REVIEW: HIGHGATE CHORAL SOCIETY: All Hallows Church, Gospel Oak
Four star rating To find one outstanding piano soloist slipped into the line-up for a north London choral concert would be remarkable enough. Two verges on extravagance. But two there were in Highgate Choral
HIGHGATE CHORAL SOCIETY: All Hallows Church
Four star rating
To find one outstanding piano soloist slipped into the line-up for a north London choral concert would be remarkable enough. Two verges on extravagance.
But two there were in Highgate Choral Society's madly extravagant concert at All Hallows last week.
You may also want to watch:
Veteran Peter Frankl graced the stage for for Beethoven's hybrid Choral Fantasia - a miniature piano concerto with singing.
While the comparatively youthful Stephen de Pledge performed Constant Lambert's maverick, undisciplined but loveable Rio Grande - a miniature cantata with solo keyboard fireworks.
Most Read
- 1 Muswell Hill man captures picture of car bursting into flames in high street
- 2 West Hampstead mum Nazanin 'loses appeal' in Iran
- 3 'Forever grateful': Community steps up after man's dog dies on Hampstead Heath
- 4 Primrose Hill 'Howloween' party to support rescue dogs
- 5 Tributes paid to Primrose Hill mother-of-four as fundraiser launched
- 6 The Outsider: Residents take aim at plans for high street pub
- 7 Man charged with murder of Nicole Hurley in Primrose Hill
- 8 Coldplay and Ed Sheeran to perform at Earthshot Prize ceremony at Ally Pally
- 9 Charles de Gaulle's old Hampstead home on sale for £15m
- 10 Flick Rea: Community celebrates 'Empress of West Hampstead'
Conducted by Ron Corp and featuring his own New London Orchestra, both performances took full advantage of the aural germolene that is All Hallows' smothering acoustic - but were still exuberant, high energy events.
And both were music-making of the best kind.
The chorus were not invariably note perfect - there were cliff edge moments. But the works were delivered with a spirit and vitality that swept the problems into insignificance.
I was totally engaged by Mary's Song, a new-ish oratorio written by Corp, which sets the text of the Magnificat enlarged by English spiritual poems.
An outrageous piece of freewheeling eclecticism, veering between cinemascopically enlarged Britten and John Rutter at his cheesiest, it was a complete joy - certainly to hear and, I'm sure, to sing.
Exhilarating and grand - Corp does like drum rolls - memorably tuneful, it was done with four good, young vocal soloists.
Watch out particularly for baritone Marcus Farnsworth, who is a star in the making.
It sent me home happy - and you can ask no more.
Michael White
