Review: Chansons at St Mary's Monstery

May 2 2008

CHANSONS presented a concert of sacred and secular music to herald spring in the delightful setting of St Mary’s Monastery on Sunday evening.

Conducted by Howard Duthie, the concert featured an eclectic selection of pieces ranging from little known sacred works by British composers to the popular Spirituals from Tippett’s A Child of our Time.

Beginning the concert with Three Motets by Charles Villiers Stanford, these a cappella motets were ideal for the intimate interior of St Mary’s and Chansons’ full sound and flowing style ensured the richness of the harmonies and textural nuances were always evident. Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings was originally composed for string quartet and has now been incorporated in the choral repertoire with the text of the Agnus Dei.

The problem with the choral version is the breathing. Whereas strings can play as slow as possible, singers have to breathe and this was perhaps why the choral version needs to be taken at a faster tempo, which can make the piece sound a little rushed. However, this was an accomplished attempt at a piece that perhaps works better for smaller ensemble rather than large chorus.

A piece that works for any size choir is Michael Tippett’s popular Five Spirituals from his oratorio A Child of Our Time. Here again the a cappella settings suit Chansons vocal style and the atmosphere of the spirituals were captured perfectly. Soloists from the choir were Roddy Keir tenor, who was excellent in his pleading statements in Steal Away, and Alister Allan delivering depth of voice in Go Down Moses. The final and best-known spiritual, Deep River was sung with excellent close harmony and due reverence with Alison Duthie soprano and Jan Manson alto completing the solo quartet.

Guests for the evening were young soprano Vicky Atkinson, accompanied by Pete Cooke providing a delightful addition to the programme with, in the first half, Four Old French Songs by the Hungarian composer Matyas Seiber, and in the second, Four Songs with Lute by the Elizabethan lutenist Philip Rosseter.

The French Songs had a Canteloube ‘Songs of the Auvergne’ feel and were beautifully performed by the soft toned soprano voice of Vicky Atkinson with excellent accompaniment on guitar by Pete Cooke.

The Four Songs for Lute were similarly interpreted by the soprano soloist and were given an added charm by the delightfully hushed texture of lute accompaniment.

The seven texts that form Songs of Springtime by Earnest J Moeran are taken from a variety of sources and are quintessentially English in their lyricism and portrayal of rural landscapes. They include a number of whimsical and wistful songs including: The River God’s Song; Love is a Sickness and To Daffodils, and also use evocative birdcalls in Spring, the Sweet Spring, and a folk song style in the lively drinking song Good Wine.

The final selection was seven songs and sonnets from Shakespeare by George Shearing. These featured jazz piano and double bass accompaniment. The added jazz inflections gave these songs a lighter vein and were an ideal selection to close the concert. The most popular was Who Is Sylvia? So good it was encored at the end with the unique element of placing the choir along the aisles of St Mary’s, enveloping the audience in a warm glow and concluding yet another captivating concert in the company of Chansons.

Peter Rutterford