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16 December, 2008
LAST Friday St Columba’s Church in Lerwick re-opened after
major refurbishment with a magnificent performance by the Shetland
Choral Society performing their annual Christmas concert.
James Mackenzie went along and found himself carried away
with the spirit of the occasion.
With Nigel Hayward as musical director and conductor, Shetland
Choral Society’s concerts have come to contain an astonishing
variety – a veritable feast - of music. For this year’s Christmas
offering, the menu included a 17th century German oratorio, Russian
orthodox chant, French, Basque and English traditional carols, and –
a real pleasure, this – two songs scored by Nigel’s own pen.
 The
choir now numbers just short of 60, and under his baton delivers a
mighty yet excellently controlled sound, which is a privilege to
hear and to see - members were beautifully dressed in black, with
scarlet scarves and ties.
This was a special occasion, for the concert marked the opening of
St Columba’s Church after its extensive and magnificent restoration.
In his introductory speech Nigel remarked on the miracle that a
shortened nave had somehow resulted in a larger volume. Judging by
the number of programmes given out, the audience numbered 300 - the
“Muckle Kirk” was packed.
Our conductor also mentioned his special links to the kirk. His
parents had sung in Handel’s Messiah in 1942, and now their
granddaughter, Annalie Irvine, was leading the orchestra – a small
ensemble of strings, recorders and organ, but well balanced with the
choir’s formidable presence.
After an entrée of two carols, one with audience participation, the
main course was a challenging rendition of The Christmas Story
by Germany’s foremost 17th century composer, Heinrich Schütz.
Interestingly, three Germans of my acquaintance, and with some
musical knowledge, have professed their ignorance of him, and I
would hazard a guess that he is not at all well known in this
country. J. S. Bach is deservedly recognised and much loved, but it
was Schütz that laid the foundations for his choral music. He also
reputedly wrote the first German opera, Dafne, although the
score has been lost.
Most of the score of The Christmas Story, which was first
performed on Christmas Day 1660 in the Saxon Court of Dresden, was
also lost. Some fragments of it were found as late as 1908 in
Uppsala University (how genius travels!), and even now it is
incomplete. For all that, what remains has a pleasing unity.
The choir introduces the story, which is narrated in recititavo
style by the Evangelist, using texts from the gospels of Matthew and
Luke. Guest tenor Henry Howard from Edinburgh – bravely stepping in
at the last moment to replace the ‘flu-bound James Greer – undertook
this role in the pulpit, as if reading the lesson, and was deftly
accompanied by Deirdre Hayward on the organ. He performed with great
clarity and obvious experience. Particularly moving was his
interpretation of Rachel grieving for her children, as he related
Jeremiah’s prophecy of Herod’s massacre of the innocents. This was
an excellent example of Schütz’s method of making the music follow
the content and meaning of the text.
At intervals (intermedii) various characters sing their parts
with the orchestra: two angels (soprano solos), the heavenly host
(the choir), the shepherds (alto soloists), the wise men (tenors),
and the pompous high priests and malevolent Herod (bass). Among
these, sopranos Helen Robertson and Emily Sharpe were striking as
the angels, the former manifesting to the shepherds in majestic
form, the latter gently goading Joseph to return from exile to
Israel.
A rousing choral finale of thanksgiving brought this splendid
oratorio to an end. There is great richness of harmony in its
complex music, and it was conducted and sung with admirable skill.
While modern recordings may avoid the pauses that intervened between
recitative and conducted intermedii, this might well have
been how the Dresden court experienced the first performance on
Christmas Day almost 350 years ago.
The dessert courses opened with another audience-choir carol,
Good Christian Men Rejoice, followed by two lovely traditional
songs of Basque and French origin. Tenor Martin Naylor came to the
fore with a wondrous descant at the end of Whence is that Goodly
Fragrance.
The Russian dish that followed was made up of threes sections of
Sergei Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil. Written in 1913, it was
one of the composer’s favourites, and is based on Orthodox styles of
chant. The choir certainly rose to the occasion, as the pieces were
sung (with apologies in the programme) in Russian, while the rest of
the concert was delivered in English. To this reviewer’s untutored
ears, the ensemble did the composer proud, and all that was missing
were icons and candles.
Five more carols followed, including two fine seasonal arrangements
of O Little One Sweet and The Angel Gabriel by Nigel
Hayward himself. As the programme noted, he has agreed to continue
the season as musical director and we can “look forward to more
composition from his pen.” Hopefully we will hear more at the spring
concert in April, when Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle will
be performed.
The Christmas feast ended with a spirited rendition of Hark the
Herald Angels Sing, with Nigel vigorously conducting both choir
and audience. What a difference a flourishing baton makes, even to a
reluctant growler such as myself! Fortunately my neighbour’s lovely
singing (she is an ex-choir –member) drowned out my off-key voice.
So, at the end, starlit and replete with a divine dinner, the
audience happily and ably dispersed into a ferocious gale of wind
and rain. All praise to the company of chefs who brought us this
festive table of delights, and long may their cuisine continue. |
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