The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society's Christmas Concert 2010

The audience for the Guernsey Choral and Orchestral Society's Christmas concert, kindly sponsored by DHL Express, were an intrepid group.  The aftermath of December’s snow still lingered, making for a skittery, halting journey from car park to concert hall.  The challenge of the walk was justified, though, as this was a very special concert. On Friday 17 and Saturday 18 December the Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society gave not only their traditional Christmas concerts but also the Guernsey premiere of Karl Jenkins new work Gloria.

It is far too easy to dismiss the music of Karl Jenkin's as a multi-cultural grab-bag of styles and sounds. The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society performance demonstrated that Jenkins in fact taps into something far more primal, a universal urge to make music, to sing, to praise.  

From the first exuberant burst of The Proclamation: Gloria in excelsis Deo it was clear that this was going to be an assured performance from both choir and orchestra.  Despite luxuriously rich orchestration Jenkin’s Gloria leaves no room for choral error, as many of the vocal leads are terribly exposed. Yet, led by conductor Helen Grand, the whole choir sung confidently, giving great spirit to the joyful proclamation of the first movement.

Choir and orchestra moved as one beguiling entity during the second movement, The Prayer: Laudamus te. Soft, lush singing by the sopranos and altos seductively counter-played  with the strong, purposeful tenors and basses.  The movement as a whole contrasted sharply with the great weltering swagger of The Psalm: Tehillim - Psalm 150.  Grand conducted The Psalm with staccato punches, working the choir towards a monumental declamation of Hallelujah, as the singers beat their scores with their hands.  

After the fierce, taunt rhythms of The Psalm came the cool peace of The Song: I’ll make music, beautifully sung by soloist Tina James, who was supported by smooth, understated orchestral playing.  Reminiscent of a 30’s musical, tinged with a little southern spiritual, it is easy to see The Song becoming a familiar choral work.

The final movement, The Exaltation: Domine Deus, demonstrated the choir and orchestra’s range, moving from bursts of fierce, incandescent praise, to silken interludes, before introducing impish tempo changes where the choir delivered precise, controlled off-tempo singing, building to a cataclysmic and utterly gripping finale.  

Matters took a turn for the festive in the second half of the Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society’s Christmas concert.  Edward Watson’s orchestral A Christmas Medley, conducted by Jean Owen, introduced a classic Hollywood feel, with muted trumpets whisking one away to chilly, steam filled New York streets.

During A Christmas Medley the School’s Music Centre Choirs quietly filed into the stage, joining the choir and orchestra to perform John Rutter’s Go, Tell it on the Mountains and Lydia Pugh’s Rejoice! (The Time of Peace is Here). Combining clear, focused singing with simmering, yet controlled enthusiasm, the Music Centre Choirs are in short a class act, in no small part thanks to the intuitive and attentive direction of their conductor, on this occasion, Rachel Wright.  

The strength of the combined choirs was well displayed in Rejoice! (The Time of Peace is Here). Written by local composer and musician Lydia Pugh, it was originally commissioned by the Guernsey Grammar School & Sixth Form Centre for their Carol Service in 2009.  Filled with intriguing rhythms the piece built to a soaring wall of sound, standing well in comparison to Jenkin’s Gloria.

There was a small theatrical diversion as George Foote once again donned night-dress and cap to narrate Carol-Ann Duffy’s Another Night Before Christmas, orchestrated by Philip Lane.  Captivating in his evening attire Foote parried well with the orchestra, as the soft jazz of Stephen Le Prevost’s piano quietly stepped in and out of the story.

Foote was followed fast on by Santa, who led a wonderfully jazzy rendition of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, replete with a glitter trimmed tuba and swannee whistle.  Played out to his sleigh by the orchestra with their version of Let it Snow! (Jule Styne arr. Charles Sayre), a voice in my ear captured the moment in one word; “groovy”.

A more traditional mood was restored with the choir and orchestra’s performance of John Rutter’s Child in a Manager.  Light and airy in tone it contrasted well with the following rumbustious delights of Willcock’s Masters in this Hall.  Moving at a cracking pace Masters’ is always a test of diction and timing for the choir, yet nerves and tongues both held admirably well.

Choir and audience rose to their feet for a fulsome rendition of O Come all ye Faithful (J. F. Wade arr. Willcocks) before the final volley of party poppers and streamers heralded the riotous, yet still in tune and time, encore of We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  An evening well worth chancing the ice for.

Guernsey Symphony Orchestra - Summer Serenade Concert Review

I must confess a certain trepidation as I settled down in St. James to listen to the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Summer Serenade’ concert, kindly sponsored by Credit Suisse, on Saturday 10th July 2010. More familiar with choral music I rather expected something serious, highbrow and altogether difficult. Igor Stravinsky’s playful and mischievous Ballet Jeu de Cartes tore the first strip off my misconceptions. Written in 1936 and first performed by the American Ballet the three movements of the ballet mirror a game of cards, each movement representing a deal.

