It's no simple task to do justice to The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society's Christmas concert, kindly sponsored by DHL Express, in 500 words. The concert has long been more than simply a concert; it is a local event that stands for many as a marker for the start of the holiday season. Just as Christmas is itself replete with traditions, the GCOS Christmas concert has its own set of customs and rituals, from the impromptu visit by St. Nic, to the choir and orchestra’s donning of party hats and unleashing of poppers during the final carol. Above all else, the Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society's Christmas concert can be relied on to draw on seasonal music both classic and contemporary, both uplifting and reflective.
The first half of the concert was devoted to excerpts from J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, a piece that alternates between joyous, fulsome chorales and elegant, poised arias. The choir showed considerable technical skill during the fugue sections of the chorales, each vocal part retaining definition and clarity, whilst the choir moved forward at speed as a coherent whole. Soprano soloist, Tina James, joined a smaller chamber orchestra to deliver two wonderfully delicate, sumptuous arias. Mention also needs to be made of the Orchestra's Sinfonia, which included an utterly beguiling trio from the oboes; notes twisting and dipping over each other. Despite the refined, classical nature of the Oratorio the festive spirit was retained throughout, the choir's spirited call for the audience to 'come now with gladness and welcome the morrow' energising and preparing the audience for the rest of the evening.
An infectious air of impish fun crackled throughout the concert's second half, opening with the Orchestra's rendition of Philip Lane's Overture on French Carols. Written in 2001, after Lane heard carols being played over loudspeakers in a shopping centre at Christmas time, the overture was reminiscent of a classic Disney soundtrack, comfortingly familiar, yet with a hint of magic and mischief abounding through the querulous piccolos, spiky strings and rumbustious brass.
As the second half unfolded I started to take on the transfixed grin of a small child, musical treats piling around me.
As is traditional the second half featured several carols performed by The Music Centre Choirs. Conducted by Jeanette Elder the choirs performed to a staggeringly high standard, delivering several pitch perfect, crystal clear, a capella carols from memory, before joining forces with The Choral Society to perform The Holly and the Ivy (arranged by H. Walford Davies). Interspersed with several assured solos from Choral Society and Music Centre singers, both choirs demonstrated considerable skill as they repeatedly and confidently switched between staccato, off-tempo choral singing, to luxurious, emotive swells during the choruses.
The tenor soloist, Michael Sproule, resplendent in red waistcoat and top hat, joined the two choirs to lead The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy, arranged by Peter Breiner. Sproule was backed by the choirs in powerful gospel mode and an attention grabbing brass section in this piece full of dramatic Louisiana blues swagger.
The Twelve gifts of Christmas by Jeff Tyzik surely deserves to be added to The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society's Christmas Concert canon. It was exuberantly wonderful. An inspired reworking of the more familiar Twelve Days of Christmas, the 'gifts' are the sections of the Orchestra, each playing an excerpt from a recognisable classic, such as Beethoven's Fifth or Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. From the shifts in tempo and key as the Orchestra moved seamlessly between musical styles, to the virtuoso story telling of soloist, Michael Sproule, the whole piece left me smiling at its sheer chutzpah and deeply impressed as to how conductor Jean Owen kept tight control throughout.
Woven throughout the second half of the concert were carols performed by the Choral Society. From the fragile, almost intangible humming at the start of Brahms' Wiegenlied (arranged by Richard Phillips), to the truculent exuberance of We Wish You a Merry Christmas (arranged by Warrell) each of these pieces delivered, both emotionally and technically; not least because the close reciprocal relationship between the choir and its conductor, Helen Grand, meant that at times they almost appeared to move as one entity.
Mention should also be made of those carols where the audience (intentionally) joined in. All too often these interludes, where rusty reticence meets well-practised wassailing, are treated as necessary asides. Not so in this concert! Suffice to say, there is nothing quite like hitting the top note of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing as the whole of St. James's rises up and the brass section unleashes its full might.
As the final streamer fell to drape the bell of a French horn, a small voice murmured in my ear, "Best Choral Society concert yet". That's a wrap in 5 words.
