Waverley Singers

Waverley Singers in top form

The following review by "J.L.V' appeared in the Aldershot Herald on 3 January 1992.

The Waverley Singers and the Tilford Bach Orchestra, under their conductor Malcolm Hicks, performed Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" at St Andrew's Garrison Church, Aldershot. The work was sung in the original German, but in what follows I shall use the Troutbeck translations, which, if less literally accurate, are so much more poetic than those provided at the concert.

First, let it be said that, within its own terms of reference, this was an absolutely first-class performance of this lovely work. The Waverley Singers were in top form, singing with excellent balance and assurance; there is now a most positive feeling about all that they do. Support from the orchestra was excellent, with beautiful playing in all departments.
There was never any doubt, therefore, about sheer technical facility, and any criticism must be on purely stylistic grounds. This boils down almost entirely to the vexed question of speeds. 

For some time it has been fashionable to perform Bach, especially the Chorales, "briskly". That this, on occasion, purges the music of much of its beauty and makes light of the meaningfulness of the seems largely to be ignored. The opening chorus, "Christians be joyful", was taken at an astonishing pace, with the result that the string demi-semiquavers became a desperate scurry lost in the surrounding texture. This can hardly be justified on the grounds of "authenticity", for Bach instrumentalists would certainly never have managed it. However, such was the technical assurance of the choir that the dotted semiquaver trills were executed cleanly and never posed a problem.

Many of the Chorales received similar treatment. "How shall I fitly meet thee", surely calling for a reflective, devotional mood, was sung at a determined allegretto, and the merest mention of "haste" or "joy", as in "Break forth, O beauteous, heavenly light" or "Rejoice and sing", was taken as a signal to pile on the pressure. On the other hand, "Thee with tender care" and "Beside thy cradle here I stand", sung mezzo-piano, were sensitively managed.

Generally speaking, though, speeds settled to a more comfortable pace as the performance progressed. Perhaps Mr Hicks became more relaxed when it became clear that the evening would not extend beyond the audience's three-hour attention span!
The chorus "Come and thank him" was most attractively sung with elegant, minuet-like, phrasing. "Glory to God" at the beginning of part five achieved a comfortable speed, with the choir very good and precise in their entries. There was a rousing "Lord, when our haughty foes assail us" in part six, and the final chorale "Now vengeance hath been taken" was sung with great warmth and was notable for some extremely fine trumpet playing.

Turning to the soloists, it was especially gratifying to hear Tracy Chadwell (soprano) in such good heart and voice after a bout of serious illness. Her arias "Ah, my saviour" (with echo effect ably managed by Margaret Houston) and later "Naught against the power" were beautifully sung. Earlier, her duet with Brindley Sherratt (bass) had tripped merrily along with good balance between the voices. Margaret McGuire's contralto, though of pleasing quality, is not especially strong, and "Prepare thyself, Zion" lacks projection against the orchestra. Her "Slumber, beloved" also sounded unsettled by the relatively brisk pace. Brindley Sherratt was relaxed in "Might Lord and King all glorious", though vocally a little below his best, I thought, and seeming to tire in the aria "O Lord, my darkened heart enlighten" towards the end of the work.

But the accolade must go to the tenor, Andrew Murgatroyd, for his Evangelist. Involved in 22 of the work's 64 numbers, he never flagged, sounding completely at ease in the demanding range of the role and coping effortlessly to the very end. 

Congratulations, too, to the orchestra, who, as already mentioned, played quite superbly. Numerous examples come to mind, but oboes and cor anglais were especially fine, and there was some attractive string playing in the tenor aria "Tis Thee I Would Be Praising." Trumpets were excellent throughout.