A ballet without dancers is an unusual concept, but one which the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra made quite enthralling. From the wilful cacophony of the Joker’s dance in the first movement, smashing through the tranquil flute solo. the stately entrance of the four Queens in the second deal and the final battle between the Joker and the Hearts in the third movement, Ballet Jeu de Cartes quivered with dramatic energy.

Harp soloist Lucy Wakeford joined the orchestra to perform Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto Serenata for harp and orchestra. Evocative of a Spanish fiesta, Rodrigo stated that he wanted “to make the entire work light, clear and joyful, like the harp’s child-like soul”. This compelling piece certainly displayed the versatility and range of the harp. While the harp is well known for its poise and delicacy, it was a revelation to hear the strength and depth of sound produced by Wakefield. This was particularly apparent during the extended and sumptuous harp solo in the first movement. Throughout the whole Concierto guest conductor Richard Balcombe kept a careful balance between the harp and orchestra; ensuring that at no point did the orchestra threaten to overwhelm the harp, but that the music instead ebbed and flowed, as the theme passed between the orchestra and harp.

Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88, which comprised the entirety of the concert’s second half, was stunning. The Guernsey Symphony Orchestra’s performance gave an invigorating immediacy and freshness to Dvorak’s familiar themes. The orchestra, moving as one coherent unit, clearly enjoyed playing the symphony. Vividly evocative of 19th century Eastern Europe, the whole orchestra demonstrated a complex understanding of the dramatic, as well as technical, demands of the work. For example, the first violins led by Roger Coull seemed physically entwined in the music, leaning into the rhythm of the seductive waltz that introduced the third movement, while the fourth movement featured a fascinating, rapid ascent of strings and flute, like the wind ripping though treetops, which was countered by a dominate volley from the brass.

Maybe it is the passion of a convert, but I really feel unable to do justice to the Guernsey Symphony Orchestra. My only advice is, should the opportunity arise to hear them play, go. Drop whatever you are doing and go. They bring music to life and recreate it for the 21st century. They work magic.

The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society - Christmas Concert Review 2009

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.

The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society: A Feast of Music Concert Review

The Guernsey Choral & Orchestral Society's A Feast of Music (generously sponsored by HSBC Private Bank) was a concert of vivid, emotional music that captured the audience from the first roll of the timpani marking the start of Dvorak's Te Deum. The Te Deum, written in 1892 to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in the New World, is a wonderfully evocative work. A sense of Columbus's journey was immediately apparent, as the power of the Orchestra and Choir built wave upon wave of music, giving the audience a feeling of being surrounded by movement, carefully marshalled by conductor Helen Grand. Beyond the mere physicality of the journey one also gained a sense of the joy and trepidation felt by the sailors, as the initial celebratory mood of the Te Deum was undercut with painfully poignant, yearning solos from soprano Helen Groves and baritone Colin Campbell. The choir was key in supporting this, with skilful controlled, tentative, almost ominous singing during the Aeterae fac and Dignare Domine.

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor came next. This is music the Pied Piper would have played (if he played violin). Soloist Laura Samuel's playing was as delicate and beguiling as a spider floating by on a single thread. Soloist and orchestra moved seamlessly under the direction of Jean Owen, playing a game of call and reply as the central motifs were tossed between them. There came a point when I was no longer sure where the violin stopped and Ms. Samuel began; she was utterly engaged with the music. The standing ovation at the end was much deserved.

The evening drew to a close with William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. This is a piece that demands an immediate statement of intent from a reviewer; it is not music one can be equivocal about. It was wonderful, magnificent and grandiose! Cinematic in its scope, it had me gripped from the first chilling, and terrifyingly hard, unaccompanied bass and tenor entries. Baritone soloist Colin Campbell returned to the stage to lead us through this biblical tale of shock and awe, with a stern and forceful delivery. The passages describing Belshazzar's Babylon alone would have made this performance memorable. The abrupt phrasing from the choir jostling with spiky, itchy playing from the orchestra not only gave a vivid sense of a proud, bustling city, but also managed to convey a dark mood of contempt from the singers. This sense of drama was carried by the choir throughout the piece; their clear and emotional singing giving meaning to the text. When the spectral hand appeared to give its terminal message there was a clear, musical contrast between the lavish earlier singing of Praise ye the gods of gold and the brief, discordant, line "Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting".

I was unsure of the concert's title at first. Belshazzar's feast was probably not a party you'd be sorry to miss and I couldn't see how the title applied to the other works. But by the end of the evening it was clear that all the pieces had such presence and emotional impact that it was as satisfying to listen to as working your way through any biblical feast.