THIS was an unashamedly popular, light programme which certainly matched the warm, sultry evening and obviously had much appeal for the church was full. Perhaps the title of the concert With a Song in my Heart was the crowd puller.

The Tyndale Choir are an impressive bunch and their 60 or so voices produced some excellent singing and sustained climaxes. Equally importantly, their diction is clearly enunciated and I could hear virtually all the words - so important in madrigals such as It was a lover and his lass, When daisies pied and Draw on sweet night. These and others by Rutter were well differentiated by the choir under its ebullient conductor (and arranger) Ian Harrold.

The concert had begun with three folk songs sensitively arranged by Percy Grainger. Brigg Fair had a notable young soloist in Lewis Brown whose tenor is easily produced and characterful.

Three young female teachers calling themselves ‘A Touch of Wind’ played two selections on their clarinets. Placed as they were in the north isle the indifferent acoustics led to the sounds produced being variable and the introductions difficult to hear. The more successful pieces, such as some British folk songs, contained fewer sustained notes and had more staccato passages. But, sorry, I found a certain monotony in the continuous sound of three clarinets.

Ian Harrold’s arrangement of 12 or so songs by Richard Rodgers ended the programme on the required light-hearted note even though several of these pieces, for example, This nearly was mine, is surely an intimate song quite unsuited to a choir. That said, the songs were all well sung and soprano soloist Anne Shipton’s To keep my love Alive received a well deserved encore. Other soloists all did well as did the secure accompanying pianist James Corbett.

The concert ended with that tuneful oldie, A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square - I know, ’cos I was there!

Donald Hollis
July 2005