Douai Abbey was the venue for the Basingstoke Choral Society’s summer concert of Baroque music last Saturday.  Despite earlier rain, the sun shone and members of the audience enjoyed strawberries and cream with a glass of wine in the grounds   before the concert.

The programme comprised music by Vivaldi, Rameau and Handel, which provided a variety of choral and solo works.

The opening movement of Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir proved to be very challenging for the choir but they soon appeared more comfortable with the work and to enjoy its performance.  There was good balance of sound and attention to tone, pitch and dynamics which set the level for the rest of the evening.  Vivaldi’s Gloria was performed with energy and enthusiasm and made a fitting end to the concert.

The soloists, Laurie Ashworth (soprano), Marie Elliot (mezzo) Jeremy Masson (tenor) and Julian Empett (baritone), were all making their debuts for BCS and each performed to a high level.  Laurie’s rendering of Handel’s Silete Venti received rapturous applause, justly deserved.  Jeremy came from the ranks of the choir to give a polished performance in the Beatus Vir and Rameau’s Quam Dilecta, whilst Marie and Julian provided supporting roles of equal quality.

Under the leadership of Helen Cox, and the direction of David Gibson, the orchestra gave sensitive and well balanced backing to the soloists and choir.

The evening closed, in the tradition of the Abbey, with an unapplauded performance of Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring and a final prayer.

Douai Abbey was the perfect setting for this programme and provided acoustics which enhanced the enjoyment of the music.

Marguerite Manasse

On Saturday, 2nd. April, along with friends, I attended the concert by Croydon Philharmonic Choir and Basingstoke Choral Society, held in the magnificent vaulted Guildford Cathedral. This was a new venue for me and whilst I was somewhat concerned about the acoustics of the place, my fears were quickly allayed, once the performance began. This may have been due to the seating arrangements for the choir who were positioned on a steeply stepped platform.

The evening's programme began with a lovely offering by Joseph Haydn, 'Insanae et vanae cure', an extract from an oratorio which he wrote in 1774.This really set the tone for the rest of the evening, a piece which highlighted man's futile pursuit of material gain, as opposed to seeking spiritual enlightenment.

This work was followed by Schubert's 'Unfinished Symphony'. Under the baton of David Gibson, the New London Sinfonia gave us a lovely interpretation of this work. I was particularly impressed by the beautiful 2nd. movement, with very effective use of horns, basses and violins and then delightful use of clarinet and oboe, with variations on a theme.

After the interval we were treated to a wonderful rendition of the 'German Requiem' by Brahms. This was the first time I had heard the complete work since I was involved with a production of it, over thirty five years ago. It is a work which is quite different from similarly named works by such composers as Mozart, Verdi and Fauré - to my mind, not typical of the music associated with a requiem.

I was mightily impressed with this performance and actually wondered how David Gibson had married two choirs from different towns, to produce such a stunning effect. The magnificent soaring chords of the first section were achieved with control and clarity. The dynamics were notable - a perfect blend.

By contrast, 'All Flesh is Grass' began in sombre tone. The score admirably demonstrates the frailty of human nature and the repetitive style of the theme emphasises this. With lovely contrasting parts this section finishes with a promise of better things to come.

The third section introduced us to the voice of baritone, John Lofthouse. For one so young, (I place him in his mid 30's), we were treated to singing of maturity and purity of sound. His voice was rich and fully rounded with excellent diction. He delivered with power and conviction. He deserves to be given wider exposure. The finale to this section was indeed powerful and amazing in its magnitude.

Listening to the section, 'How Lovely are Thy Dwellings', I was transported to another level. The arrangement is breathtakingly beautiful and the choir delivered a virtually perfect rendition.

In the voice of Erica Eloff we were privileged to witness singing of the highest standard. Her control was admirable and throughout her range, she achieved clarity and seemed to have an empathy with the text. A beautiful sound. A voice with an ethereal quality.

The final sections brought together soloists and choir in singing which was accomplished with an interpretation which superbly illustrated the wording of the text. Wonderful choral singing.

I left the cathedral with the echoing chords of this work playing through my mind.  

Alan Gibson 

“A triumph” was how the audience of 700 obviously viewed the concert at the Anvil last Saturday. It was the first joint concert by Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra and Basingstoke Choral Society for over 50 years, and what a wonderful collaboration it was! The clear highlight of the evening was a stunning performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto by local violin soloist Rebecca Totterdell who, fittingly, has family allegiances with both societies. She is now the permanent leader of the orchestra and the rapport between Miss Totterdell and her orchestra and conductor was of particular note. She clearly felt totally supported both musically and emotionally by her friends and the result was a calm and yet passionate rendition of this difficult concerto.

We were treated to a rousing opening work – a carefully constructed performance of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger overture where the dynamics meant we could really pick out all the different tunes and how they interleaved. All sections of the orchestra excelled. This was followed by the first combination of the choir and orchestra under Stephen Scotchmer’s baton – Brahms’s ‘Song of Destiny’. The two societies were obviously completely at ease about working together, as were the Musical Directors, Stephen Scotchmer and David Gibson, who took turns to conduct during the concert. Both choir and orchestra adapted well to the different conducting styles and were totally committed to producing as near to musical perfection as possible. The concentration paid off.

After the interval David Gibson conducted Puccini’s ‘Messa di Gloria’ – generally considered to be the finest of his non-operatic works. The tenor soloist, Paul Austin Kelly and bass-baritone soloist, Nicholas Warden, both lived up to their impressive reputations. Choir and orchestra both demonstrated their versatility in this piece, managing many different musical shades and the bel canto style was impressively mastered.

A most enjoyable evening was experienced by all performers and audience alike. Let’s hope there will be more similar collaborations in the future.

Robert Smith

Choral Society's Requiem is 'deeply moving'

A SONIC jacuzzi in more ways than one! Not only was Gibson’s energetic production of Verdi's Requiem almost 10 minutes shorter than Maestro Bernstein’s, sound pressure levels created by the 50-piece New London Sinfonia (under guest leader Sophie Langdon) reached new heights.

I adore The Anvil, not only for the immensely varied programmes, but the acoustics, which are second to none. The structure, which envelopes the elevated stage, acts like the mouth of a huge acoustic horn so that the sound from the stage is projected directly towards the audience.

I heard every word from the four soloists, in spite of the 193 souls singing their hearts out in the choir stalls to the rear of the auditorium. My one grumble is I wish ambient lighting could be reduced to a level more in keeping with the event.

I was deeply moved by this fine production and must congratulate the Basingstoke Choral Society (BCS) on how superbly it melded with their guest colleagues, The Croydon Philharmonic Choir. I noticed how few of the choir read from their scores. A sure sign that all were well rehearsed.

Nicholas Warden (bass-baritone) is no stranger at The Anvil. Those who saw BCS’ production of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontious in 2008 will remember him in the role of The Priest. I think he is better suited to the Verdi, and to these old ears, his wonderfully dark voice resembles that of the late, great German bass-baritone, Hans Hotter in his prime.

Kim-Marie Woodhouse (mezzo soprano) is another Anvil favourite and, once again, she did not disappoint. She gave a stunning performance, justifying the waves of applause and foot-stamping that she received. I also like the voice of James Edwards (tenor), who never once sounded strained or hard.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the soprano, Erica Eloff. On occasions, she sounded simply glorious, on others less so – her voice becoming noticeably wobbly and insecure when unaccompanied.

Conductor David Gibson commanded his well-rehearsed troupe as though Commodore of the Fleet. His passion and persistence for perfection shone through.

–Peter West