Eynsham Choral Society: St Leonard's Church (From The Oxford Times)

Eynsham Choral Society: St Leonard's Church

2:16pm Wednesday 21st April 2010 in

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Thirty years, and still going very strong: no wonder Eynsham Choral Society wanted to celebrate its anniversary in style. This it did by singing excerpts from some of the many works the choir has performed over the years.

ECS’s musical director, Alison Wilson, has been on the podium since 1988, but she has decided to retire at the end of this year. She is certainly leaving on a high: 28 singers stood before her in 1988, now ECS has over 100 members. She first conducted the choir in Haydn’s Creation, so naturally With verdure clad (attractively sung by soprano soloist Siona Stockel), and the exhilarating chorus The Heavens are telling featured on the birthday menu. Also in the opening group were the Hallelujah Chorus, Zadok the Priest, and excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St John Passion.

All were sung with characteristic zest. But there was a problem: try though he did, Terence Carter couldn’t match the sparkle of the music, or Wilson’s effervescent conducting, on St Leonards’ elderly-sounding electronic organ, which replaced an orchestra on this occasion. Matters improved, however, when the programme moved on to the thicker textures of Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

A programme of excerpts can involve constant, potentially tricky, switches in choral style. ECS avoided this most effectively by placing solo arias between the choruses. For instance, choruses from The Creation and Elijah were split by three Elijah solos: baritone Henry Herford provided a heart-wrenching account of It is enough, while tenor Hugh Wilson infused Then shall the righteous with his open tone. But mezzo Lucie Spicová was outstanding, both in Elijah’s O rest in the Lord, and throughout the concert.

Moving on through the 19th century, Puccini’s operatic Messa di Gloria suited choir and conductor particularly well, while the chronological progress of this exhilarating concert ended in the 21st century, with a spirited performance of Bob Chilcott’s Jubilate. May ECS thrive for the next 30 years!