 Choir Fills Tewkesbury Abbey With Richness And Warmth
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| Tewkesbury Abbey |
It was pleasing to hear a choir singing music which overcame the
acoustic delay of Tewkesbury Abbey.
In his three motets, Bruckner was responding to the vast
space of the great Austrian church of St Florian so we were
able to hear words and music clearly.
Conductor Adrian Lucas has choral music in his soul, and
as tier upon tier of richness rose and fell in sweeps of
sound he brought out the conviction and warmth which the
composer intended.
Abbey organist Carlton Etherington gave a masterful
performance of the first movement of Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata
Op. 65 No. 3, and employed interesting organ voices in Britten's
early Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria.
With piano accompaniment, treble Andrew Swait sang Three
Shakespeare Songs by Roger Quilter with musical confidence.
It is not easy to find varied and suitable repertoire for
the treble voice, and I question the choice of these songs
which require maturity to be wholly convincing.
He contributed appropriately to Rejoice in the Lamb and
Hymn to St Cecilia, two of Britten's enjoyable compositions
for choir.
Adrian Lucas drew fine responses from the City of Birmingham
Choir with impressive dynamic contrasts, refined inner tuning
and impeccable blending of parts resulting in a greatly satisfying
performance.
Anne Dunn in The Gloucestershire Echo,
Wednesday 27 June 2007
Previous review |
... superb clarity and wonderful dynamics.
