Concert is fit for a king (June 2011)

HOW do you entertain a king? Celebrate his coronation or his victorious return from battle? The Henley Choral Society gave us an idea this week at St Mary’s Parish Church in Henley.

The coronation of George II in October 1727, although offering some splendid music, didn’t exactly run smoothly. The running order was ignored, text altered and performers split into two groups who couldn’t see each other. Royal events aren’t like that these days!

So in the first half we had the four anthems by Handel performed at the coronation, with two celebratory pieces by other composers associated with the court at that time.

The choir really sang to the audience, good clear words so we didn’t need our heads buried in the programme. They were well balanced, enthusiastic and attentive, especially in O Lord Grant The King A Long Life which they sang from memory and really projected out into the church. The sopranos were suitably exultant for Let Thy Right Hand Be Exalted and the basses sonorous in Justice And Judgement. The soprano Victoria Henderson joined the soloists with a well-sung line which was charmingly rewarded at the end — along with the other soloists — with flowers.

Tenor Benedict Hymas has a lovely, seemingly effortless purity of tone. Greg Tassell, also tenor, has a well-rounded maturity of sound. Bass Samuel Evans gave a compelling performance in which you really felt he was telling the story — a totally convincing rich and sonorous sound. The soloists were beautifully balanced with a good ensemble.

And then came the raising of the roof with Zadok The Priest.

The second half was the Te Deum, written as a celebration of the king’s victorious return from the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 (he was the last British Monarch to lead an army into battle apparently). Musically grand and impressively martial with frequent trumpets and drums, the orchestra competently supported the choir.

It is a dramatic and interesting piece, rarely performed. There are definite echoes of the Messiah which was written around the same time. The choir was not quite so confident perhaps when in sections, but came together in confident ensemble singing, well engaged with the conductor Will Dawes. Rich, solid alto sound in the middle of the texture.

The bass solo in the final section Vouchsafe Us O Lord To Keep Us This Day Without Sin was as though he was singing to each member of the audience, no one was far from his attention. Simply wonderful.

An audience member was overheard to say in the interval “I found it very uplifting”. And so it was.

The next concert on November 26 will feature seasonal music from Britten and Vaughan Williams. There will be a workshop of Haydn’s Creation on September 17. DR

Source:Henley Standard
Published on 27 June 2011