ON this showing at the Church of St Cross, Winchester, on March 28 I can confidently say that Romsey Choral Society is the most accomplished choral society that I have heard.
The overall sound was warm and engaging, intonation and the diction were first class and the attention to detail most impressive.
Much of the credit must go to the music director and conductor Jamie Hall but such qualities cannot be achieved without the hard work and dedication of the singers. It was a superb performance of great choral works.
Music of six centuries was performed and clearly great care went into the order of presentation to allow the characteristics of each work to shine forth.
The reflective hymn-like confidence of the opening First Dirge Anthem by Morley, which the choir sang with sinuous flexibility, was immediately followed by Poulenc’s Timor et Tremor.
The choir handled this change of style, with its rapid dynamic and tempo changes, very effectively.
Similarly the Purcell anthem which followed, Man that is born of a woman, complemented the Poulenc motet. The textures were clear and the ensemble accurate and well balanced.
Equally flexible and assured was McMillan’s O Radiant Dawn, the most modern work of the evening.
The men, in particular, were impressive in this.
In the main work of the evening, the Officium Defunctorum (Office for the Dead) by Victoria, the dynamic control and the balance between the voices were both excellent. In particular I would praise the first Kyrie, which was reflective yet always with a strong sense of forward movement, and the choral passages of the Agnus Dei and Libera me. Soloist Kath Tilling, in the final section of the Offertory, gave a clear and excellent account of this rather demanding passage of plainchant.
The concert ended with Immortal Bach by Knut Nystedt, based on J S Bach’s Komm, süsser Tod. The choir divided into three groups, spaced around the church. The effect was mesmerising and suggestive of eternal peace, a wonderful conclusion to a very memorable concert.
THOMAS MORE HAGGER
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