Thumbs up from Andrew Carter
Composer of Easter Alleluia
Photo by Chris Midgley
Spring arrived just in time for Horsforth
Choral Society to mark their 90th anniversary
with a varied and dynamic programme of music, showcasing the music and composers of Leeds past and
present.
Beginning with contemporary Leeds composer
Tim Knight, the choir performed
his Benedicite - a chorus of praise to everything imaginable on the
earth - with conviction and drama, effectively bringing out the contrasting
moods of the text.
HCS showed their versatility with Edward
Bairstow’s Lamentations, a refrain based on Anglican chant. Moving nicely in
unison through the
chords, they painted an emotional picture of the sorrow and hope contained in
this simple and moving work.
Solos from choir members proved the wealth
of talent available within
this group of amateur singers, with beautiful performances of Leeds city organist Simon Lindley’s Ave Maria, Armley-born Samuel Liddle’s Abide with Me and
Philip Wilby’s Wondrous Cross. Guest soloist James Gaughan added depth and colour to the poetic Whither
Must I Wander, conveying themes of travel and the passage of time with his
rich yet whimsical baritone.
After the quieter and more contemplative mood
of the first half, the finale of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Toward the
Unknown Region was all the more effective. Written early on in Vaughan
Williams’ career, the work established him as a new tour de force in
English music, and is a rollercoaster ride around his musical genius which is not always easy
to pull off. The choir showed their ability to effectively tackle the most technically difficult pieces even after nearly
two hours’ singing, bringing out the darkness and light contained in Walt Whitman’s poetry
with some skill and
much courage.
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, who attended the
concert, congratulated the musicians on their versatility. HCS certainly showed
that nearly 100 people, giving 100 per cent of themselves, can together achieve
mighty forces which are more than the sum of their parts.
Frances Warneford
March 2018
Photo by Chris Midgley
Photo by Chris Midgley
