Waverley Singers

“They were glad"

The following review was contributed to The Herald newspaper and was published on 21 June 2013:

A sell-out audience of 270 people led by the Mayor of Farnham Town Council, Cllr Patrick Blagden CBE and Mrs Blagden, enjoyed a sumptuous celebration of music at the Waverley Singers Summer concert at St Thomas-on-the Bourne church on Saturday 15^th June.

The concert, entitled Music for a Royal Occasion, set out to celebrate both the 60^th anniversary of the Coronation of the Queen and the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Farnham’s ‘most famous son’, William Cobbett, as part of the current year of Cobbett events.

The choir, encouraged by the Cobbett Society, had commissioned a new work by the composer Will Todd, based on Cobbett’s writing, called “The Mind that Lives” and performed this, in company with the children’s choir from Edgeborough School, as a world premiere. The piece, which was both lyrical and highly spiritual in tone and content, drew great acclaim from the audience and members of the Cobbett Society.

Unfortunately, guest soprano Louise Alder became unavailable at less than 24 hours’ notice, but her replacement Rhiannon Llewellyn, who is currently singing at Garsington Opera, proved more than equal to the task and delighted the audience with her charm, musicality, and humour in singing arias from La Bohème and Manon Lescaut, Summertime, as well as Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim” and Mozart’s "Laudate Dominum".

The programme, chosen by Waverley Singers’ Music Director, Richard Pearce, to reflect the spirit of the Coronation, included two versions of “I was glad” by Purcell and Parry, “Blest Pair of Sirens” also by Parry, and “The King shall rejoice” by William Boyce. These were sung with power and conviction as befitting the choir’s increased numbers and Richard Pearce’s attention to detail. The choir also demonstrated its versatility and ability to change mood and tone with John Tavener’s “Song for Athene” and “Ubi Caritas” by Paul Mealor. The audience and choir were also delighted by the children’s choir singing of Will Todd “Call of Wisdom” and Paul Mealor’s “I am the gentle light”.

Organist Philip Scriven enhanced the whole evening with an energetic and powerful performance of William Walton’s Coronation March: “Orb and Sceptre” and the evening closed with the audience standing to join both choirs to sing “Jerusalem”.

Finally, the audience joined choir members in the excellent facilities at St Thomas’ for a reception to celebrate an evening of stirring music and the close of yet another very successful year for the Waverley Singers.

[The final two images below, both published separately in The Herald, are to mark the generous donations towards the cost of the commission from, respectively, Sainsburys Farnham branch, and Farnham Town Council. Ed]