Imagine the soaring vaults, the stately gothic arches, the stained
glass windows, the antique grandeur of the stone pillars….now you can
hear this splendid choir in a more appropriate setting than the rather
dead acoustic of the Adelaide Festival Theatre.
Not that there is anything wrong with the Festival Theatre – it’s
fabulous for many things. But it did not do the twenty senior boys and
twelve Lay Vicars of the Westminster Abbey Choir justice.
Nevertheless, it was a privilege to have them sing in Adelaide, and the
faithful chor-o-philes and Anglicans turned out in droves to revel in
their rich sonorities. They are clearly more used to a friendlier
acoustic, but they still managed to thrill in patches.
Under the delicate and restrained direction of James O’Donnell,
Organist and Master of the Choristers at the Abbey, the choir soon
warmed to a sense of ensemble in the crisply sung fugue section of
Purcell’s I was Glad, which was immediately followed by a somewhat
pedestrian rendition of John Blow’s Salvator mundi. The excruciatingly
lachrymose tensions of this piece were not there, so that the exquisite
ball-tearing dissonances were skimmed over, making a rather monochrome
result. Pity. Perhaps the Abbey acoustic might have helped.
But the choir really came into its own in its very own pieces. As
James O’Donnell pointed out, this is the choir of the Coronation
church, and in pieces naturally written for such occasions, this choir
came home. They tossed off a splendid performance of Zadok the Priest
(from the 1727 Coronation of George II, and sung at every subsequent
one) with appropriate majesty, showing off crisp staccatos and neatly
unified melismas.
This is a disciplined and well matched choir. Whether singing in any
number of parts from four to eight, the balance was good and pitch was
always accurate. The pure whiteness of the English treble tradition
was well displayed, although we could have enjoyed a little more
variation in texture, tone and subtlety. The obvious competence and
professionalism of the Lay Vicars (the men of the choir) shone through
in their fine phrasing and control.
The second half of the concert introduced more variety with 20th
century compositions. We were treated to splendidly accurate octave
leaps in Ross Edwards’ Lord’s Prayer, and to some masterful and
sensitive pitch holding by two basses who sustained a pedal F
throughout John Tavener’s beautiful Song for Athene, which conveyed an
almost Buddhist serenity, emphasised by the lighting hinting at an
orange-ness in the choir’s red robes.
One of the highlights of the concert was the superbly energetic playing
of the magnificent Jubilee Organ by Sub-Organist Robert Quinney. He
made the most of this organ’s shrill, metallic registers, masterfully
displaying his talent in Bach’s Toccata in F which features a great
pedal note with complex patterns dancing all about above it. It is a
pity we couldn’t see Quinney’s fabulous fancy footwork, hidden by his
red cassock, but he delighted our ears and spirits with his spirited
performances. He obviously relished bringing out the potential of this
fine instrument’s suitability for these particular pieces. This organ
should be played more often.
The choir came into its own once again in one of its home pieces,
closing as it started with a version of I Was Glad, this time by Sir
Hubert Parry. The complexities of weaving between organ and choir were
well managed, but perhaps they missed the lofty arches. The audience
made allowances, and loved it, and were rewarded with a treat of an
encore – one of the finest performances of the night - in Gustav
Holst’s Nunc Dimittis. And so they departed in peace, and satisfied.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey Australian Tour
Sydney Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House | Thursday 18th October @ 7.00pm Sydney Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House | Saturday 20th October @ 8.00pm Brisbane Concert Hall, QPAC | Tuesday, 23rd October @ 7.00pm Canberra Great Hall, Parliament House | Thursday 25th October @ 7.00pm Adelaide Adelaide Festival Theatre | Saturday 27th October @ 8.00pm Melbourne Hamer Hall, the Arts Centre | Sunday 28th October @ 6.00pm Perth Perth Concert Hall | Tuesday 30th October @ 7.30pm
Tickets: National Booking Hotline (9am - 5.00pm Mon - Fri EST) | 1 800 688 482 or | www.musicaviva.com.au
Avenue Q to open in MelbourneFrom Broadway to the West End, and the West End to Melbourne…the wait
is over and AVENUE Q fans can rejoice that the Tony Award Best Musical
winner will finally be enjoyed in Australia.
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