CHRISTMAS CONCERTS IN & NEAR EXETER AND AT BUCKFAST ABBEY – DECEMBER 2009.
The choir performed three concerts this Christmas, the first as a fundraiser for Doddiscombsleigh Primary School at The Great Barn in Lower Ashton, together with a concert in Exeter and a service at Buckfast Abbey. They sang the usual selection of carols old and new mixed in with seasonal readings. However, the highlight of the two public events was Britten's 'Ceremony of Carols' and Andrew Daldorph's 'The Seven Joys' carol collection, newly composed carols accompanied by Sue Sherratt on the harp. These performances were both well received and also proved very popular with choir members. The proceeds of the Exeter concert went towards supporting the St.Stephen’s Church Restoration Fund and the retiring collection at Buckfast Abbey was in support of the South-West Children’s Hospice.
SONGS OF HOPE & CREATION - EXETER CATHEDRAL - 31st October 2009
A recording of this performance of Songs of Hope and Creation is available on a double CD priced just £8 (+ £1 postage and packing). Please send a cheque for the correct amount and post with the completed order form . (Click here to access the order form.) Extracts from the CD can be heard on the "Listen to the Choir" page.
The oratorio, Songs of Hope and Creation, was composed by the Choir's conductor, Andrew Daldorph. Here is a selection of comments made about the performance:
“We thoroughly enjoyed the concert on Saturday evening. We were truly astounded by the quality of the music and clearly we were not alone in this.” Audience member
“What a triumph of musicianship, communicaton and inspiration not only in the work itself but in everything else involved in your bringing about the performance.” Choir member
“I find the lines “Be cheerful in everything you do” and “I will show your light to those in trouble” constantly springing into my thoughts.” Choir member
“To find words to describe how much our party of four enjoyed it all is quite difficult. It was wonderful, spectacular, beautiful, entertaining and supremely enjoyable from beginning to end, the cathedral nave providing a truly grand setting. We who live in this delightful county are indeed fortunate to have available your Chamber Choir, such talented musicianship, and your great skill as a composer and conductor. Many congratulations to you all and profound thanks for a memorable experience.” Audience member.
“What a triumph on Saturday! We were on our feet with everyone else at the end.” Audience member
“It was a fantastic evening - I've never seen a reaction like that in the cathedral before.” Orchestra member.
“Fantastic. Fabulous. Phenomenal. Still haven't come down from the experience.” Choir member
“This work is deserving of a wider audience and we hope that sufficient people have become aware of this and will spread the word.” Choir member
“It was quite an evening, and the audience reaction was terrific- well done indeed for producing such an interesting and unusual work in all its diversity- I hope that you can interest other choral groups in further performances.” Orchestra member
“What a wonderful night! It was such a joy to be part of the performance in the Cathedral on Saturday and I know that it had an enormous impact on the audience. My guests had not heard it before and were thrilled to be there.” Choir member
“Thanks for an extraordinary experience on Saturday, the audience were clearly in raptures with the piece, I've still got the tunes buzzing in my system!” Orchestra member
“I just had to email to say how brilliant it was last night.I thoroughly enjoyed it and was utterly moved by the beauty of the work and its contrasts and just loved the jazz bits woven in. A thoroughly wonderful work. The standing ovation was spontaneous.
I loved it all,and especially the "Sing a New Song" with the wonderful Sax playing by Chris Gradwell, so reminiscent of Jan Garbarek.
Really hauntingly beautiful.” Audience member
It was a pleasure to be involved. A memorable concert, and a refreshingly different direction to travel along.” Orchestra member
SUMMER CONCERTS IN TOTNES AND LOWER ASHTON – JUNE 2009
The choir performed two summer concerts in St.Mary's, Totnes, and The Great Barn at Lower Ashton near Exeter. The latter event included a salmon and strawberries supper after the concert in a marquee in the courtyard. Fortunately it was a lovely evening!
Both events included a relaxing yet stimulating mixture of English Madrigals (Gibbons, Vautor, Dowland and Wilbye) and Part-songs (Finzi, Pearsall, Sullivan and Stanford), together with Howard Skempton's Rise up my Love, four sacred settings of verses from The Song of Solomon written in 2005. The choir also performed four selections from their conductor, Andrew Daldorph's, new cantata, Songs of Hope and Creation, which received a full performance in Exeter Cathedral on 31st October 2009. (See comments on the Cathedral concert above.)
