Carols by Candlelight 2005
This is one of the long established fixtures in the city’s pre-Christmas calendar. The trick with these programmes is to find a balance between the old favourites, mellow and familiar, and the newer spikier sit-up-and take-notice novelties. In the traditional mode I particularly enjoyed the spirited performance of Gaudete, full of verve and bounce and John Rutter’s beautifully crafted arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas which exercises every section of the choir, taken by Nigel Perrin with pace and real gusto. New to me, but very attractive, were Bob Chilcott’s The Time of Snow, evocative and chilly; and two carols by Tucapsky.
The Junior Choir sang a group of four songs which found them in good voice – and Malcolm Sargent’s arrangement of Cowboy Carol which went particularly well. And we went home to a vigorous Gloucester Wassail with a jazzy encore.
©Bath Chronicle
Autumn 2005 Concert
The real pleasure of listening to live music is that you can never know when something special is going to happen. You can listen to the best composers and the best musicians and, for some reason, remain largely unmoved. Those who attended the performance of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man; A Mass for Peace on Saturday night heard not necessarily the most brilliantly polished performance they may ever hear of the work, but it will be one we will remember with affection probably for the rest of our lives. Quite simply you could hear it touching the hearts of the listeners.
The choir, accompanied by the Bath Spa University Orchestra, put their own hearts and souls into their performance of what is an astonishing piece of sound theatre. If you judge a performance by whether or not it brings tears to the eyes then there isn't much doubt that this concert will count as one of the best of the year in Bath.
The choir had taken a slightly different path this time and gone for popular works by well known modern composers. The fact that someone was whistling the main theme to John Rutter's Requiem in the loo during the interval proved that the new slant had paid off.
After the easy listening of the Rutter, the Jenkins music was hard work for both the listeners and the singers. Hard work for us in that the work reflects all the horrors that man can unleash on the world. We may hear prettier tunes on Classic FM but this is a work that needs to be heard live and in its entirety. The thanks of everyone who was at the Forum on Saturday night go to the City of Bath Bach Choir and conductor Nigel Perrin for giving us the chance to hear it.
©Bath Chronicle
Summer 2005 Concert
A spirited opening – “Cantemus” (by the Hungarian Lajos Bardos) - set the mood. Then three Schubert part-songs – oozing class, and quite beautifully sung. Two lovely songs by Saint-Saens gave the singers their chance to sing pianissimo – in French. “Sure on This Shining Night” (vintage Samuel Barber) was sung with warmth and style – molto espressione. A particularly poignant set of arrangements by Bob Chilcott (“Songs and Cries of London Town”) brought in the Junior Choir; in great form, no copies and every eye on the conductor. Goff Richards’s “A Cycle Round Britain”, accompanied by the Bath Spa Wind Quintet making its debut appearance, rounded off a cheerful evening directed by Nigel Perrin with his own inimitable geniality and expertise.
©Bath Chronicle
Bach St John Passion - 20th March 2005
"Bravo to Maestro Perrin for having the courage to try a different - and not uncontroversial - approach to this great masterpiece. The introduction of movement and colour to this part-staged production gave it a new dimension, enhancing the drama inherent in Bach's music. Designer Pat Panton's imaginative wall hangings were integral to the action taking place against this visual backdrop. It was noticeable too that singing without copies had a lot more urgency and tension - a freedom - than when eyes were buried in copies. The chorales were sung with the confidence and sympathetic feeling which comes from knowing them well."
Excerpt from review by Peter Lloyd Williams in the Bath Chronicle.
War Requiem - 30th October 2004
HUNDREDS of musicians and singers have attended a mammoth performance aimed at marking closure between Germany and Britain following the wounds inflicted during the horrors of the Second World War.
A group of choristers from the German choir, Braunschweiger Domchor, arrived in Bath on Friday to rehearse for the concert. The performance was the last of three that have brought together the German choir, The Bath Choral Society and the City of Bath Bach Choir.
On Saturday night, accompanied by Bristol choristers and the London Gala Orchestra, all 350 musicians performed Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Colston Hall in Bristol. The event was proclaimed as a great leap forward in reconciling two nations whose history has been marred by conflict.
