16th May 2009

On 19th April last year, Chester Music Society Junior Choir made their first visit to Hamilton Street Methodist Church, along with the younger group “Preludes”, which was a great success. Under their new name of Chester Music Society Youth Choir, with their excellent new conductor, Helena Thomas, they made a welcome return visit on Saturday evening 16th May 2009, along with the first visit of Voce Scura, a youth chamber choir from Manchester, who sang everything unaccompanied under their fine conductor, Ross Furmedge, who used to conduct the Chester Junior Choir, so there is a close link between these two groups. Also, Helena Thomas sings in Voce Scura, so she had a busy evening! Voce Scura was formed about five years ago by friends from Sheffield University and The National Youth Choir of Great Britain, and now consists of a mixture of undergraduates from Manchester institutions and young professionals. This group is of an exceptionally high standard, magnificently bringing off several works of great complexity in this concert.

Helena and Ross introduced the music sung by their respective choirs, adding interest and, at times, humour to the evening. Stephen Roberts accompanied the Youth Choir, as last year, with splendid expertise, though occasionally – mostly in the first part of the concert – the singers were slightly overbalanced by the accompaniment, possibly due to becoming accustomed to the Church’s acoustics with the presence of the audience.

The Youth Choir opened the concert with a delightful performance of Howard Goodall’s “The Lord Is My Shepherd” (used as the TV theme for The Vicar of Dibley!), with a most effective quiet ending. Voce Scura followed with music by the great Spanish composer of the Renaissance, Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): first, his motet “O Magnum Mysterium” and then three sections (Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei) from his “Missa O Magnum Mysterium”, throughout which the deep spirituality of the music (sung in Latin) was gloriously uplifting, full of expression and with all the contrapuntal lines coming through with great clarity. Then came a group of three pieces by John Rutter from the Youth Choir: “Little Lamb” (from Mass of the Children) – delightful!; “All Things Bright And Beautiful” – full of rhythmic vitality, bright and uplifting; “The Lord Bless You And Keep You” – a beautiful performance, with warm tone and excellent part-singing. Part One ended with a group of four pieces by contemporary composers sung by Voce Scura, in which they shone through the considerable technical demands most memorably! “A Hymn To The Mother of God” by Sir John Tavener (the 65 year old British composer) used six soloists at the right of the Church while the rest of the singers were at the left-hand side, producing glorious, sonorous sounds in an outstanding performance. Natalie Ashton produced some magical solo lines in Eric Whitacre’s “Lux Aurumque”, followed by a really sonorous reading of Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium”, with clear tone and wonderful quiet, very low bass notes at the end. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (The Master of the Queen’s Music), who will be 75 in September) composed his “Lullaby for Lucy” to celebrate the first birth on Hoy in the Orkney Islands (where he lives) for 30 years, and here it received an absolutely beautiful performance, bringing Part One to a wonderful, quiet conclusion.

Arrangements of three traditional songs opened Part Two from the Youth Choir. Heather Heighway gave a lovely reading of her solos at the start (unaccompanied) and end of Neaum’s arrangement of “A Bunch Of Thyme”, with lyrical singing from the Choir, followed by a mellow performance of “The Salley Gardens” in Britten’s arrangement, contrasting well with a rousing performance of “John Barleycorn” arranged by Vaughan Williams. The centre of Part Two was taken up by some lighter items from Voce Scura, thus displaying their admirable versatility: the first two have been made well-known by The King’s Singers: Knight’s arrangement of David’s “You Are The New Day”, and then Carrington’s arrangement of “That Lonesome Road” (Taylor/Grolnick) in which the solos by Nathan Jarvis were excellent, and it was his splendid arrangement of Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love” which came next, featuring brilliant solos from Mark Atkinson and Ruth Evans, and included effective wordless parts in the Choir. Everyone was delighted when Ross announced an encore: music from “Flashdance”, in a fantastic performance!

This was followed by a wonderful contrast in “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” (arr. Neaum) which opened the Youth Choir’s closing group, notable for Shelby Williams’ beautiful, clear-toned solo lines, in a most moving performance. William Mathias’ “Calico Pie” was excellent in its energy (with one of Voce Scura’s men joining Stephen Roberts in a great piano duet accompaniment), and the concert ended with “Video Killed The Radio Star” (The Buggles), which Ross had arranged before he left the directorship of the Junior Choir, and it had great rhythmic vitality and a super comic “throw-away” ending, to conclude a magnificent, memorable concert! A pity only 61 people came to hear this, but they showed great enthusiasm, and John Evans (the Church’s organist and concert organiser) gave a well-deserved closing vote of thanks.

Reviewed by Ian Milnes – 22/05/09

Christmas Concert – Carols Around the World – 19th December (All Saint’s Church, Hoole Road)

Spring Concert with Vale Royal Singers – A Festival of Britten – 20th March (All Saint’s Church, Hoole Road)

May Concert with Northern Spirit Singers – 2nd May (St Mary’s Centre)

Summer Concert – 10th July (All Saint’s Church, Hoole Road)

7:30pm at All Saint’s Church, Hoole Road.

A concert of folk settings and audience favourites, performed by Chester Music Society Youth Choir and Voce Scura, conducted by Helena Thomas and Ross Furmedge.

Voce Scura are a mixed voice chamber choir made up of young professionals and students. The choir was formed by a group of friends from the National Youth Choir in 2003, but finally took shape with the addition of a number of Sheffield University Music graduates.

Other members have joined from the University of Manchester, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Manchester Metropolitan University. We really enjoy having such a diverse membership including a policeman, a nurse, a French Horn player, an international Rugby player and an accountant.

The choir enjoy exploring a wide variety of choral repertoire across the year.

Hamilton Street Methodist Church, off Hoole Road, Chester at 7:30pm.  Tickets available on the door.

Chester Music Society Youth Choir and Neston Ecumenical Choir join together for a performance of John Rutter’s inspirational Mass of the Children, featuring soloists Becky Hay and James Goddard, conducted by William Hay.  Neston Ecumenical Choir will also perform Vivaldi’s Gloria, with soloists Becky Hay and Helena Thomas.

Neston Parish Church, Neston at 7:30pm.

Chester Music Society Youth Choir and Preludes present a concert of folk songs and seasonal favourites to put a real Spring in your step!

All Saints Church, Hoole Road, Chester at 7:30pm. Tickets available on the door.