Waverley Singers

Interesting new direction for Waverley Singers

The following review, by ‘MLD’, was published in the local press after the concert.

The Waverley Singers seem to have taken a new direction. This is hardly surprising since the appointment of their new conductor, Malcolm Hicks, last year was bound to bring the healthy stimulus of a change of approach. However, I wonder whether the new direction, if that is what it is, will be welcome to all. It depends how a local group sees its purpose and ambitions. Some people may feel that the participation and achievement of local people is of the essence, while others may welcome a fully professional orchestra and the late importation of strategically placed booster singers for the sake of the standards achieved. It is a dilemma sometimes faced by amateur societies, but perhaps I am reading too much into the signs.

It was in St Andrew's Garrison Church, Aldershot, last Saturday that the Waverley Singers joined with the Tilford Bach Festival Orchestra to perform Bach's Magnificat and Haydn's Nelson Mass, conducted by Malcolm Hicks. It is a venue with many advantages, not least plenty of parking space nearby; the singers, now surely at their largest ever at around 120, can range themselves across the wide chancel, and there are no fixed pews to impede the orchestra; the chamber organ was convenient for continuo; the capacity audience of about 500 could enjoy uninterrupted views and warmth.

The Magnificat was given a stately performance and, from the opening statement, displayed the singers as a powerful and responsive chorus, in character more like the big choral societies than today's slimline virtuoso chamber choirs. There were distinguished solos from Glyn Davenport (bass) and Ameral Gunson (mezzo). One was left with an impression of consistently deliberate tempi; more drama in the tenor aria "Deposuit", and a quicker tempo for the chorus fugue "Sicut locutus" would have pointed up the otherwise measured style of the performance.

There is no doubt that the Singers have gained authority; this is not a question of greater numbers, but rather increased vigour and confidence of attack. This served them well in the Nelson Mass, where there are plenty of opportunities for the chorus. They were most impressive in the broad and exuberant passages, but less so at more sensitive moments such as "Et sepultus est".

Of the soloists, Glyn Davenport was again outstanding, and there were stylish contributions from William Kendall (tenor) and Jennifer Adams (soprano). David Victor-Smith was the discreet organist.

A further, shorter review, by ‘MT’, was also published, presumably in a different newspaper:
Choir in oratorio
St Andrew's Garrison Church of Scotland, Aldershot, hosted the Waverley Singers and the Bach Tilford Festival Orchestra in a performance of the Bach Magnificat and Haydn's Nelson Mass. The soloists, Jennifer Adams, Ameral Gunson, William Kendall, and Glyn Davenport sang superbly, and although Jennifer Adams is well experienced in oratorio, she is also very active in the operatic field, which adds special colour to the voice. The conductor, Malcolm Hicks, gives of himself most generously, and his relaxed, fluid manner produces results pleasant to hear. The acoustics of St Andrew's, which is a large church, and the holy music combined to offer oratorio as it is best heard.