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Fauré
Requiem,
Greenwich
10 May 2008
‘Last
night at St Alfege's church in Greenwich UK, our own Liz the Squeak soloed
the Pié Jesu in a stunning rendition of the Fauré Requiem presented by
the Choir of which she is a member. The
East London
Chorus gave a very sensitive and beautiful rendition of this wonderful
piece of music. It was the Organ accompaniment version, rather than
orchestra, and I felt that this (more spartan) approach made the choral
work shine that bit more clear and bright.’
(Micca
- audience)
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East
London Chorus at St Martin-in-the-Fields, 2005
My
wife and I were recently on holiday in London. Prior to our departure, I
went on line to find an activity to keep us awake on the evening of
our arrival from
New York. I am an avocational singer,
singing with the Oratorio Society of New York since 1980. Naturally, I
thought a concert of choral music in a good venue would be ideal. The
worst it could be was muddy, but a way to pass the time. After
an overnight flight, a day walking throughout
London
and dinner in the crypt, we
took our seats in the church. When the sopranos made their first
entrance sounding as if they were one person, I knew we were in for a
treat. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed your singing. The music
was beautiful and alive, especially the Vivaldi Gloria. You made that
old war horse exciting and vital.
Thank you for starting our time in
London
in a place of musical beauty.
Sincerely,
Alan Meltzer
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The
East London
Chorus at
St John's, Smith Square
The
East London Chorus, which is based in the
University
of
East London, celebrated 30 years
of music-making in both Central and
East London
with a concert on 20
March at St John's, Smith Square.
It was accompanied by the London Pro Arte Orchestra, conducted by
Murray Stewart, who opened the programme with Brian Chapple's beautiful
tribute to his late parents entitled In Memoriam.
Composed for string orchestra in a single movement it seemed to
unfold in one long, unbroken span of music, solemn yet uplifting.
Solo parts for viola, cello and violin created a central focus,
then this short but intensely-felt work lasting some 15 minutes, built up
to a celebratory climax. It
was a profoundly moving filial tribute, a living memorial dedicated to two
cherished lives, infinitely more meaningful than any stone monument and
finely executed with smoothly polished string playing.
The
Chorus maintained the mood of solemnity with Pablo Casals' short Motet 0
vos omnes, which he composed for the Benedictine monks of
Montserrat
on a text from the Book
of Lamentations, and later rearranged for mixed voices. The sopranos
sang with particular clarity.
George
Dyson took the words of
St Augustine
for his
Jerusalem
, composed in 1957 for
Sopranos, Choir and Orchestra. The
16th-Century version of
St Augustine
's text sings better
than it reads off the page and was a rewarding vehicle for the East London
Chorus. The soprano, Martene Grimson, sang the first and later evocations
to Jerusalem with precision and
crystal tone, while the Chorus filled out the picture of the "happy
home" in the Saint's yearning words and Dyson's boldly-coloured,
expressive choral writing, although perhaps not impeccably articulated.
Fauré’s
Requiem, in contrast, drew a performance of lighter, airier
textures from the combined forces, the choral singing refined and mellow
and the Violin solo soaring over all from the Gallery.
Margaret
Davies Musical Opinion magazine
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Time Out listing for
Viennese Classics concert 1 April 2006: 'Richly
rewarding musical fare'
