Waverley Singers

Fine control in 'Messiah'

The following review by John C Dobbs appeared in the Surrey Advertiser on 29 December 1978.

"The last local Advent performance of Messiah provided an important musical occasion at Farnham Maltings on the Thursday before Christmas. The great hall was filled with an enthusiastic and attentive audience, including most of the Waverley District Council, who held a reception at the Maltings earlier.

This was appropriately so, as it was the Waverley Singers, an older organisation than the council, who provided the music.

They comprise a large choir (about double that for the première of Messiah in Dublin), but the usually hollow resonance of the hall was effectively absorbed by the listeners and, under the alert and distinctive direction of John Cotterill, the familiar choruses came over with a refreshing clarity and conviction.

Among the most impressive details of the well-balanced chorus was the precise definition of Handel’s long-running phrases – as, for a shining example, in And He Shall Purify – always a stumbling block for amateur choirs. The warm and rich quality of tone from the altos was another notable feature.

Even in the grander choruses, such as Behold the Lamb of God and Lift Up Your Hearts, the sustained tone and unfaltering breath control of the choir were remarkable, as well as their crisp punctuation – a great credit to Mr Cotterill’s training.

The four soloists were well up to the challenge of the choir, with well-adjusted voice projection and firm enunciation. The sensitive feeling for Handelian soprano line shown by Kathleen Livingstone in How Beautiful Are the Feet and her wholehearted rendering of Rejoice Greatly made memorable moments.

Fiona Kimm possesses a true, contralto depth to her noble voice, which was at its is finest in He Was Despised and in her duet with the clear dramatic tenor of Neal Mackie in O Death, Where Is Thy Sting  – a welcome recovery from its frequent omission.

The bass soloists, Graham Titus, had his moment of personal triumph, of course, in The Trumpet Shall Sound – as it did most surely with finely smooth effect from the lips of Malcolm Smith.

The occasional Waverley Orchestra was tastefully kept to its lightest – strings and two oboes - and provided a discreet accompaniment well-suited to the acoustic of the surroundings.

For once the Pastoral Symphony was quietly meditative in the likely spirit of the watching shepherds."

Margot Gordon hostess at the Maltings

The following article also appeared on 28 December, but in the Farnham Herald (on its front page), along with group pictures of the VIPs at the Reception. 

It was a civic occasion for Farnham before the performance of 'The Messiah' by the Waverley Singers at the Maltings on the Thursday before Christmas.

Mrs Margot Gordon, Chairman of Waverley District Council, with her husband, Mr Keith Gordon, gave a reception for Waverley Council members and a number of Farnham residents in the foyer of the Maltings.

Afterwards the majority of those who had atended joined the capacity crowd in the Great Hall to hear a splendid performance of Handel's great masterpiece.

The audience was not only extremely appreciative of the singing of the choir, and the playing of the orchestra, but of the excellence of the young soloists, who are deservedly gaining a high reputation for their singing. They were Kathleen Livingstone (soprano), Fiona Kimm (contralto), Neil Mackie (tenor), and Graham Titus (baritone).

The Singers and orchestra were conducted by John Cotterill and the trumpeter was Malcolm Smith.

The performance had the support not only of Waverley Council but also the South East Arts Association, Crosby and Co Ltd, and Pace Petroleum.