Waverley Singers

Clarity is the keynote of this Elijah

The following review, by 'CMH', was published in the local press on 19 November 1982.

The Waverley Singers did Mendelssohn and his oratorio Elijah proud when they appeared at the Princes Hall, Aldershot, on Saturday. With the help of their guest conductor, Denys Darlow, they showed that they could avoid the faults of most provincial choral societies, and it was this general shape and care for detail which made the performance so successful.

Peter Savidge, the bass soloist, opened the oratorio with just the right degree of projection and authority, and it was this which made him such a good presenter of such an air as "Is not his word like a fire", which was perfectly controlled. Philip Salmon, the tenor, presented a relaxed appearance throughout, which worked especially well in Obadiah's "If with all your hearts ye truly seek me". The contralto soloist, Cherith Milburn-Fryer, had a dark, clear tone which expressed the necessary conviction in "O rest in the Lord", and Gillian Fisher, soprano, pleaded beautifully, "Hear ye, Israel", at the start of Part II and changed her style to provide a boy aptly characterised, in the absence of anyone else in short trousers.

Uniformity

Elijah, in particular, is a choir's work, and it seemed remarkable that there was not a full house, especially with the Waverley Singers at full strength. Indeed, the choir sounded excellently balanced between the parts and sang with commendable uniformity of pronunciation (all too rare in today's choirs), so that, not only did all the words come across, but that, by all using the proper vowels, the musical quality of the beautifully phrased singing was allowed to carry.

The chorus "Yet doth the Lord see it not" was really secure, and the Baal chorus became increasingly insistent and exciting. The solo quartet "Cast thy burden upon the Lord" worked well at this speed, and "Thanks be to God" was most exciting, thanks to Denys Darlow, who built on its cumulative design. The Waverley Singers can be congratulated for many things, especially their diction and rhythm when singing softly (“Yet doth the Lord see it not” and "Hear our cry, oh Baal"), good imitative entries in "Then did Elijah", and a lovely crescendo in "But the Lord from the north, has raised one".

A very good evening, aided by the Waverley Orchestra, led by Sally Hoskin, with lovely oboe playing by Jeffrey Bridge and Kathleen Anderson on cello in "It is enough". I look forward to even greater things with their new regular conductor, Malcolm Hicks, but on Saturday it was Mr. Darlow's hard work which persuaded both orchestra and choir of the great merit of this oratorio.