It’s been twelve years since the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral were invited to perform in the Lunchtime Concert series, and the auspices were not good: last time, fourteen of the twenty-two boys succumbed to seasonal flu and the concert had to be cancelled – the only time a lunchtime concert has been called off.
This time, however, fortune favoured them, and they performed a varied programme, ranging from the warmth of Caribbean calypso to the chill of winter, to a highly enthusiastic audience.
They began with the Baroque, opening with a bright rendition of Purcell’s ‘Sound the Trumpet’ from Come Ye Sons of Art, and Vivaldi’s motet ‘Nulla in mundo pax sincera.’ Thence to Jamaica, with local composer Brian Kelly’s setting of the ‘Magnificat,’ which features calypso rhythms in the accompaniment, and was delivered with a great sense of rhythmic vitality.
Stanford’s ‘Song of Peace’ from the Four Bible Songs gave the first intimation of the Advent season, with a brief quotation from the opening of the melody to ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel,’ before winter truly arrived with Chilcott’s Midwinter, a setting of the text of ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ in Chilcott’s trademark sugary harmonic style.
The Choristers then rode a jolly romp through ‘As I outrode the endless night’ before the more contemplative ‘I wonder as I wander’ by Richard Lloyd, a lyrical meditation on the familiar melody.
Finally, the boys broke ranks and arrayed themselves around the Gulbenkian stage to sing the popular ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ in a setting that scattered the individual lines around the singers, grouped in ones and twos; the last occurrence of the partridge in a pear tree needed a second attempt, in order to finish on a final flourish which the young chap singing it forgot first time round, but the audience didn’t mind: he’d sung it so many times around, who could blame him ?
Rapturous applause from a delighted crowd brought forth a lively encore, Love Changes Everything, delivered in ebullient style.
Conducted throughout with great craft by Director of the Choristers, David Flood, and accompanied with terrific sensitivity on the piano by Simon Lawford, this was a fine finale to the term’s lunchtime series. The Choristers are heading into their own musical Christmas rush: we wish them well.
The diploma I worked for last year certifies my passing of the exam ‘examen de la première mention avec la mention très bien’. The actual exam was the third exam you can take in the singing section of the conservatory, and candidates normally present themselves to the board of examiners, formed by professional musicians from France or Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, in their 5th or 6th year. The actual exam is divided into two parts, the first part being more ‘technical’ with a singing exercise and two other pieces at one’s choice.
