Thornbury Choral Society is a registered charity no. 277013 and is a member of
This website is powered by:
Serif WebPlus X8
Webmaster: Michael Elcock
REVIEWS
Review: Thornbury Choral Society Concert, 23rd November 2019
It was gratifying to be part of a near capacity audience for the Thornbury Choral Society's concert of works by Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven, all written in within a time span of some fifty years. Conductor Steven Kings must have been well pleased with the choir, who were confident and sensitive to the considerable demands of the programme.
Beginning with the little known “Tantum Ergo” set to music by Schubert in the last year of his short life, the opening of the work set the tone for the rest of the evening displaying an excellent balance between the choir, soloists and the orchestra with plenty of dynamic contrasts. As with the rest of the programme, the soloists sang mainly as a unit and the four voices blended superbly.
Having assembled such a fine orchestra, it was a good idea to allow them to perform an entire symphony. Mozart's “Paris” Symphony (no 31) was written when the composer was just twenty-
The first part of the programme concluded with Schubert's Magnificat in C written in 1816. This is the only setting of these words by the composer. Again there was a very polished performance from the choir and soloists with subtle support from the orchestra. In the middle section (Deposuit potentes de sede) the soprano (Mary Pope) had a more prominent role than the other soloists, and this was achieved effortlessly.
The second part of the programme was given over to Beethoven's Mass in C (op86). A work which is often overlooked in preference to the Missa Solemnis. However, it is no small-
The Gloria begins with a blaze of colour and the kettle drums certainly made their presence felt. The mezzo-
The Credo is a lengthy movement which begins very quietly in unison and crecendos to four part harmony for the words “in unum deum” (in One God), after which Beethoven plays around with various textures accompanied by some interesting effects from the orchestra. The soloists sing the “et incarnatus est”, and the “crucifixus” section which follows is boldly declaimed, as indeed are the words “et sepultus est” where the chromatic harmony is a particular feature. The bass soloist ( Phil Wilcox) gave a fine declamation at the opening of the resurrection section and the chorus was soon back to fortissimo. At “qui locutus est per prophetas” (who spake by the prophets) the powerful unison singing was underpinned by the full orchestra which, even in the dead acoustic of the hall, was spine-
The Sanctus began quietly with well-
The final movement, Agnus Dei, unlike so many settings of the words, did not give the choir a restful finale! In true Beethoven manner, the variety of textures in a relatively short time is truly amazing with the words “dona nobis pacem” being passed between soloists and choir. The music eventually ends quietly recalling the opening Kyrie.
We are very fortunate to have such a fine choir in Thornbury and, on this occasion, supported by an equally fine orchestra. It was to the credit of all the performers that everything came together so well on just one afternoon rehearsal on the day of the concert. Much of the credit for this must go to Steven Kings whose fussless and dynamic direction inspired confidence in the performers allowing them to give of their very best.
I am sure that the officers of the Thornbury Choral Society are grateful for the use of the acoustically dead Castle School Hall, but while enjoying the feast of music detailed above, I wondered why Thornbury still has not got a proper concert hall/arts centre.................…
Nigel Davies