Reviews

Autumn Concert

Sunday 6 November 2011 at 3.00pm.
All Saints Chapel, Darley Road, Eastbourne

Autumn Concert
All Saints Chapel, Eastbourne

GOUNOD FEVER HITS EASTBOURNE

Charles Gounod may be somewhat out of fashion nowadays; but two major performances of his works arrived in Eastbourne recently at the same time. However, I was well-rewarded with his St Cecilia Mass, performed by the impeccable Singers conducted by Aanna Colls.

In fact I enjoyed rather more than a single work, for Aanna began her enterprising programme with Janacek's exquisite setting of The Lord's Prayer. This 18-minute gem is performed but rarely, because in addition to the difficulties of the choral passages it includes brief solos which are beyond the capabilities of most amateur choirs, whose finances don't run to professional soloists for so short a work. Fortunately even Aanna's tenors are well up to the challenge, and the fine organist David Force and sensitive harpist Helen Arnold were on top form. So the afternoon got off to a perfect start.

Helen then played Fileuse by Hasselmans, letting its melody rise gradually from her cascading arpeggios as she painted a sound picture of a spinning wheel at work. This was followed by the first two movements of Gounod's Mass, in which the choral line remained superbly held. In the Gloria, the solos for tenor, bass and soprano were clearly etched against the choral sound.

This was a very suitable point to place the Interval, after which the Credo (with harp and organ) made a strong impact, especially during the Crucifixus section where solos are, as it were, thrown round the choir. Then, in the Offertory, David Force was able to entice some delicate sounds from the organ, before the final movements of the Latin Mass proceeded towards the work's conclusion. There was a good high-bass solo to start the Benedictus, and each choral section was beautifully balanced. Aanna Colls and her Singers drew well-deserved applause, some of which surely was meant for Rosemary Morris who compiled yet another informative and helpful programme.

ROBIN GREGORY

Click here to view the flyer.

Summer Concert

Wednesday 20 July 2011 at 7.30pm.
Herstmonceux Castle

Summer Concert
Herstmonceux Castle

ROBIN GREGORY enjoys a magical evening

Around teatime on Wednesday July 20^th the weather changed. The persistent wind ceased. On Eastbourne's seafront the huge union flag hung motionless. The sea was calmed. A faint, almost imperceptible drizzle refreshed but did not dampen either clothes or spirits. The idea of a concert at the nearby fairytale Castle of Herstmonceux seemed alluring.

That same evening the magic was even more palpable as one crossed the stone bridge and went through the courtyard gardens. The massed flowers glistened with their welcome dew. The atmosphere affected everyone. Strangers chatted; and, when I found I had insufficient ready change to order two glasses of interval wine, two prepayment tickets were forced upon me. Weather like that could stop wars.

Certainly it got to the performers. Aanna Colls's gifted singers have never been better. The soloists gave of their best. Even the applause had a special ring under the gently-curved ceiling of the ballroom. Some of the items performed had been used at the closing concert given by the choir at the Meads Music Festival; some were new. The range of music was immense: from the thirteenth century Sumer is icumen in to John Rutter's 1995 tribute to great, blind jazz pianist George Shearing. Most of the music was as English as the setting: Ralph Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Sullivan, Delius; but Debussy, Brahms, Chopin and Denza were allowed their moments.

Many choirs look as if they are enjoying themselves. In the Eastbourne area we are fortunate that most can sing as well; and under Aanna Colls's direction her small choir is beautifully balanced and capable of exquisite tone. This was seen in four RVW and two Elgar songs, and especially in the offstage unaccompanied Delius To be sung of a Summer night on the water. The Rutter Birthday Madrigals saw not only the choir but the pianist (Francis Rayner) and bassist (David Force) in fine form. Elgar's The Snow had a delicious obbligato played by violinist Anna Liza Rogers. Hugely entertaining was A Cycle round Britain by Goff Richards, a series of arrangements of folksongs ranging from the Londonderry Air (words by Fred Weatherly – Danny Boy) which was sung unaccompanied, to Strawberry Fair where the breathtaking piano accompaniment was delivered with panache by Francis Rayner. This talented pianist was given three much-appreciated solo spots: Debussy's Clair de Lune, Brahms's Second Rhapsody and Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu.

