St. Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall, Saturday 14th December 2013.
David Wood has reviewed our Christmas Concert. He writes:
In recent years, Witham Choral Society have performed many gems of the choral repertoire, with first rate renditions of Messiah, Elijah and the St. John Passion.
Their seasonal offering was another gem: J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Wisely, however, they made judicious cuts to this unwieldy opus, and threw in some Hoist, Berlioz and popular carols for good measure.
The opening chorus of the oratorio, Christians Be Joyful! was, indeed, a joy.
There was a resplendent sound from the choir, echoed by the tuneful timpani. The choral sound was responsive and fresh throughout the performance, and the assembled team of soloists were, as usual, on top form. As the Evangelist, Paul Hazelgrove-Spurin (tenor) fluently mastered the demands of Bach’s high writing; Elaine Henson (mezzo soprano) sang with warmth and feeling; and Richard Fallas (bass) delighted the audience with his resonant tones.
Hot off the press, the choir, orchestra and soloists gave a colourful account of Peter Lawson’s arrangement of four carols by Gustav Hoist. The familiar tune of In The Bleak Midwinter was given a lively makeover, making the poignant performance of Lullay My Liking all the more effective.
The orchestra gave an atmospheric rendition of the overture from The Flight Into Egypt by Hector Berlioz, followed by a controlled and moving account of Thou Must Leave Thy Lowly Dwellings.
The conductor, Patrick McCarthy, put a lot of thought into the make up of this programme, and his vision clearly paid off.
This was a perfectly judged combination of Christmas music, and the sparkling encore, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, sent everybody home with a sense that Christmas had really begun.
David Wood