Opera Gala
Soprano: Nina Bennet
Tenor: Robin Bailey
Piano: Jakob Rothoff
Programme:
Verdi Anvil chorus Il trovatore
Rossini Villagers’ chorus Guillaume Tell
Donizetti Chorus of Wedding Guests Lucia di Lammermor
Tchaikovsky Kuda, kuda Eugene Onegin (Tenor solo)
Borodin Polovtsian Dances Prince Igor
Verdi Pace, pace, mio Dio La Forza del Destino
Verdi Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves Nabucco
Verdi Triumphal Scene Aida
------Interval------
Handel Chorus of enchanted islanders Alcina
Purcell Dido’s Lament, and final chorus Dido and Aeneas
Chaminade Automne op. 35 no. 2 (Piano Solo)
Leoncavallo Bell chorus Pagliacci
Mascagni Easter Hymn Cavalleria Rusticana
Puccini Humming chorus Madama Butterfly
Puccini Che gelida manina La Bohème (Tenor Solo)
Mozart Voyagers’ chorus Idomeneo
Verdi Mercè dilette amiche I Vespri Siciliani (Soprano Solo)
Verdi Brindisi La traviata
We had an exciting evening of favourite choruses and arias from the world of Italian, French, English, and even Russian opera.
A lightly edited version of the following article apeared in the Farnham Herald on 16 October, accompanied by an image of the Waverley Singers in 1957 outside 19 Waverley Lane:
Waverley Singers Celebrate Their History with Opera Gala at Farnham Maltings!
At the Farnham Maltings on Sunday, 26 October, at 6pm the Waverley Singers continue their Platinum Jubilee season with a concert of opera choruses and arias. The concert, conducted by Richard Pearce and featuring Nina Bennet, soprano, Robin Bailey, tenor, and the choir’s regular accompanist, Jakob Rothoff, on piano, will recall many elements of the choir’s history.
It is close to 70 years exactly since the Waverley Singers’ first concert under its own name, a fundraiser for St Andrew’s Church in Church House on 24 September 1955. The choir was initially formed of former pupils of Farnham Girls Grammar School, under a young conductor, John Cotterill – himself a former pupil of the Boys’ Grammar School. The name came from the house of one of the members at 19 Waverley Lane in which the initial rehearsals took place.
By December 1958 The Herald was able to publish an article headed: Farnham’s All-Girl Choir Is Looking For Men Now! and before long membership was well over 100. Concerts took place regularly in the Farnham Maltings, starting in 1978, sometimes as part of the Farnham Arts Festival. In November 1994, shortly before The Maltings’ own Silver Jubilee and by now under the baton of Malcolm Hicks, the choir performed Orff’s Carmina Burana in what the Herald reported as a Glorious Musical Salute to 25 Years of The Maltings!
The choir has also performed in three previous Opera Gala concerts: the first in the Prince’s Hall in Aldershot in 1980, then at The Maltings in 2015 and again in 2018. The 2015 concert marked the choir’s Diamond Jubilee, and was graced by the presence of its Founder Secretary, Molly Goddard (née Medhurst).
The programme for this concert will include many well-known favourites. Contrasting emotions will be felt in Verdi’s Triumphal Scene from Aida and his Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves. The choir’s linguistic skills will be tested in the Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s Prince Igor, sung in Russian, as well as choruses in Italian, French, and Latin! English is represented by Purcell’s poignant Dido’s Lament and final chorus from Dido and Aeneas.
The soloists will also have their moments in the spotlight. Robin Bailey will tug at the heartstrings with Puccini’s Che gelida manina (Your tiny hand is frozen) from La Bohème, while Nina Bennet will perform vocal gymnastics in Verdi’s dramatic Mercè dilette amiche (Thank you beloved friends) from the Sicilian Vespers. Meanwhile Jakob Rothoff’s fingers will be working hard all evening, but he will have to keep something in reserve to play – appropriately enough for the season - Chaminade’s haunting and dramatic piece: Automne.
Over its 70-year history the choir has performed in nearly 300 concerts, many of them also supporting local and national charities. Since proper records began in 2015 the choir has helped raise nearly £24,000, and since the return to full-time singing post-pandemic in October 2021, £12,350. At this concert a retiring collection will be held for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care. The choir is hoping for a large and generous audience!
Reviews
Nothing lost in translation as Waverley Singers wow with Opera Gala
The following review by Mike Aaronson (a choir member who was singing in the concert) was published on the Farnham Herald website on 2 November, and in the print edition on 6 November:
This ‘Opera Gala’ concert was a thrilling mix of two dazzling pianists, a pair of two energetic and eloquent soloists, and a choir singing in five languages, all brought together in a typically imaginative programme devised by conductor Richard Pearce.
The choir’s regular accompanist, Jakob Rothoff, got the biggest cheer of the evening, not only for his solo rendition of the hauntingly beautiful Automne op.35 no.2 by Chaminade, but also for nobly supporting the choir through all their choruses.
Mimicking the trumpets that mark the entrance of the King of Egypt in Verdi’s Triumphal Scene from Aida was only one of the many acts of musical prestidigitation that he took in his stride.
Meanwhile, Richard Pearce, backing both soloists from the piano, gave us a masterclass in the art and skill of the accompanist. One was reminded of the title of the legendary Gerald Moore’s memoir - “Am I Too Loud?”; the point being that the pianist should unobtrusively support the singer while at the same time doing justice to beautifully written music. Richard Pearce certainly did both, demonstrating his extraordinary musical versatility as accompanist, conductor, and vocal coach, as well as organist.
Both soloists chose pieces that showcased their dramatic, as well as their vocal, abilities. In the first half, tenor Robin Bailey gave his all in Kuda, kuda, Lensky’s poignant aria from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, where the poet mourns the loss of his youthful ideals while having a premonition of his imminent death; this was a piece that fitted the singer’s talents perfectly.
In the second half, Bailey sang Che gelida manina (Your tiny hand is frozen) in English, which allowed the audience to chuckle at the more amusing aspects of the libretto,
Meanwhile soprano Nina Bennet tugged at the heartstrings in Leonora’s Pace pace mio Dio from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, considered – as the programme note informed us – as a ‘technical challenge for sopranos’. Later she opted for the vocal gymnastics of Mercè dilette amiche from Verdi’s Sicilian Vespers.
These contrasting pieces allowed her to demonstrate her breathtaking vocal range: her high notes - scarily high - were solid as a rock, while her low ones were as smooth as liquid chocolate. Her solo in Purcell’s Dido’s lament was especially moving.
The choir tackled no fewer than thirteen favourite choruses in, variously, English, French, Latin, Italian, and Russian, with frequent shifts not only of language but of mood. One moment they were imprisoned exiles in Babylon and the next triumphant conquerors in Egypt.
If the alphabet soup of words - really meant to be sung without scores - sometimes left them a little tongue-tied, there was no lack of commitment or enthusiasm, and the audience lapped it up. As Richard Pearce told us, opera is all about the suspension of disbelief as improbable events unfold to a backdrop of glorious music!
The choir’s next concert is at St Thomas-on-The Bourne on Saturday, 6 December, and includes Britten’s St Nicolas.
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