CHRISTMAS
AT BLACKMORE
The
Stondon Singers at the Priory Church
16.12.2014
A
delicate Christmas pot-pourri from this exceptional chamber choir,
directed by Christopher Tinker.
The
centrepiece was In Terra Pax, in which Gerald Finzi encases words
from Matthew's Gospel in a poem by Robert Bridges, placing the Bible
story in an English countryside setting. Beautifully sung here, with
the significant solos – the Poet and the Angel - impressively
handled by Mark Ellis and Michelle Arthur. And
Michael Frith at the organ valiantly deputizing for the orchestra.
A
similar theme in Peter Warlock's Bethlehem Down, which, like Jesus
Christ The Apple Tree, featured exquisitely modulated pianissimo
passages.
Tinker's
own setting of I Saw A Maiden was tenderly phrased, and the
folk-inspired Scots Nativity by Colchester composer Alan Bullard had
a movingly eloquent simplicity.
There
was a new Holly and the Ivy from Matthew Owens, and a different In
Dulci Jubilo, “a multi-layered cake”, with a high soprano line
the frosting on top.
We
had several chances to raise our voices, from Advent hymn to Adeste
Fideles, and the evening was bookended by Es Ist Ein Ros' – first
in the Praetorius original, then in a magical, mystical arrangement
by Jan Sandstrom, its beautifully
sustained
notes floating
up to the ancient rafters.
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