Sat, March 30th, 2013
Good Friday 29 March 2013
Posted in the Concert Reports Category
In ST.DAVIDS CATHEDRAL with Daniel Cook, Organist and Master of the Choristers, David Fortey tenor Paul Carey Jones baritone
- Praise to the Holiest in the height
- organ Ride on, ride on in majesty
- Maunder Olivet to Calvary
- There is a green hill far away
- Elgar O salutaris Hostia
- Eric Jones Ave Verum Corpus (premiere)
- J.S.Bach St.Matthew Passion (from parts 1 & 2)
Despite relentless media weather warnings, a sizeable attendance found a warm interior in St.Davids Cathedral on Good Friday and heard a wealth of inspirational singing from Cantorion John S.Davies Singers and soloists accompanied by organist Daniel Cook, directed by John S.Davies.
The soloists were tenor David Fortey, a member of Only Men Aloud and baritone Paul Carey Jones who sang for John S.Davies and his Sngers in the 2006 Fishguard International Music Festival in Mozart’s C minor Mass and the premiere of In David’s Land by Richard Elfyn Jones.
The main part of the programme is for many, a forgotten example, or one not known, of Easter days and dedicated chapel choirs, Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary, ranked along with Stainer’s Crucifixion. Each are capable of leading one to listen to the glories of Handel, Haydn and Bach. An all too brief selection performed from the final part of the latter’s St.Matthew Passion can prove the point.
In the not so “minor” parts were soprano Sophie Davies, mezzo Amy Blythe, tenor Roland George and baritone Tom Hunt. With the soloists, all brought into focus the realistic meaning of the text. No less the chorus singing as accusers, sympathisers, doubters – sad reminders of today.
A favourite Easter hymn sung from afar was the transitional item into the programme’s epilogue, followed by the breathtaking Elgar O salutaris hostia and the premiere of Ave verum corpus by Eric Jones, dedicated to John S.Davies. The composer was present to hear a truly beautiful performance. The final parts of Bach’s St.Matthew Passion was a fitting conclusion, with all participants drifting away in silence and the audience seemingly reluctant to do the same.
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Excerpt from an email on 30 March……
Dear……
It is hard to express adequate gratitude for the near-perfection of last night. As you know only too well “Olivet to Calvary”, in common with John Stainer’s “Crucifixion”, has suffered over the years with church and chapel choirs doing grievous bodily harm to the choral writing, soloists not up to the task and perfunctory organ playing on inadequate instruments. What a joy therefore to hear the work as J.H.Maunder would surely have intended it to sound, with first-rate soloists, splendid organ playing on the beautifully-restored Father Willis and, above all, a choir which one could have gone on listening to all night. GJ