There was a capacity audience for Tyndale Choral Society’s Summer Concert in Wotton-under-Edge church on Saturday 6th July. Their programme was a pot-pourri beginning and ending with works by Parry. The evening sun streamed through the windows adding emphasis to the choir’s opening words, I was glad: a great shout for joy. It was good to hear the seldom-performed Vivat Regina section; the modulation into O pray for the peace of Jerusalem certainly made more sense without the cut, but I could have wished for more resonant acoustics and orchestral trumpets.

Ian Kellam’s Hymn to Jesus is a modern work, which is certainly worthy of another hearing. It is easy on the ear and is well-constructed. With its overlapping sections this was the only time in the evening the audience had need of the discreetly supplied words. For the rest of the concert the choir’s diction was exemplary. Delyth Mayhew sang the alto solo with a lovely lyrical quality.

In Elgar’s Te Deum the choir displayed an excellent dynamic range and were well-disciplined although there was some raggedness initially at the changes of tempo.

Laudate Dominum from Mozart’s Solemn Vespers concluded the first half. Here Anne Shipton sang with a lovely tone and good projection although there are some breathing problems. The choir provided a discreet accompaniment but the same cannot be said of the noise created as they stood half-way through the piece. The clatter of chairs both here and in the Haydn was audible right to the back of the church.

The second half of the programme began with three short pieces: Mendelssohn’s unaccompanied Kyrie Eleison which showed the choir to great advantage in all sections; Philip’s (also unaccompanied) Surgens Jesus, and Blow’s Salvator Mundi. This last is notoriously difficult to tune and, despite being accompanied, highlighted particularly the fact that there is a nucleus of fresh-sounding sopranos propping up a number of others whose sound is less desirable. Michael Power, the Society’s conductor, is obviously very at ease in this genre and his musicianship and stylish readings of these works gave fresh insight.

The choir ended their programme with two extended works: the first an extract from Haydn’s Creation, the second Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens. For the Haydn, Delyth Mayhew conducted so Michael Power could sing the tenor solos in In splendour bright and The Heavens are Telling. The other soloists were Anne Shipton and Geoff Whiley. I find it disturbing for a conductor also to perform in a concert and on this occasion Michael Power’s excellent professional singing outclassed the other soloists who sang with integrity. In both these last two works the choir were very obviously at home and they are very well suited to this large-scale repertoire - more so than the miniatures. Their ensemble and diction were good at all times, and they sang with obvious relish.

The unsung hero of this type of concert is the organist. Christopher Boodle played almost non-stop giving a highly competent account of orchestral reductions as well as being an excellent accompanist. He played two solo items in addition; Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Major and Cesar Franck’s Chorale No 3, in which he managed to conjure up some authentic sounds from this very un-French instrument. He was very comfortable with the Romantic works and his playing, together with Michael Power’s admirable direction, helped to ensure the success of the evening.

Sheila Cranhome
July 1991