's quality and versatility. Soprano Megan
Howell's pure vocal line sat pleasingly amidst the choral complexities surrounding
it and but for some nerves from tenot Jon English was in every way a satisfying experience
with many glorious moments.
Finer still was the Brahms' Fest-und-gedenkespruche,
op.109, which produced some sheer magic, notably in the third motet. If evidence
were needed it was here and in full measure.
The presence of organist Richard
Pearce is another reason why these concerts are a must and I admit to sitting through
Durufle's Choral varie sur le Theme due veni Creator with a huge smile on my face.
Such virtuosity is worth coming a long way to hear and we had a double dose, for
in Kodaly's Laudes Organi the interludesdemanded attention. The choir too revelled
in this rhythmic and vital composition, giing it immediacy which made it totally
convincing.
Add an encore, a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine, and you have
a most positive start to 1997
PHILIP KNIGHTON