Saturday 20th November 2021, 7.30pm
At Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands LA11 6DP
(See below for a review of this concert)
Cumbria Festival Chorus and Orchestra will celebrate the 250th anniversary (+1) of William Wordsworth's birth with a concert featuring two new choral commissions by local composers, both based on Wordsworth's poetry:
"Child of the Clouds" by Roland Fudge, based on the River Duddon Sonnets, following the course of the Duddon from its source to the sea
"Influence of Natural Objects" by Jonathan Millican, based on the poem of that name, and including a delightful section describing skating on a frozen lake
The programme is complemented by "Intimations of Immortality" by Gerald Finzi, with tenor soloist Joshua Ellicott for all the pieces.
Tickets are £15, with free programme (children and students free), from choir members or at the door. Please have cheque or correct cash ready to avoid delays.
Cumbria Festival Chorus and Orchestra will celebrate the 250th anniversary (+1) of William Wordsworth's birth with a concert featuring two new choral commissions by local composers, both based on Wordsworth's poetry:
"Child of the Clouds" by Roland Fudge, based on the River Duddon Sonnets, following the course of the Duddon from its source to the sea
"Influence of Natural Objects" by Jonathan Millican, based on the poem of that name, and including a delightful section describing skating on a frozen lake
The programme is complemented by "Intimations of Immortality" by Gerald Finzi, with tenor soloist Joshua Ellicott for all the pieces.
Tickets are £15, with free programme (children and students free), from choir members or at the door. Please have cheque or correct cash ready to avoid delays.
Review
Cumbria Festival Chorus: Wordsworth at 250
Cumbria Festival Chorus celebrated William Wordsworth at 250 in the Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands on Saturday November 20th, an event originally planned for 2020. After such a long delay, the concert may be described as a triumph over adversity. Not only was there a time lapse between the planning stages and the actual event but, only days before the scheduled performance in the spacious acoustics of Kendal Parish Church, the performance had to be moved to a much smaller venue with much less space for a large choir and orchestra, and with an audience in close proximity. This unavoidable last-minute change of venue must have caused the organisers and performers moments of anxiety but it clearly did not diminish their enthusiasm and joy in being able to celebrate the Wordsworth 250 anniversary celebration in style. The downside in this change of venue was the loss of a certain ambience. The performances of all three works would have benefitted from a more spacious acoustic to allow the sound to escape; in the dry acoustic of Grange’s Victoria Hall there were moments when the sheer volume of sound produced by over 100 performers was almost overwhelming. However, that said, what we experienced as an audience was a chance to share in the joy of large-scale music making by a committed and talented group of musicians and a opportunity to hear two specially commissioned new works by two local composers, Roland Fudge and Jonathan Millican, and then a live performance of Gerald Finzi’s rarely heard ‘Intimations of Immortality’.
It was fascinating to hear how each composer approached the task of setting poetry by one of our greatest poets; to weave sections of the Prelude and Sonnets of Wordsworth into one continuous piece is no mean task in itself. Jonathan Millican’s approach, which worked well, was to give the words of the poet himself to the tenor soloist; choral parts reflected the nostalgic nature of the text in chordal passages that were not overly complicated harmonically with the orchestra supporting. Roland Fudge’s setting of the Duddon sonnets demanded a slightly different approach: the work followed the flow of the river in clearly defined episodes shaping the twenty-minute work. Finzi’s ‘Intimations of Immortality’ is a work on a grander scale; in his long melodic lines and rich harmonies his style is overtly romantic with a colourful orchestral score for a large orchestra in which the percussion section making a considerable contribution.
The orchestral playing throughout the evening was of a high standard although there were moments when the brass section was too loud. Ideally, a larger string section would have helped to create a better balance but space and economics probably prohibited this.
