On Saturday, November 26th. we were once again regaled with a number of musical items, which in large measure had the sea as its main theme.

Basingstoke Choral Society had chosen an ambitious programme which further supported their already undoubted reputation as a collection of voices that are prepared to tackle anything. Under the baton of David Gibson, they achieved an outstanding result, which deserved a much larger audience. The choir is to be highly commended for providing us with a wonderful experience. The evening was a real ‘tour de force’, being arrived at, no doubt, at the expense of a few sore throats in rehearsal.

The programme began with a lovely work by Arnold Bax which was unfamiliar to me. I was quite surprised by the length of the orchestral introduction. However, it did set the tone for what was to follow. ‘The Morning Watch’ is a delightful work which I could readily listen to again. It is a piece of many moods, expressively performed. There were short passages, which spoke to me of film scores – one which sprang readily to mind was the film, ‘Reach for the Sky’. A fascinating work with lots of tonal colour.

The second offering by Benjamin Britten, not one of my favourite composers, nevertheless captivated me. We are all aware of the constantly changing character of the sea and this was admirably demonstrated by the New London Sinfonia performing the composer’s, ‘Four Sea Interludes’.

In the first section, ‘Dawn’, I closed my eyes and imagined the picture of the sun rising and casting its glow on the sea’s surface. Such was the nature of this section.

The second section enabled me to conjure up a picture of a fishing village – the week’s work over and local people preparing for worship in the village church. A peaceful scene.

The third section reminded me of a holiday on the Norfolk Broads, where one evening, sitting in the stern of our boat, I watched the reflection of the ‘Harvest Moon’, being multiplied in the rippling water. It had a haunting quality.

The final movement unearthed further memories of the ocean’s awesome power. I recall an occasion many years ago, walking along Blackpool prom in March. Such was the ferocity of the waves that they were tearing up paving stones. This was a truly remarkable work which allowed for a vivid use of the imagination.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’, ‘A Sea Symphony’, is another work with which I am not familiar. This is a wonderfully descriptive work – I sat there in The Anvil and allowed the music to wash over me, becoming completely immersed, feeling every nuance of mood change. Such is the orchestration and choral arrangement that it became easy to imagine each situation that was being portrayed, in each section. I felt, however, that the final movement was rather lengthy and perhaps overstated!! My personal opinion is that perhaps the desired effect could still have been achieved with less orchestral involvement. Once again the choir excelled itself, though I did detect one or two sopranos who sounded a bit more prominent than necessary!

I was, once again, most impressed with the high calibre of the soloists = baritone Dawid Kimberg, whose voice had a wonderful richness and accuracy and Erica Eloff who, as ever, seemed to effortlessly produce a most beautiful sound. Both were called upon to attempt notes at the extreme of the register and this was achieved with consummate ease and clarity. There were a few occasions, however, when the powerful voices of both were ‘drowned out’ by both choir and orchestra. Something, I feel, which needs to be addressed for future performances.

Another triumph for Basingstoke Choral Society and David Gibson, which leaves me eagerly awaiting future programmes.


Alan Gibson