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The Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society and Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia held their first live concert in over 18 months with a performance of JS Bach’s exuberant Magnificat in B and Joseph Haydn’s triumphant Mass Nelson at All Saints Church, Hockerill, Saturday December 4.
Singing in public for the first time since the first coronavirus containment in March 2020, the choir was in good voices and sang the chorus with verve and commitment. Conductor Richard Brain made sure that everything went at a good pace and with real energy.
The glory and fascination of setting Bach’s Magnificat to music is how he constructed the sequence of choirs, solos, duo and trio, with such colorful vocal and orchestral writing. The five soloists brought a full range of energy and calm appropriate to their verses. The Viola Leonora Dawson-Bowling and the two Sinfonia flutes were a notable highlight of Esurientes and the oboe d’amore brought a “nutty” touch of character to the sound of Quia Respexit.
Joseph Haydn’s Nelson Mass – named after Admiral Horatio Nelson but initially called “Missa in Angustiis†or “Mass of troubled times†– was written in 1798 at a time when Napoleon Bonaparte was terrorizing Europe. From Kyrie’s menacing overture, Haydn demands a lot of singers and performers with a soaring soprano solo – the fine Theresa Pearson – and the three military-style trumpets.
The following movements are festive. Gloria has splendid opening and closing choirs and a central Qui Tollis in which bass soloist Robbie Haylett put together a truly charming tune. The Credo, a two-part canon, was animated with great energy by the choir.
Et incarnatus est is another beautiful melody introduced by the solo soprano and then taken up by a suitably calmed choir, before the Et Resurrexit, put in place with great determination by the tenors of the choir. This choir has one of the best sections of the entire piece, where the syncopated upper vocals “bounce†against the tenors and rhythmic basses.
The following movements bring more challenges to soloists, choir and orchestra. There are a lot of notes to play and very high notes to sing. Sanctus starts off slowly and jumps into a luminous allegro; Benedictus (and later Agnus Dei) launches a challenge to the orchestra’s violins that these musicians have taken up very well, then the trumpet bands return against the choir.
The choir and orchestra carried out this magnificent piece with even more treble for basses, altos, tenors and sopranos.
Everyone was entitled to sustained applause and enthusiastic reception from the public. Well done to Richard Brain, the soloists and orchestra, the choir and committee members, and everyone helping behind the scenes. Live music is back at Bishop’s Stortford!
* The Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society will celebrate its 80th anniversary next spring with a special performance of The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar at the prestigious international music venue Saffron Hall in Saffron Walden. New members are welcome. Rehearsals begin Thursday, January 6 at 7:45 p.m. at Water Lane United Reformed Church. More information can be found at http://www.singwithbscs.org.uk.
David boarder
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