This was truly an evening to banish the cares of the day.

Click here to view the flyer.

Meads Festival

Sunday 29 May 2011 at 3.00pm.
All Saints Hospital Chapel, Meads, Eastbourne

Meads Festival
All Saints Hospital Chapel, Meads, Eastbourne

TRIUMPHANT MEADS FESTIVAL ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE

ROBIN GREGORY hears final concert in beautiful All Saints Chapel

May 2011 had five Sundays, and each was enriched by the musical delights to be had in a setting which most similar festivals could only envy. The Festival Directors, David Irvine and Ian Julier, devised a programme which began with a great international baritone, then presented in order : a young pianist of infinite promise; a soprano who will certainly be a name on everyone's lips before long; a string quartet whose members sound as good as they look; and (on May 29th) a small choir in which even the tenors are first-rate.

The Aanna Colls Singers' well-chosen programme demonstrated that nineteen artists who know their craft and have an insightful conductor can out-sing most vast choral societies, especially in the magical atmosphere of Eastbourne's precious Victorian former-chapel, All Saints in Meads. All the accompaniments were in the hands of pianist Francis Rayner, whose support and musicality never failed. Unaccompanied items stayed unerringly in tune, and the balance between sections of the choir was unfailingly right. Almost every item was in English, and a goodly proportion of the words was heard, though in the resonant building it would have been helpful had crib-sheets been available.

Of Moeran's seven unaccompanied Songs of Springtime from 1934 we heard three, with words by Fletcher, Herrick and Shakespeare. Ideal performances made one long to hear the entire group. Elgar died the year Moeran's Songs were published, and his genius as a songwriter was aptly demonstrated in The Snow and Fly, singing bird with words by Alice, his wife. The tricky piano-parts were expertly despatched by Francis Rayner, and a delightful violin obbligato was provided by Anna Liza Rogers, a music scholar at Eastbourne College.

The Five Negro Spirituals of Tippett really displayed the brilliance of the choir, as they emerged as soloists from the body of singers. Tenors and sopranos soared heavenward with alternate power and delicacy: perhaps the highspot of a remarkably varied programme which even included Andrew Carter's arrangement of I do like to be beside the seaside. This was an evening for all lovers of fine singing, who should be sure not to overlook the recital by one of England's most accomplished young sopranos, Anna Goodhew, at the Under Ground Theatre (beneath the Library) on June 16th. A Summer concert by the Aanna Colls Singers will take place on July 20th at Herstmonceux Castle. Meanwhile, hearty congratulations to everyone involved in Meads. You have set the barrier high indeed.

Click here to view the flyer.

A Feast of English Music

Saturday 9 April 2011 at 7.30pm.
All Saints Church, Grange Road, Eastbourne

A Feast of English Music
All Saints Church, Eastbourne

ROBIN GREGORY reviews SPRING CONCERT BY AANNA COLLS SINGERS

The Eastbourne area has several fine choral societies. The Aanna Colls Singers are unusual in being relatively few, but they more than make up for their smaller numbers. Their close ties to their trainer and conductor Aanna Colls (a distinguished mezzo soprano with whom many of them study the singing art) enable them to undertake works which might over-tax many a group. On April 9^th in All Saints Church they showed precisely what this tight musical organisation can achieve.

The opening work Blest Pair of Sirens by late-Victorian Parry is a good, old-fashioned “sing” in which the choir showed its ability to attack the music as required, here powerful, there sensitive, always in tune, and with words as audible as the composer allowed. David Force at the organ lived up to his name and reputation. The contrasting Ave Verum by Byrd (born 1543) enabled eight choir members to project this exquisite early English music perfectly, the two sopranos so much better than the usual choirboys we hear in this motet.

