Summer School 2007
15th July 2007 4pm & 8pm Cheese & Grain Code: 1512/1515 Author: Ann Burgess
The Frome Festival Summer School seeks to perform large-scale musical works, appropriate for great numbers of vocal and instrumental performers and in the comparatively short life of the Frome Festival, this has become a tradition. One recalls
"Carmina Burana", Berlioz' "Grand Messe des Morts"with its orchestra plus four brass bands, Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony" and Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius".
This year Brahms' "German Requiem" was an excellent choice of choral work.
A massive scratch choir of 180 singers had assembled for the weekend, and had been well prepared by chorusmaster, Gavin Carr, while the orchestral part was taken by the talented Somerset County Youth Orchestra, led by Matthew Crockett. The Festival had engaged two excellent professional soloists, soprano Lesley Jane Rogers, renowned for her versatility(she has given over 60 world premieres of new music, including "Nostos" by Naomi Pinnock at Queens ' College Cambridge this spring) and Gavin Carr, well known locally as conductor of the Atheneaum Singers in Warminster.
The opening of the Requiem, with its throbbing lower strings, was wonderfully atmospheric. Gavin Carr, sitting in front of the orchestra, now as baritone soloist, must have been pleased with the wide ranging dynamics of the choir. With so many singers there was a lot of potential for powerful singing, but they could also sing quietly. Musical phrases were well shaped. There was a superb swelling of sound at "kommen mit Freuden", Brahms wonderfully capturing the mood of the text.
The second movement contains some most effective orchestral writing, excellently brought to life by the Somerset Youth Orchestra, for example, when over a pedal point, the strong brass section erupted through the string texture, and also the gradual long build up of intensity, towards the recapitulation of "Denn alles Fleisch". Choral sustained legato phrases were well contrasted with the punchy, rhythms at "wird weg".
There were times when ensemble was challenged: the basses at the back of the chorus were physically a very long way from the enthusiastic orchestra. Also the chorus, well used to Brahms' style, where some rubato is appropriate, were more inclined to linger than were the youthful and more strictly pulse-conscious orchestra. Also occasionally balance was problematic, which one could put down to the appeal which the Summer School had for local musicians: it is an enormous challenge for a choir of 180 and an orchestra of over 70 to accompany the single voice of a soloist, albeit a trained professional, with enough sensitivity for them to be heard at all times. However both soloists sang from the heart, as though they passionately loved this music, which was a joy to hear.
Some other highpoints were gorgeous woodwind playing in the soprano solo movement and in the serene last movement, and the evocative sixth movement with exquisite sinuous chromaticism from Gavin Carr, and the fabulous increase of excitement and tension at "Wo ist dein Sieg?"
So at times, it may have been something of a white-knuckle ride for conductor, Jason Thornton , but as a performance it was never dull.
The concert had opened with the Saint- Saens Organ Symphony, the organ part ably played by Gerry Hoddinott. The opening of this work gave the Somerset County Youth Orchestra the chance to display lovely warm string sound and later there was vibrant playing from the whole orchestra.
The Allen electronic organ hired for the occasion was unfortunately not really up to the job. The sound it made transported me to a crematorium rather than to a concert hall or cathedral; in fact when I heard it, I nearly lost the will to live. Mr Hoddinott did his best with it, but even the big chords in the Maestoso, which should have made the floor shake, were comparatively lack-lustre and puny. Call me old-fashioned, but in the future, unless it becomes possible to decamp to Bath Abbey or Wells Cathedral, the Festival ought to avoid works which require a cathedral pipe organ because Frome simply does not have one.
Congratulations to the Frome Festival for giving people the opportunity to take part in the Brahms Requiem, one of the most marvellous pieces of Western music ever composed!
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