LENT CONCERTS 2009
St. Mary’s Church : Totnes
Saturday, 7th March, 2009
St. Michael’s : Mount Dinham, Exeter
Friday, 13th March, 2009
Jesu Meine Freude J. S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
Jesu Mein Freude is the earliest of the Bach motets. It is by far the longest and the most complex in its layout. It is practically a passion setting in itself, ending with an uplifting chorale that reinforces the message of the resurrection.
Miserere Mei Gregorio Allegri (1582 – 1652)
Allegri was a singer in the Sistine Chapel and composed many of his works for the Papal Choir. His reputation rests on the Miserere, a psalm setting traditionally sung every Holy Week : it is basically a simple five-part chant, transformed by interpolated ornamented passages for a four-part solo choir which reaches a top C - rare at that time.
Legend has it that the Pope once decreed that it could only be performed at the Vatican, and only under conditions of special care due to its spiritual power. Legend continues that this monopoly was broken when Mozart (as a child) heard the piece and, from one hearing only, transcribed the music into print form and distributed it from there. Perhaps this is an embellishment, but it is a romantic story befitting the piece.
Mass For Double Choir Frank Martin (1890 – 1974)
Martin was born in Geneva. The details of his life are unremarkable. In photographs he is likened to a cordial pastor of a sleepy Swiss hamlet. He is, however, one of the greatest religious composers of the last two hundred years, with Messiaen his only contemporary rival.
Messiaen, a perfect Catholic, celebrated God with exuberance and panache; Martin, the good son of a Calvinist minister, argued for faith as a constant struggle. For many years, he refused to release his Mass for Double Choir, written in 1922, on the grounds that it was unworthy of the Lord.
Andrew Daldorph writes:
These concerts posed different challenges for the choir.
Buckfast Abbey has a glorious acoustic which is sympathetic to the voice but requires great precision from the singers. We exploited the space in the Abbey by singing Allegri’s Miserere from the tower and separating the quartet of soloists by placing them in the chancel. The effect was quite electric and well received.
Mount Dinham church has an equally impressive acoustic but needs the singers to project the voice more. The Choir rose to the challenge and I was delighted by the performance.
Critical comment:
Andrew Daldorph sets a demanding pace in his interpretation of the Bach Motets but Exeter Chamber Choir were equal to the challenge. He demands precision and gets it!
The highlight for me was the chorale “Guten Nacht 0 Wesen” with a stentorian cantus firmus from the altos through a delightfully lyrical tenor line – it was superbly sung.
Allegri’s Miserere has always been a favourite of mine – I was disappointed not to see the Choir perform but the wash of sound from their distant location was a real musical experience.
Exeter Chamber Choir did more than just perform Martin’s Mass – it was clear that the singers found the work inspiring – they were fully involved in the music and aware of its emotional impact.
Absolutely astounding!
Every dynamic was observed and exploited to the full.
The hairs on the back of my head tingled – and they do now – just to think of it again!
Martin’s Mass deserves a more frequent place in the concert repertoire and it is to be hoped that Exeter Chamber Choir will offer us repeat performances in the future.
Thank you for an amazing concert.
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS IN EXETER AND AT BUCKFAST ABBEY – DECEMBER 2008.
The choir performed a Christmas concert in Exeter and a service at Buckfast Abbey.
Both events included traditional carols sung by the choir and the audience and a setting of Hodie Christus Natus Est by their director, Andrew Daldorph, together with Britten’s wonderful Hymn to the Virgin. The service at Buckfast Abbey began with a setting of O Magnum Mysterium by the Swiss composer Carl Rütti (b.1949).
Two pieces from Andrew’s new cantata Songs of Hope and Creation were also performed in Exeter and the choir will be performing the complete work in Exeter Cathedral on 31st October 2009 (more details to follow). The first half of the Exeter concert also included a Christmas cantata, Das Neugeborne Kinderlein by Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) and the popular Messe de Minuit by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634-1704) based on French folk tunes of the day.
The proceeds of the Exeter concert went towards supporting the St.Stephen’s Church Restoration Fund and the retiring collection at Buckfast Abbey was in support of the South-West Children’s Hospice.
A CHARITY CONCERT IN SUPPORT OF WATERAID
St David's Church, Exeter: Friday, 17th October 2008.
The first half of this concert was an all Mozart programme, beginning with the choir singing the famous setting of Ave Verum Corpus and the Missa Brevis K140. In between these two pieces a string quartet performed the Divertimento K138.
