Chepstow Choral Society concluded their 2006/2007 season in July with one of their most ambitious undertakings to date, a full performance of Mendelssohn's huge choral masterpiece Elijah. This work is a monumental task for any choral society, and for it to be achieved to such an overall high standard by a relatively small society illustrates a commitment and degree of confidence on the part of everyone involved. The work itself contains a large amount of choral singing, as well as demanding high quality orchestral playing, and four soloists, and it is to Chepstow Choral Society's great credit that this two and a quarter hour work was so ably and superbly presented.
The four soloists were simply stunning. Edward Price (baritone), Sian Menna (alto) and Christopher Bowen (tenor) all sing with the BBC Singers, and were making a return visit to Chepstow, their last performance with the Society being in 2006, whilst Lynsey Docherty (soprano) was making her first appearance in Chepstow. The sheer quality of this magnificent quartet enthralled a capacity audience, with the whole performance coming alive from the very opening resonant recitative. It is almost impossible to single out individual items, but rarely can more accomplished singing have been heard in performances of this work by soloists, with the arias Lord God of Abraham (bass), If with all your Heart (tenor), O Rest in the Lord (alto) and Hear Ye Israel (soprano) particularly allowing these very fine professional singers the opportunity to display their undoubted talent. The orchestra for the occasion was once again drawn from the pool of young instrumentalists who are now so much a part of Chepstow Choral Society's orchestral concerts, and they are to be congratulated on their playing of this demanding score, and succeeding in providing a breadth of contrasting expression, brilliance and sensitivity, and thanks must be extended to leader Rolette Guerin for her skilful work . The third and final component in the whole tapestry was, of course, the choir itself, and the months of hard work in rehearsals all resulted in a choir performance which showed considerable musical maturity, enthusiasm and commitment. It is often not appreciated how very demanding it is for choral singers to rehearse and perform such a large-scale work as Elijah in one day. It is to the very great credit of the choir membership that they were able to rise to their full potential, with a galvanised performance which deserves massive praise to all concerned.
The many large choruses were sung with much vigour and confidence, with the drama of the whole story being particularly wonderfully expressed in the Baal sequence involving dynamic chorus, solo work and orchestral playing, and some pure singing by Ellie Harris as the Youth from the crowd responding to Elijah's instructions in the moments leading to the climax of part one of the work.
The musical direction of this performance was by Graham Bull, the Society's Musical Director, who bore the responsibility of drawing together all the different musical strands which subsequently make a full performance, and which he achieved quite superbly. The Society owes him a huge measure of appreciation, and Chepstow should take great pride in the fact that its music lovers are able to attend such evenings of high quality in their home town - something that eludes many music lovers throughout the country, as more and more smaller local choral societies find the pressures too great. The Society is also aware of the thanks it owes to local businesses for allowing our posters to be displayed, and to Chepstow Bookshop, for their help in ticket sales, and also to Rev. Christopher Blanchard and the PCC of St Mary's Church, Chepstow, for enabling us to perform such wonderful music in the most appropriate of settings.
Chepstow Choral Society now takes a well-deserved break, and will resume preparations for the next season on Wednesday September 5th (rehearsals take place at Chepstow Leisure Centre, 7.30pm, Wednesdays during term time). It is often forgotten that behind every successful Society there is a degree of organisation required, and chairman Cynthia Mitchell and her committee are to be both congratulated and thanked for their hard work in making this season such a successful one for Chepstow Choral Society. However, the Society is more than aware that it cannot rest on its laurels and sit back - on the contrary, it is now more important than ever that the momentum and enthusiasm built up over recent years is maintained. The programme for 2007/2008 is one which is challenging and includes several new choral items for the choir. In March 2008 the Society will perform Faure's Requiem, Dvorak's Te Deum and Vaughan Williams' Benedicite, a concert to take place two weeks before Easter. On July 12th 2008 the Society will perform Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (full choir, two pianos and percussion version) and Brahms' Liebeslieder ( for choir and piano duet) . The annual programme of Christmas music will take place at St Mary's Church on Sunday December 9th, 3.00pm.
For anyone interested in becoming a singing member, details of membership requirements and the musical schedule can be obtained from Assistant Musical Director Marjorie Duerden (tel. 01291 623310). As with all choral societies, new tenors and basses are particularly welcome. The Society is also keen to enlarge its growing number of patrons, and information about this can be obtained from secretary Frances Gray (tel. 01291 622465).
The Society's details and programme are listed on a leaflet which is currently available in a variety of outlets throughout the town and the area, and more information relating to the Society can be found by logging on to the website (www.chepstowchoralsociety.org.uk).
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