Britten's fiendishly difficult unaccompanied Hymn to St Cecilia sent everyone out for the interval either marvelling that they had heard so rare a performance, or revising their prejudice that Britten is “too modern for me”. Even some of Auden's strange words were audible. So it was no surprise that the second half, which was mainly Elgar, was a connoisseur's delight.

Song for Athene by Tavener (our modern musical knight) and Finzi's Lo the full, final sacrifice framed the three Elgar items. Tavener was unaccompanied; Finzi had David Force again in fine form. Gerald Finzi (unlike Britten) seldom pulled the natural rhythm of the language about in his settings; and as a result we heard most of Crashaw's words. The choral sound here was as good as in the three Elgar works. One hesitates to pick out individuals from the choir which is so much a unit, but sopranos Lindsey Kirkbright Bish and Gabrielle Manoukian cannot escape a brief spotlight.

A Feast of English Music
All Saints Church, Eastbourne

A stroke of genius was to give pianist, Francis Rayner, four solos, which were delivered with delicate artistry. John Field's Fifth Nocturne made us realize how much Chopin owed to this Dubliner. Our local composer Bridge was represented by Rosemary. Elgar's Salut d'amour and Bantock's Song to the Seals (forever associated with John McCormack) made a delicious confection, impeccably served.

As usual with this choir, we had “firm but friendly” direction by a conductor who really knows what she wants, and how to get it. The programme-notes (put together by Rosemary Morris) were, as ever, a model of information and presentation. I am delighted to see that this group of singers will be taking part in the coming first Meads Music Festival, where they will be performing in All Saints Chapel (handsomely renovated in Meads) on Sunday May 29^th. Don't miss them !

Click here to view the flyer.

The Fauré Requiem

Saturday 9 October 2010 at 7.30pm.
St Saviour's Church, Eastbourne

The Fauré Requiem
St Saviour's Church, Eastbourne

MUSIC WITH FIRE AND FIREWORKS

ROBIN GREGORY welcomes leaner and brighter Aanna Colls Singers

Aanna Colls was the musical mind behind the Counterpoint Choir, many of whose past Eastbourne concerts it has been my pleasure to report. On October 9th she returned to St Saviour's Church as conductor of music by Fauré, Bach and Bruckner. The concert brought together, under their new name, eighteen of her best singers, a small orchestra led by Stephen Giles, and organist David Force, Head of Academic Music at Eastbourne College.

The opening movement from Bach's Magnificat showed immediately that an eighteen-strong choir, if well-chosen and properly trained, can make far more impact than fifty enthusiasts of whom half have missed most of the rehearsals. Six sopranos, five altos, three tenors and four baritones filled the lofty church with balanced sound, and the fine organ was clearly in good hands.

The Fauré Requiem
St Saviour's Church, Eastbourne

Fauré's youthful Cantique de Jean Racine demonstrated the beautiful soft tone of which the singers and the seven-piece orchestra were capable, so it was no surprise to discover that in five little-known (and exceedingly demanding) Bruckner Motets every musical hurdle was cleared with polished ease. The conductor had arranged an alternation of accompanied and unaccompanied pieces, but (unless David Force is the world's greatest transposer) the singers never drifted off-key.

After the interval, Fauré's Requiem was given an insightful performance disturbed only by the unwelcome crashing which too often passes for a firework display somewhere in Eastbourne at inappropriate dates and times. Fortunately by the time Lisa Wigmore's violin was soaring in the Sanctus, peace had returned. The small orchestra was capable of rising impressively to the Requiem's two crescendos, and the solos were beautifully sung by two members of the choir: David Irvine and Gabriella Manoukian. The whole evening was a tribute to the organising genius of Aanna Colls and administrator Rosemary Morris. The printed Programme was a model of information and presentation. This was an evening to cherish.