The well-trained choir, under the careful guidance of Ian Jones, met the various challenges presented by the works of three different composers, each with his own style and technique of writing. Jonathan Millican and Roland Fudge presented the singers with some tricky chords to tune; in Finzi’s ‘Intimations of Immortality’ there were rhythmic challenges and long contrapuntal lines to sustain. Entries sounded confident and there was a good sense of ensemble throughout the evening. More attention could have been paid to dynamic markings, particularly in the Finzi where the composer is meticulous in indicating his intentions.
One of the highlights of the evening was the fine solo singing of tenor Joshua Ellicott. He has a powerful voice, one that can carry above a chorus and orchestra when required to do so, but his artistry and technique enable him to sustain a legato line with great beauty of tone reaching far into the upper register. Who can forget the exquisite tenderness of his rendering of lines from Wordsworth’s 9th stanza? ‘Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of the eternal Silence’.
All concerned with the planning, preparation and delivery of this enterprising venture deserve our thanks and congratulations for bringing it to fruition.
Clive Walkley
Cumbria Festival Chorus celebrated William Wordsworth at 250 in the Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands on Saturday November 20th, an event originally planned for 2020. After such a long delay, the concert may be described as a triumph over adversity. Not only was there a time lapse between the planning stages and the actual event but, only days before the scheduled performance in the spacious acoustics of Kendal Parish Church, the performance had to be moved to a much smaller venue with much less space for a large choir and orchestra, and with an audience in close proximity. This unavoidable last-minute change of venue must have caused the organisers and performers moments of anxiety but it clearly did not diminish their enthusiasm and joy in being able to celebrate the Wordsworth 250 anniversary celebration in style. The downside in this change of venue was the loss of a certain ambience. The performances of all three works would have benefitted from a more spacious acoustic to allow the sound to escape; in the dry acoustic of Grange’s Victoria Hall there were moments when the sheer volume of sound produced by over 100 performers was almost overwhelming. However, that said, what we experienced as an audience was a chance to share in the joy of large-scale music making by a committed and talented group of musicians and a opportunity to hear two specially commissioned new works by two local composers, Roland Fudge and Jonathan Millican, and then a live performance of Gerald Finzi’s rarely heard ‘Intimations of Immortality’.
It was fascinating to hear how each composer approached the task of setting poetry by one of our greatest poets; to weave sections of the Prelude and Sonnets of Wordsworth into one continuous piece is no mean task in itself. Jonathan Millican’s approach, which worked well, was to give the words of the poet himself to the tenor soloist; choral parts reflected the nostalgic nature of the text in chordal passages that were not overly complicated harmonically with the orchestra supporting. Roland Fudge’s setting of the Duddon sonnets demanded a slightly different approach: the work followed the flow of the river in clearly defined episodes shaping the twenty-minute work. Finzi’s ‘Intimations of Immortality’ is a work on a grander scale; in his long melodic lines and rich harmonies his style is overtly romantic with a colourful orchestral score for a large orchestra in which the percussion section making a considerable contribution.
The orchestral playing throughout the evening was of a high standard although there were moments when the brass section was too loud. Ideally, a larger string section would have helped to create a better balance but space and economics probably prohibited this.
The well-trained choir, under the careful guidance of Ian Jones, met the various challenges presented by the works of three different composers, each with his own style and technique of writing. Jonathan Millican and Roland Fudge presented the singers with some tricky chords to tune; in Finzi’s ‘Intimations of Immortality’ there were rhythmic challenges and long contrapuntal lines to sustain. Entries sounded confident and there was a good sense of ensemble throughout the evening. More attention could have been paid to dynamic markings, particularly in the Finzi where the composer is meticulous in indicating his intentions.
One of the highlights of the evening was the fine solo singing of tenor Joshua Ellicott. He has a powerful voice, one that can carry above a chorus and orchestra when required to do so, but his artistry and technique enable him to sustain a legato line with great beauty of tone reaching far into the upper register. Who can forget the exquisite tenderness of his rendering of lines from Wordsworth’s 9th stanza? ‘Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of the eternal Silence’.
All concerned with the planning, preparation and delivery of this enterprising venture deserve our thanks and congratulations for bringing it to fruition.
Clive Walkley