Andrew Clarke, vice-chairman of the Bath and Aix-en-Provence Twinning Association, who sang at the concert, said: "I don't think we had appreciated how much the timing would make a difference, with the Queen's forthcoming visit to Germany.
"That's why the concerts have caused such an awakening in the British press. Our friends from Germany have very much appreciated that.
"The fact we, as Bathonians, have been able to go to Germany and share with them the horror their city encountered in the bombing during the Second World War has been a real eye-opener. And to be able to sing as a common group of people, a very important piece of music that was written to commemorate the war, is wonderful."
Saturday's event was part of a series of attempts to mark peaceful reconciliation between the two nations following the Second World War.
When performed in Germany, victims of the allied bombing raids on the German city of Braunschweig, or Brunswick as it is called in English, crowded into the city cathedral for the poignant occasion.
That concert was also praised as marking an important step towards moral closure with Germany by Sir Peter Torry, the British Ambassador in Berlin, who paid tribute to the victims of the allied bombing raids 60 years ago.*
Meanwhile, during their stay in Bath, the German visitors took in the famous sights of the city, including the Roman Baths.
The concert held in the Colston Hall, on the eve of Britain's remembrance month of November, was supported by the Royal British Legion.
©Bath Chronicle - 1st November 2004
* Read his speech as reported in The Times.
The Forum, Bath - 1st November 2003
The name Emma Kirkby is always guaranteed to draw the musical cognoscenti; her reputation in the early music and baroque repertoire is without peer. And, despite an irritating virus which curtailed her solo cantata, Handel's Silete Venti, she showed us why she is right at the top. The voice is still crystal clear in the upper register, the phrasing gracefully expressive, and the sheer musicianship and dramatic understanding as consummate as ever.
And Handel's colourful Ode for St Cecilia's Day, set to Dryden's words, produced some fine singing from Kirkby and Mackenzie Wicks whose clear bright tenor brought out all the drama in Handel's music. The choir were in good voice, starting without copies - a brave effort - before opening them, no doubt with a sigh of relief, for the splendid final chorus.
In the second half we had the shortened Silete Venti, which gave us a flavour of Handel's facility with melody, and some lovely woodwind to complement the excellent strings and brass from this very impressive Sinfonietta orchestra.
Vivaldi's lively Gloria rounded the evening of with Martene Grimson partnering Kirkby in a very accomplished duet. She has a fine lyrical soprano voice and is clearly a talent to watch. Penelope Davies' rich alto brought style and elegance to her solos.
And the choir, under Nigel Perrin's enthusiastic direction, handled Vivaldi's wonderful musical invention with warmth and skill. I particularly enjoyed the Domine Deus with its insistent dotted rhythms. It was inspirational singing and a big enthusiastic audience loved it.
West End - Wiltshire Music Centre - July 5th 2003
THIS was the Bach Choir en fete, light-hearted, swingy and full of rhythm, the kind of music which choirs of this size sometimes don't find easy, but which showed conductor Nigel Perrin at his most versatile.
The opener, Gershwin's I Got Rhythm took us off to a bluesy foot-tapping start. Then the Junior Choir sang The Selfish Giant, a sort of musical allegory by Jonathon Rathbone and Clare Bradley, with Patrick Henderson as the giant -a very big man with voice to match. They sang without copies and it was a performance of real conviction, clear words and total concentration. Bravo to choir and conductor.
The Choral Suite based on Les Miserables completed the first half. These well-known tunes, in a technically quite challenging arrangement, were given a stylish outing here, full of energy and life, with an appealing encore from the children, Little People.
Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury occupied the second half, with Christopher Gosland splendidly cast as the judge, Bob Hussey as the usher, Andrew Clark as Edwin, the defendant, Henrietta Samler as Counsel for the Plaintiff, Sue Mackay Meakin as Angelina and John Price as the foreman of the jury.
It was done with all the wit and finesse which G and S lovers appreciate - a sparkling performance from the whole cast.
Finally a special mention for accompanist Marcus Sealy, at the piano for the whole evening, moving from one musical style to another with total facility. And he got a well-deserved award for long and distinguished service.