The second half contained just one work, Haydn’s St. Nicholas Mass, which was performed with sparkling rhythmic clarity aided by an accomplished group of four soloists from the choir.
A CONCERT OF POPULAR MOTETS
Buckfast Abbey: Saturday, 20th September 2008.
The concert opened with a sublime setting of the Ave Maria by Robert Parsons, an English Tudor composer, followed by Pablo Casals’ O Vos Omnes and Lotti’s Crucifixus. Fauré’s Pavane, played on the organ by Andrew Daldorph, contrasted well with three Bruckner motets and the wonderful Singet dem Herrn by Bach concluded the first half of the programme.
The second half was framed by two very different contemporary settings of O Magnum Mysterium, the first by the Californian, Morten Lauridson (b.1943) and the second by the Swiss composer Carl Rütti (b.1949). In between the choir sang three poignant pieces from Parry’s Songs of Farewell written just before he died in 1918, and Andrew played a Psalm Prelude by Herbert Howells. The choir also sang motets by Josef Rheinberger and William Harris to complete the programme.
LENTEN MUSIC FOR CHOIR AND BRASS
Crediton Parish Church: Saturday, 19th April 2008.
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Our programme focussed on the sacred seasons of Lent, Easter and Ascension. The music explored the many emotions of this time in the Church calendar including the fear of death (in Poulenc’s Lenten Motets), the ultimate acceptance of it (in Bach’s Komm Jesu, Komm) and wonder at Christ’s incarnation, sacrifice and ascension (in pieces by Gabrieli, Messiaen, Bruckner, Philips and Finzi) all within a framework of musical praise and infectious joy (from Gabrieli, Gibbons and Schütz)! The concert was enhanced by a brass sextet led by Brian Moore and as well as accompanying pieces by Gabrieli, Schutz and Finzi the sextet gave a splendid and exciting account of Leonard Salzedo’s punchy Brass Divertimento. |
Saturday 29th September, 2007.
MASS IN B MINOR J. S. BACH
with DEVON BAROQUE - Leader Margaret Faultless
SOLOISTS:
Rebecca Yates Soprano 1
Tina Guthrie Soprano 2
Frances Bourne Alto
Nicholas Yates Tenor
Thomas Guthrie Bass
A note from Andrew Daldorph - musical director of Exeter Chamber Choir
It is always a pleasure to be involved with a performance of the B Minor Mass. It is a work which provokes all kinds of emotions and can leave one refreshed but exhausted at the same time.
We were delighted to be joined by five wonderful soloists for this evening and to continue the choir’s collaboration with the stylistic playing of the Devon Baroque orchestra. Their leader, Maggie Faultless, gave a virtuoso performance of the violin obligato solo in the Laudamus te.
We aimed for a fresh and lively performance, highlighting the contrast of the jazzy rhythms, but still leaving time to reflect and indulge from time to time.
This concert provided a welcome return for the Choir to Exeter Cathedral following our successful Monteverdi Vespers project in February 2005 and we thank the Dean and Chapter for having had the opportunity to perform such a mighty work in this perfect setting.
Critical acclaim for this performance
What a delightful evening - the first half was excellent and the second was even better - the warmth of the audience’s response showed how much they had enjoyed the performance.
The Choir seemed a little tentative at first, but the Kyrie and the Gloria were excellent and the Domine Deus was delightful - one of the highlights of the concert.
All the soloists were very experienced and accomplished. Frances Bourne’s voice is exceptional.
Devon Baroque are a most professional orchestra, sympathetic to the choir and the soloists. The violin solo in the Laudamus Te performed by Margaret Faultless was wonderful.
Andrew Daldorph displayed excellent control of the choir, soloists and orchestra, with whom he showed great empathy - he must be delighted with the results of his efforts.
The choir really exploited the dance rhythms of Bach’s music. I have not experienced as vibrant a performance of the B Minor as this before, and can’t wait to hear it performed this way again. It was fantastic.
Exeter Chamber Choir sang with a light touch where the music required it yet were equally capable of a large sound if necessary. Their smaller forces provided a flexibility denied to larger choral societies.
The Exeter Chamber Choir's presentation of the Bach Mass in B Minor surpassed all our expectations. It was brilliant! Both the choir and the very talented soloists, all under the direction of Andrew Daldorph, gave the large audience an evening of pure delight - an evening to be remembered.
If I were to be asked for a criticism, I would only say that whereas the evening opened with a warm welcome to both choir and soloists, it was a pity that no-one thought to express the heartfelt thanks of the audience at the conclusion of the concert.