HANDEL'S MESSIAH

Thornbury Choral Society, under their Conductor Steven Kings, gave us another quality performance on Saturday 28 November, fully justifying the ticket sell-out. Steven Kings demonstrated his ability to achieve musical singing from a choir with many new members, which will no doubt go on to achieve even higher standards. The pace was brisk and lively, giving excitement to many passages, as in “For unto us a child is born.” This made even more telling the moments when there was a real contrast of mood, for example in the menace and punch of “He trusted in God”, and in the sorrowful realisation by the straying “sheep” that “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” In all the fugal passages, with clear directions from the conductor, the entries of the different parts of the choir were made with attack and confidence, and the momentum was exhilarating.

The four soloists sang with notable poise and clarity, and the orchestra accompanied them well, apart from two Soprano solos where the orchestra came too much to the fore. The solo trumpet in “The trumpet shall sound” provided a stirring high point.

This was a memorable and enriching performance of a great work.

Thornbury Choral Society, under its Conductor Steven Kings, maintained its  high standards on Saturday 16th May at the Castle School in two contrasted works, the Duruflé Requiem and John Rutter’s Magnificat.  We have come to expect close attention to detail, singing which responds to the character and mood of the music, and total commitment of  the performers, and we were given all of these in full.

Steven Kings’ crystal-clear beat expressed exactly what he required and enabled the choir to respond with attack and confidence.  This was particularly noticeable in the many exposed and  demanding leads which the individual sections of the choir had to provide. The Organist, Peter King’s spirited precision was in the same energising mould as the conducting, and provided  the exact style of accompaniment which each part of the music required.

The Duruflé was largely restrained and transparent, and the seamless, controlled flow of the Kyrie was notable.  In this context the times of heightened emotion were made all the more telling, with the desperate pleading in the Domine Jesu Christe and the excitement of the Libera Me being arrestingly portrayed.  In the Pie Jesu the mezzo-soprano, Susan Atherton’s solo with Juliet McCarthy’s cello obbligato was beautiful and all too short. 

The widely differing range of emotion within the Rutter was given full expression, beginning with Mary’s joy in the Magnificat anima mea, and contrasted in many places, notably in the quiet reflection in Of a Rose and in the plainsong-like passage of the Quia fecit mihi magna.  The blend of solo voice and choral accompaniments was most moving.

The members of the Choral Society should be congratulated for a memorable performance.

Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” is one of the great war horses of the choral repertoire, and in their concert on Saturday evening in the Castle School Thornbury Choral Society took it out of the stables and gave it a really good gallop! The work is filled with extremely dramatic Old Testament action, and the composer’s inspired writing brings it all to wonderful life, with many familiar tunes.

The major event in the first half is the competition between the priests of Baal and Elijah to get their God to set fire to a sacrificial offering. The choir under their conductor Stephen Kings fully rose to the challenge with ever more exciting calls, ending with a spine-tingling moment “The fire descends from heaven”. The capacity audience were well rewarded for their attendance!

Another fine moment is waiting for the end of a drought, with a boy sent by Elijah as observer to a mountain top calling out what he saw – a part beautifully sung by treble George McCarthy. The soloists have important roles, and the contributions by Wilhelm Theunissen (tenor) and Nicholas Perfect (bass) were both musical and crystal clear – for instance “Draw near all ye people” and “It is enough” with its luscious ‘cello accompaniment. The performances by Sian Winstanley (soprano) and Martha McLorinan (contralto) were however both marred by the use of extreme vibrato throughout, but especially on held high notes, when crystal clarity would have been more appropriate.

The orchestra, led by Bob Chadwick, has a major impact, and generally underwrote the music with great effect; however it was a little overloud from time to time, blurring the overall impact.

There is plenty of power in the Second Part – “Be not afraid” – glorious stuff well sung – the drama of “Woe to him”, and above all the chilling near-horror of the appearance of the Lord “Behold, God the Lord passed by” – all well captured, and with great clarity.

Thornbury Music Club Choir was formed by Miss Pauline Astbury in the early 1960’s, when she was Musical Director of Thornbury Grammar School. This choir was the foundation stone of the present Thornbury Choral Society. She would be thrilled to know that it is alive, well and thriving so many years later.