Ex Cathedra St Matthew Passion review

-
A MAGNIFICENT ST MATTHEW PASSION FOR GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON

ST MATTHEW PASSION
Ex Cathedra at Symphony Hall *****

A buzz of anticipation arrived with afternoon crowds arriving at Symphony Hall on Good Friday for Ex Cathedra under the thrall of superlative boss, Jeffrey Skidmore. Bach's St Matthew Passion wooed everyone into total committed silence as we looked at the packed platform with performers from the wider reaches of the city, from Community Choirs to the Ex Cathedra Choir, Baroque Orchestra and Academy of Music.
We wielded thick, comprehensive programmes: German text and clear translations, with illuminated surtitles above the platform, an addition for the familiar horrifying narrative..
Some truly committed solos from contrasting instruments discreetly anchored by the small baroque organ, centre stage. Very convincing string solos added to haunting wooden wind instruments -. recorders, flutes, oboes.
All the solo singers gave of their all, moving tactfully forward to sing from the front . Numerous smaller threads were taken by choir members, beautifully performed with lovely musicality throughout. Very professional. Marcus Farnsworth as Jesus and
Jeremy Budd (Evangelist) were particularly notable with their large amounts of story content, however everyone devotedly created a magical performance.
Discreet reliable direction from the rostrum never ever got in the way, but truly delivered a magnificent result. We finished by all joining in with a lusty Now thank we all our God.accompanied by the full-throated concert organ.

Maggie Cotton

Popular posts from this blog

Some Enchanted Evenings at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne

-
CHRISTOPHER MORLEY ENJOYED THREE ENCHANTED EVENINGS AT EASTBOURNE'S GRAND HOTEL SOME ENCHANTED EVENINGS Appassionata at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne ***** Eastbourne's breathtakingly magnificent Grand Hotel, so imposing yet also so welcoming, has an impressive roster of visiting musicians since its opening in 1875. Among the many luminaries who have crossed its portals are Debussy (who completed La Mer here), Kreisler, Caruso, Nellie Melba, Ysaye, Paul Robeson, Myra Hess… the list goes on. Latest to join them is the young vocal quartet Appassionata, who, together with pianist Will Sharma, presented a three-night entertainment "Some Enchanted Evenings" at the end of March. It began with baritone Matthew Siveter, already a much-loved veteran of Gilbert and Sullivan productions, presenting his one-man show "A Source of Innocent Merriment", drawing material from the likes of G&S themselves, Noel Coward, Flanders and Swann, Tom Lehrer, as well as d...
Read more
-
  STIRRING ELGAR CONCERTO FROM THE CBSO LEADER CBSO at Symphony Hall ★★★★ Elgar’s Violin Concerto has provided almost as many opportunities for pointless speculation as his ‘Enigma’ Variations. Who is referred to in the work’s inscription, “Herein is enshrined the soul of...”? Is it someone codenamed “Windflower” after whom several of the work’s themes are named? Is it Alice Stuart-Wortley, daughter of the painter John Everett Millais? Is it Helen Weaver, or Elgar’s mother or possibly his wife? Who cares? Elgar himself told us all we need to know about the work when he said of it: “It's good! Awfully emotional! Too emotional, but I love it.” So would any unprejudiced listener after hearing this performance played with such tenderness, fierce concentration and passion by the CBSO’s leader Eugene Tzikindelean and backed to the hilt by the orchestra conducted by Kazuki Yamada. In the opening bars soloist and orchestra captured the mysterious haunting quality of the initial theme that ...
Read more

Jacquie Lawson e-card music

-
THE MUSIC BEHIND THE E-CARDS MIKE HUGHES-CHAMBERLAIN AND JACQUIE LAWSON E-CARDS by Christopher Morley It's always a joy when an e-greetings card plops into your inbox, not least at festive times of the year. It's easy to understand why the sending of these cyber-messages has become so popular, given the huge cost of postage nowadays At the forefront of this trend are the e-cards produced by Jacquie Lawson, and in addition to the attractive artwork, witty and sensitive storylines, and interactive opportunities offered by these little gems, comes the input of music, atmospheric and appropriate. Whether specially composed or arranged from other sources, these sound-pictures are masterminded by Mike Hughes-Chamberlain, who has made the seamless connection between a musical education and Information Technology in order to create scores for these scores of delightful little gems. He was brought up in Hindhead in Surrey, where his mother founded a music school in 1975. ...
Read more