Waverley Singers

"Waverley Singers in splendid voice"

The following review was contributed to The Herald newspaper and was published on 16 November 2012.

This first concert of the Waverley Singers’ 2012/13 season has established a very high standard supported by some brilliant young soloists.

The evening began with Brahms’s “Zigeunerlieder”. This set of 11 “Gypsy Songs” was written, so Brahms claimed, purely for fun. Soloist Sam Furness gave a lively performance in leading the choir to capture the passion of gypsy life as well as the dainty and melodic nature of the songs. Their singing was fluent, energetic and well modulated.

The main work of the evening was Rossini’s “Petite Messe Solennelle”, a piece of sacred music but composed in an overtly operatic style. This requires good dynamics and good pace from the choir and strong singing from the soloists. The choir had been well drilled by their conductor Richard Pearce and performed faultlessly, offering both a good tone and a powerful sense of rhythm especially in the two central elements – the “Cum Sancto Spiritu” and the “Et in Unam Sanctam” from “Et Resurrexit”.

All the soloists blended well with each other and the choir and in their individual arias demonstrated their personal strengths. Soprano Sara Lian Owen demonstrated a lyrical range throughout her register and a strong sense of emotion in “Crucifixus”. Contralto Angharad Lyddon has an intensely resonant and sonorous voice for one so young and showed great composure, especially in the “Agnus Dei” when her voice soared powerfully above the choir. Sam Furness (tenor) who has sung with the Waverley Singers before, has great vocal presence and illustrated the operatic nature of the work in an excellent “Domine Deus”. Finally, Adam Marsden (bass) also demonstrated a mellifluous and well-structured tone and articulated so clearly that the audience could hear every word in “Quoniam”.

The choir and soloists benefited from the confident accompaniment provided by Jakob Rothoff (piano) and Alistair Young (harmonium) and the latter instrument brought a special period atmosphere to the singing. There is no doubt that under the stewardship of conductor Richard Pearce, the Waverley Singers are developing into a first-class choir, and their concerts should not be missed.