The Tyndale Choir Concert given in St James’ Church, Dursley, on Saturday 12th November, 2005, opened with a work by Sir Arthur Bliss that he dedicated to Sir Edward Elgar. Bliss studied under Vaughan Williams and Holst and, in the Great War, was wounded in the Battle of the Somme and gassed at Cambrai. His war experiences and the loss of his brother in the war are reflected in his choral symphony, Morning Heroes.

The present work, Pastoral, is sub-titled Lie strewn the White Flocks and its inspiration goes back to a visit to Sicily in 1928. It is a setting of a number of rural texts ranging from Theocritus in the 3rd century B.C. to Bliss’s contemporary, Robert Nichols, in the 20th. In his acceptance of the dedication Elgar wrote ‘I like it exceedingly’. Elgar would, I am sure, have repeated those words had he heard the Tyndale Choir’s performance in St. James’ on Saturday.

The work was joyously performed by the whole choir; Debra Blake, mezzo-soprano, giving a beautiful interpretation of the Pigeon Song backed ably by the flute of Nicky King. The orchestra blended with the choir to give a finely integrated performance.

The second part of the concert was devoted to Haydn - it seems right and proper that the Tyndale Choir’s offering in this bicentenary year of Trafalgar should include Josef Haydn’s Nelson Mass (although the Mass had little or nothing to do with Nelson himself). The Battle of the Nile took place in 1798, whilst Haydn was composing the Mass; subsequently, Haydn met Nelson and Emma Hamilton when they visited the Esterhazy household in Vienna in 1800 - thence the connection and the accepted name. Haydn himself entitled the work Missa in Angustiis, which means ‘Mass in difficult or painful times’ - a mass for times of distress. This seems to me a misnomer as the work is ebullient and full of optimism - a feeling positively conveyed by the excellent performance of the choir. The soloists were not to be faulted, introduced by the bell-like clarity of Tina Powers’s soprano voice in the Kyrie. Christopher Monk, remembered from his excellence in Hiawatha last year, gave us a bass-baritone treat with the Qui Tollis. The mezzo-soprano contribution by Debra Blake maintained this high standard, as did that of the tenor, Patrick Briddon throughout.

An excellent concert in which I was impressed by the blending of the voices, the atmosphere of enjoyment and a good, well directed orchestra, that did not overwhelm the choir. The Tyndale Sinfonia and its Musical Director are to be congratulated. I am sure that everyone attending this Concert left with a sense of fulfilment and congratulations are due to all who took part.

Ron Skinner
12th November 2005