REVIEW
Mendelssohn Hymn of Praise and extracts from Messiah (March 2015)
Extract from a review of our concert 28 March 2015
... St John’s Church was well-filled for the first of the concerts planned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the town’s Choral Society. The programme comprised the choral sections of Mendelssohn’s "Hymn of Praise" and a selection of arias, solos and choruses from the second part of Handel’s Messiah, culminating in the Hallelujah Chorus.
This reviewer is ambivalent about Mendelssohn’s "Hymn of Praise". ... the soprano solo "Praise thou the Lord", the still better known duet and chorus "I waited for the Lord" and some tenor solos, contain moments of sustained beauty ..... The soprano soloists, Emily Griffiths (the more operatic of the two) and Ursula Franklin, produced beautiful sound and colour in every vocal line, while the tenor, Edward Coton, made the very best of the drama in the extended solo "The sorrows of death had closed all around me" as well as ‘telling the story’ with crystal clear diction throughout. His singing gave me great pleasure.
The singers of the chorus responded splendidly to the direction of Laurence Blyth, and were sensitively supported by John Young at the organ. Bill McDermott provided rousing timpani accompaniment at moments of high drama... In the Mendelssohn some of the sung quaver passages were rather less than accurate but for the most part the full tone produced in all sections of the choir, and the obvious commitment to the music, was very satisfying. On more familiar ground in "Messiah", chorus and soloists achieved a fine balance. A passing lack of punch in the chorus "All we like sheep" was amply compensated for in the masterfully to "The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory". Edward Coton bore the brunt of the solo work, and made a moving contribution to the whole, ...
A very good account of the Hallelujah Chorus brought to a close this fine concert, a fitting contribution to Wellington Choral’s 75th anniversary year.
James Bradnock
... St John’s Church was well-filled for the first of the concerts planned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the town’s Choral Society. The programme comprised the choral sections of Mendelssohn’s "Hymn of Praise" and a selection of arias, solos and choruses from the second part of Handel’s Messiah, culminating in the Hallelujah Chorus.
This reviewer is ambivalent about Mendelssohn’s "Hymn of Praise". ... the soprano solo "Praise thou the Lord", the still better known duet and chorus "I waited for the Lord" and some tenor solos, contain moments of sustained beauty ..... The soprano soloists, Emily Griffiths (the more operatic of the two) and Ursula Franklin, produced beautiful sound and colour in every vocal line, while the tenor, Edward Coton, made the very best of the drama in the extended solo "The sorrows of death had closed all around me" as well as ‘telling the story’ with crystal clear diction throughout. His singing gave me great pleasure.
The singers of the chorus responded splendidly to the direction of Laurence Blyth, and were sensitively supported by John Young at the organ. Bill McDermott provided rousing timpani accompaniment at moments of high drama... In the Mendelssohn some of the sung quaver passages were rather less than accurate but for the most part the full tone produced in all sections of the choir, and the obvious commitment to the music, was very satisfying. On more familiar ground in "Messiah", chorus and soloists achieved a fine balance. A passing lack of punch in the chorus "All we like sheep" was amply compensated for in the masterfully to "The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory". Edward Coton bore the brunt of the solo work, and made a moving contribution to the whole, ...
A very good account of the Hallelujah Chorus brought to a close this fine concert, a fitting contribution to Wellington Choral’s 75th anniversary year.
James Bradnock