A Musical Odyssey
Organ: Philip Scriven
Sacred Voices from Britain and Europe
Rheinberger: Abendlied
This concert offered an exciting exploration of European sacred music from the Renaissance through to the 20th century. From the flowing counterpoint of Josquin des Prez, through the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods with the music of Monteverdi, JS Bach, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and others, through to the more modern works of Edward Bairstow and Gerald Finzi, it provided a fascinating musical journey!
Reviews
Choir Impresses the Mayors and Mayoresses
A slightly edited version of the following review by John Broom appeared in the Farnham Herald on 14 November 2024:
The Mayor and Mayoress of both Farnham and Waverley were among the delighted audience at the Waverley Singers concert on 19 October at St Thomas-on-The Bourne.
Richard Pearce’s concert programme set his singers a mighty task, but they rose to the occasion in great style to produce a memorable evening of Choral Music.
The Cherubini Credo in 8 Voices is one of those works that everyone admires, but not many Choirmasters trust their choirs to sing! And with good reason: it’s 20 minutes of constant 8-part singing which must be one of the hardest choral works to perform. But the Waverleys emerged - yes, from the sometimes slightly murky valleys - to stride triumphant on the sunlit uplands of a glorious finishing Amen!
Then came the wonderful Salvator Mundi, John Blow’s cry for help with its long, agonising, harmonic clashes, brought to us by Richard and the choir with marvellous tuning, expressiveness, and intensity.
All the choral music was sacred, but the organ pieces in the middle of each half gave us a contrast, whether the ever-so-slightly cheesy Rheinberger Sonata or the rumbustious Mendelssohn War March of the Priests, both of which were delivered with splendid panache by Philip Scriven.
In the final section, Bruckner's Christus Factus Est brought out a magnificent performance from the men in particular, before the finish with Finzi’s God is Gone Up. And what a finish! God definitely Went Up with a Triumphant Shout: Conductor, Choir and Organist fully committed, hugely appreciated by the audience, with much clapping and many bows!
Thank you, Waverleys. A great concert.
Gallery
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