After a warm welcome on entering the church it was clear that the large audience was anticipating an exciting evening comprising a mixture of the sacred and the profane.

The concert was dedicated to Derek Harwood, who had died recently and had been a long-standing tenor in the choir.

Bruckner’s Te Deum opened the evening. As with this evening’s performance it was first performed in 1885 in the two piano version with timpani.

The outstanding feature of the choir’s singing was the very wide range of dynamics with real and sustained pianissimi and wonderfully controlled crescendi.

The understanding of the sense of line that links Mozart through Brahms and well into the 20th century was well captured. Choral entries were clean and accurate and the high passages were very well sung.

Occasionally, the descending intervals after the high passages sagged a bit, but the overall sense of pitch was really well maintained throughout the rest of the evening.

Soloists Charlie Swann (soprano), Lydia Ward (mezzo-soprano), James Botcher (tenor), Julian Chou-Lambert (bass), blended well in the quartet passages.

Individually, Charlie Swann had a particularly clear vocal tone, Lydia Ward’s voice had a pleasing, warm quality, James Botcher projected a clean line and Julian Chou-Lambert sang with a warm, gentler, musical approach.

After the interval, the performers took up the challenge of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, popular for its repeated melodic lines and insistent rhythms.

Six percussionists were added to the forces adding vitality and verve.

The 13 texts were all secular and both texts and music were full of sensual/sexual implications.

Choral sections were vibrant, bright and full of excitement and/or expectancy.

Especially noteworthy were the more-reciting style sections where the ensemble was taut and clear.

The male chorus was excellently blended. The soloists (soprano, tenor and bass) sang with conviction.

Each soloist had a particular feature, the soprano reaching above the stave with ease, the tenor having a theatrical role and the bass alternating between falsetto and a fairly low full voice passage.
All were well performed.

Steve Bowey and Sue Garcia-Serria were the outstanding pianists, energetic, dynamic and pulsating, underpinning this excellent performance.

Full credit must be given to Joe Tobin, who conducted the whole evening. This was a tour de force, a skilled performance of artistic direction of the very well rehearsed and trained choir.

All in all, an evening when everyone ‘on stage’ can take away something to be very proud of.

Bravo Newbury Choral Society – and singing!