Reviews

ABERDEEN ORPHEUS CHOIR

CONDUCTOR JANE MURRAY

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Mannofield Parish Church, Aberdeen

Saturday 16th December 2023

Erika Fairhead Piano Accompanist for the Choir

GUEST SOLOISTS:

Emily Gow Flute

Blair Cargill Piano

REVIEW:

From beginning to end, this year’s Christmas Concert by Aberdeen Orpheus Choir, delighting a totally packed Mannofield Church, was nothing short of excellent. That goes for the choir themselves, their piano accompanist Erika Fairhead and Saturday’s two special guest performers, flautist Emily Gow and pianist Blair Cargill. In all her concerts, but especially in the Christmas ones, Jane Murray always manages to unearth some marvellously unusual music for her programmes. You will see that this year was no exception. She is a first class musical researcher!

The programme began with a short Cantata by John Owen Edwards entitled Wassail! It contains three Christmas favourites that cover every aspect of Christmas, the Sussex Carol, On Christmas Night All Christians Sing introduces the religious tradition of the Season, a lullaby carol depicted the baby Jesus in the manger while the song Wassail celebrates the festivities with eating and drinking. What a splendid piece to get the entire Christmas spirit moving. The men and women of the choir were splendid as women and men separately but even more so together in joyous harmony. The piece ended with the choir producing chiming chords. Erika Fairhead’s piano led the musical celebrations enthusiastically.

So, now that we were all in the proper mood it was time for us to join in O come, all ye faithful in the splendid arrangement by Sir David Willcocks – and so we did!

There followed two pieces that depicted the season of Winter, In Winter by Victor C Johnson, which quotes the German Carol Still, still, still. It was the male voices that brought that old carol forward splendidly. Can you have a Christmas concert without something by John Rutter? Jane Murray had chosen two pieces slightly out of the ordinary by him. The first of these was his setting of words by Shakespeare from As You Like It, Blow, blow, thou winter wind. It opened with lovely tinkling piano and near the end the men held the tune with humming from the female voices.

Now it was time to hear from our two guest soloists. They performed Judy Nishimura’s arrangement of pieces from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, very much a Christmas Ballet. Emily Gow’s flute was smooth and florid quite balletic really, as was Blair Cargill’s supreme delicacy on piano.

There followed two Swedish Carols sung unaccompanied, and yes indeed in Swedish. Jul, jul, strålande jul (Christmas, Christmas Glorious Christmas) by Gustaf Nordqvist was richly harmonised with a fine crescendo in the second verse.   Himlen hänger stjärnsvart (the sky hangs black with stars) a traditional carol arranged by Helene Stureborg. In this carol the basses drove the rhythm splendidly.

The next carol was really two in one. Deck the Halls with Holly and Ivy. Emily Gow brought her flute to join with the choir in this great arrangement by Owen Elsley a tenor singer and composer originally from Newcastle. Here there was fine contrapuntal choral singing.

There shall a star from Jacob from Christus the title given by the composer Mendelssohn’s brother to fragments of an unfinished oratorio. Mendelssohn died before finishing the work. The piano played by Erika Fairhead gave a rippling accompaniment. The choral counterpoint was excellent here too and Jane Murray controlled expressive dynamic changes brilliantly well.

Our two guest performers were back with Two Movements from J. S. Bach’s Sonata in E BWV 1035 for flute and continuo. Emily Gow made her flute sing out clean and clear with rhythmic steadiness. Blair Cargill gave us a light dancing piano.

It was time for us in the audience to join in singing again, this time with It came upon the midnight clear. This was followed by the second piece by John Rutter, All Bells in Paradise. Lovely tinkling piano opened, followed by clear female voices and then delicious full choir harmonies.

Graeme Morrice from the choir usually appears as a percussionist. He played bongos in African Noel with choir members adding clapping sounds. It was a rhythmically exciting piece.

After the Interval the choir gave a fine performance of J. S. Bach’s Glory to the Lord. Here was energetic bright and steady singing. It came across as a happy piece. 

Emily and Blair continued with Cantabile et Presto by George Enesco. The Cantabile had romantic free soaring flute. The piano introduced the Presto with vigour but continued delicately while the flute went running forward with real sparkle.

It was time for us to join the choir in persuading Good Christian men to rejoice! Which we did in this splendid arrangement for choir by Geoffrey Atkinson.

The Blessing of Light, an ancient Scottish hymn, arranged by Dr Mark Sirett from Ontario in Canada had flowing interwoven lines of music ending with splendid harmonies from the choir.

Somewhere in My Memory from the movie Home Alone had music by the famous John Williams. He is a great melodist and the Orpheus Choir did him proud with their performance.

The Cradle Hymn with gentle female voices at its opening lived up to its title.

Emily and Blair had chosen two Christmas Carols for their final performance. It came upon the midnight clear arranged by Richard Storrs Willis had delicate arpeggiated playing and a nice change of key, then Silent Night arranged by Ricky Lombardo had smooth flute playing and almost lounge piano from Blair Cargill it was truly enjoyable.

Lo! He comes with clouds descending was our final chance to join in with the choir. Their final verse was terrific.

The second last song took me back many years to lying on my tummy in front of a roaring fire eating my Christmas Chocolates (there was still rationing in Aberdeen but an uncle in the USA had sent them to me). On the radio was none other than Mel Tormé himself singing Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. The Orpheus choir sang a rather more complex choral arrangement by Mark Hayes but for me, it did the trick.

Jane Murray said she wondered if we had enjoyed the programme so far. If there was someone who had not, she said even they would be sure to enjoy the final piece. It was Children, Go Tell It on the Mountain traditional, arranged by Joseph M. Martin. The choir and Erika Fairhead were joined by Emily on flute. Did we enjoy it? We sure did!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

FROM

ALAN COOPER