Category: Review

John Gibbons, our musical director, once again put together a magical sequence of pieces for this concert, this time matching the darker aspects of life with ones of hope and aspiration.

The evening opened with the energy of Stanford’s Magnificat lifting the building, the audience, and the choir. This was followed by the beautiful and intricate Mass for Double Choir by Frank Martin filling 9th Century Lady Chapel with swooping praise. After the intermission there was the haunting poem “Why?” by Emily Dickenson, set to music by John himself. Following this with George Lloyd’s setting of Psalm 130 “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee” was a poignant and deeply beautiful reminiscence of his experiences of surviving the sinking of his ship, the loss of comrades and the fragility of life. And then ending the concert we had the lovely “Lark Ascending” – a choral work of the original poem by George Meredith, which inspired Vaughan Williams and then re-arranged by Paul Drayton – the violin solo was played by our very own Jenny Wigram and as the last notes lifted into the rafters you could hear a pin drop in the Abbey. A superb evening.

Some Audience comments:

What a wonderful concert. Blown away by the arrangement of Lark Ascending, and we’re going to take a deeper dive into George Lloyd

A level music student Alexander was a little exercised that George Lloyd had written three symphonies by the age of 19!😂

Why?: very atmospheric. Re the concert: … truly wonderful concert. I really enjoyed it. You were all so good.

Details

A concert of hope and optimism with uplifting pieces of music from European composers spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, including Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, composed in 1914 and most commonly heard in the orchestral version with beautiful solo violin. Paul Drayton’s arrangement transcribes the orchestral accompaniment into an intricate vocal web using the words of the poem by George Meredith that were the inspiration for the original work. Regularly in the top three of the Classic FM ‘Hall of Fame’, the work is also used heavily in film and TV, even as accompaniment to a poignant moment in Coronation Street.  

Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir, written in 1922, is one of the great masterpieces of unaccompanied choral music. Fervently religious, Martin initially considered it as a work just for himself and God and kept it in a drawer. Only in the 1960s was it premiered. 

In the 1930s George Lloyd was hailed, alongside Britten, as one of the great talents of the age. He nearly died during WWII as a Royal Marine on HMS Trinidad doing Arctic Convoys to Murmansk. His late setting of Psalm 130 ‘Out of the depths have I cried unto thee’ is a poignant and deeply beautiful reminiscence of his experiences of surviving the sinking of his ship, the loss of comrades and the fragility of life.  

The final piece is Stanford’s wonderful setting of the Magnificat, in Latin, for double choir. Known in Cathedrals for many arrangements of the Evening Canticles, this version is notable for its luxurious sound world, soaring melodies and rich harmonic textures. A glorious statement of hope and light in a world full of darkness. 

Vaughan Williams/Paul Drayton – The Lark Ascending
Frank Martin – Mass for double choir
Why – Emily Dickinson / John Gibbons
George Lloyd – Psalm 130
Stanford – Magnificat for double choir

Performance Review

Amongst the rest of the programme, the choir had the pleasure of performing “Polaris”, a lyric by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage set to an original tune by St Albans teenager Rebecca, it won the Radio 3 Carol Competition 2023.

Rebecca pictured with our Musical Director John Gibbons and Choir Admin Suzie Renshaw

One of our audience had this to say – “St Saviour’s is a beautiful concert venue, with fairy lights strung across the nave.  It can be chilly though – and a cup of mulled wine was an inspirational idea to help warm the audience on arrival –  and St Albans Chamber Choir certainly further warmed our spirits with their singing.  The Choir was on excellent form with all voices and parts blending well together.  The programme was varied, ranging from the sixteenth century right up to 2023 with John Gibbons’ introductions adding both background context and insight. The concert opened with Peter Cornelius’ well known “The Kings” , the solo part beautifully sung by Ralph Penny.  We were then treated to a performance of the winning carol in BBC Radio 3’s 2023 Carol Competition Junior Category – a setting of Simon Armitage’s Polaris by Rebecca from St Albans. This was enchanting, superbly accompanied by choir-member, Susie Renshaw, and it was particularly special to have Rebecca and her family in the audience.  Other highlights for this audience member included Morton Lauridsen’s  “O magnum mysterium” , Elizabeth Poston’s “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” and John Tavener’s “The Lamb”.  These were goose-bump inducing with their clarity and musical sensitivity.  Howard Goodall’s “Romance of the Epiphany”, by contrast, showcased the joyful, almost playful side to the Choir, leaving the audience tapping their toes.  The Choir’s energy was sustained throughout the programme and their enjoyment of the music was evident – not surprising when they produced such a beautiful sound.”

Original Description

Celebrating Epiphany – when a star led the Magi to Bethlehem  – this concert is full of joy and hope to reflect on the meaning of Christmas and kick off the new year with a festive selection of music and carols spanning the centuries.

We’re pleased to be given an opportunity to perform “Polaris” with music composed by a local St Albans resident – Rebecca composed the piece to accompany the poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, and in the process, at 13 years of age, this year became the youngest ever winner of the BBC Radio 3 Carol Competition.

Dating from the time of Mary I, Missa Puer natus est nobis by Thomas Tallis was unusual at the time. Written for 7 voice parts, rather than 5 and without switching between solo and chorus, the mass provides a rich sound with dramatic effects throughout.

Twentieth century delights include Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock, written in 1927 together with poet Bruce Blunt, apparently to raise some money for Christmas drinking funds! John Tavener(the modern one) also took the words of a poem and set William Blake’s the Lamb to music in just 15 minutes, packing it full of unconventional harmony and interlocking lines.

Morten Lauridsen, the American mystic composer, sensitively and spiritually tells the story of the birth of Jesus in his composition O Magnum Mysterium, based on a Gregorian chant traditionally used for vigil on Christmas Day. Just slightly more contemporary, written in 2000, we sing the joyful and uplifting carol Romance of the Epiphany by Howard Goodall.

Please join us in the church hall after the concert for tea and cakes post concert.

Polaris – Rebecca
Peter Cornelius – The 3 Kings
Arnold Bax – I sing of a maiden
Thomas Tallis – Mass: Puer natus est nobis, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
Peter Warlock – Bethlehem Down
Marenzio/Palestrina – Tribus Maraculis
Morten Lauridsen – O Magnum Mysterium
Elizabeth Poston – Jesus Christ the apple tree
Andrew Carter – 12 days of Christmas
Howard Goodall – Romance of the Epiphany