Moving enterprise
Nota Bene, Guest conductor - Michael Vinten, Soloist Benjamin - Fifita Makesi. Sacred Heart Cathedral, December 11, Reviewed by Garth Wilshere
THIS Nota Bene Britten Christmas Celebration was imaginative and innovative.
The first half cleverly interspersed instrumental works with Britten vocal settings. The lively Alla Marcia warmed up the orchestra nicely followed by the attractive A Hymn to the Virgin, one of only two Britten works played at his funeral in 1976. With a semi-chorus adding spatial variety it was nicely sung.
Guest conductor Michael Vinten commenced the Simple Symphony for strings and, by and large, the small orchestra played it well. The setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem in Rosa Mystica was beautifully done.
And the women again were impressive, with good blend and cohesion in Sweet was the Song with a lovely solo from alto Stephanie Gartrell. The whole choir ended, full of energy, with the old traditional text of The Sycamore Tree.
The cantata Saint Nicolas with text by Eric Crozier is dramatic. Britten’s marvellous musical and dramatic sense in the word settings makes it a richly powerful and moving experience to listen to. At times it brings to mind his opera Peter Grimes especially with the sea references.
It is a big work, dramatic and theatrical, particularly evident in Jacqueline Coats’s semi-staged interpretation using the whole body of the church to excellent effect.
From tenor Benjamin Makisi’s resonating entrance down the aisle as St Nicolas singing to spine-tingling effect the atmosphere was set in what was an involving performance. Semi-choir contributions from selected parts of the church, added to the interest.
The orchestral score is consistently interesting and the players really captured the spirit, the exhilarating combination of choir and orchestra.
Of the players the percussion and the four hands piano playing stood out with sturdy and mostly reliable string support.
The three young trebles Mark Wriggleworth, Roman Dunford and Marcus Millad from the St Paul’s Cathedral Choristers were especially distinctive and very fine as young Nicolas, and the Pickled Boys.
Impressively burnished of tone, tenor Makisi cut a fine figure in the pivotal role of Saint Nicolas. His tenor voice has flexibility and he used tonal colour and inflexion with excellent dramatic understanding.
The whole was a moving enterprise and although the performance was not perfect, it was quite an achievement.
THIS Nota Bene Britten Christmas Celebration was imaginative and innovative.
The first half cleverly interspersed instrumental works with Britten vocal settings. The lively Alla Marcia warmed up the orchestra nicely followed by the attractive A Hymn to the Virgin, one of only two Britten works played at his funeral in 1976. With a semi-chorus adding spatial variety it was nicely sung.
Guest conductor Michael Vinten commenced the Simple Symphony for strings and, by and large, the small orchestra played it well. The setting of Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem in Rosa Mystica was beautifully done.
And the women again were impressive, with good blend and cohesion in Sweet was the Song with a lovely solo from alto Stephanie Gartrell. The whole choir ended, full of energy, with the old traditional text of The Sycamore Tree.
The cantata Saint Nicolas with text by Eric Crozier is dramatic. Britten’s marvellous musical and dramatic sense in the word settings makes it a richly powerful and moving experience to listen to. At times it brings to mind his opera Peter Grimes especially with the sea references.
It is a big work, dramatic and theatrical, particularly evident in Jacqueline Coats’s semi-staged interpretation using the whole body of the church to excellent effect.
From tenor Benjamin Makisi’s resonating entrance down the aisle as St Nicolas singing to spine-tingling effect the atmosphere was set in what was an involving performance. Semi-choir contributions from selected parts of the church, added to the interest.
The orchestral score is consistently interesting and the players really captured the spirit, the exhilarating combination of choir and orchestra.
Of the players the percussion and the four hands piano playing stood out with sturdy and mostly reliable string support.
The three young trebles Mark Wriggleworth, Roman Dunford and Marcus Millad from the St Paul’s Cathedral Choristers were especially distinctive and very fine as young Nicolas, and the Pickled Boys.
Impressively burnished of tone, tenor Makisi cut a fine figure in the pivotal role of Saint Nicolas. His tenor voice has flexibility and he used tonal colour and inflexion with excellent dramatic understanding.
The whole was a moving enterprise and although the performance was not perfect, it was quite an achievement.
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