A wet and windy Saturday evening saw Tyndale Choral Society’s Summer Concert, at the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Wotton‑under‑Edge.

The first half of the concert showcased two works by Kodály: Psalmus Hungaricus and The Music Makers - an Ode. The Psalmus Hungaricus was the more technically difficult piece and the choir rose to the occasion, supported by excellent tenor solos from James Atherton. The diction from both choir and soloist was good and if the singing sagged a bit in the last third, this was not surprising considering the vocal challenge of the piece. All in all, this was a very creditable piece of singing with sympathetic conducting from Ian Harrold and excellent accompaniment from David Bednall. The Music Makers, one of Kodály’s last pieces, was written with student voices in mind and therefore was less technically difficult, but the choir again showed the music had little fear for them. Diction was again good and there was effective use of light and shade.

The second half of the concert consisted of well-known opera choruses. The Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor was perhaps not the best piece to open with as the soprano entry is especially difficult to keep in tune, especially after a break, but on the whole the choir coped well with the demands placed on it. A highlight of the second half was Ruth Fitter’s solo in Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix which ended with a distant, farewell voice from the back of the church. The remainder of the choruses were on the whole effective, though the choir showed signs of weariness. The concert finished with the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves as an encore.

Taken overall, this was a well thought out concert with plenty of variety to keep the audience entertained. The soloists, Ruth Fitter and James Atherton, together with the accompanist David Bednall were excellent and Ian Harrold again was a sympathetic and effective conductor.

Jenny Cobb
6 July 2008

In addition to the above critique, Jenny has given us her detailed notes (but, as they are not for general publication, you will need the ‘society password’ if you follow the link).