Basingstoke Choral Society's concert is a triumph (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Basingstoke Choral Society's concert is a triumph

2:29pm Thursday 22nd December 2011 in Music

WE WERE regaled with a number of musical items from Basingstoke Choral Society (BCS) at this recent concert, with the sea as its main theme.

BCS had chosen an ambitious programme which further supported their already undoubted reputation as a collection of voices prepared to tackle anything. Under the baton of David Gibson, they achieved an outstanding result, which deserved a much larger audience. The evening was a real ‘tour de force’, being arrived at, no doubt, at the expense of a few sore throats in rehearsal.

The programme began with a lovely work, The Morning Watch by Arnold Bax, which was unfamiliar to me, but which did set the tone for what was to follow. It was a delightful work which I could readily listen to again – fascinating with lots of tonal colour.

The second offering by Benjamin Britten, not one of my favourite composers, nevertheless captiva-ted me. We are all aware of the constantly changing character of the sea and this was admirably demonstrated by the New London Sinfonia performing the compo-ser’s Four Sea Interludes.

The final movement unearthed further memories of the ocean’s awesome power. This was a truly remarkable work which allowed for a vivid use of the imagination.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony was another work with which I was not familiar. This was a wonderfully descriptive work. I sat in The Anvil and allowed the music to wash over me, becoming completely immersed, feeling every nuance of mood change. Such is the orchestration and choral arrangement that it became easy to imagine each situation that was being portrayed, in each section.

I felt, however, that the final movement was rather lengthy and perhaps overstated! Perhaps the desired effect could still have been achieved with less orchestral involvement. Once again, the choir excelled itself, though I did detect one or two sopranos who sounded a bit too prominent.

I was, once again, most impressed with the high calibre of the soloists – baritone David Kimberg, whose voice had a wonderful richness and accuracy, and Erica Eloff who, as ever, seemed to effortlessly produce a most beautiful sound. Both were called upon to attempt notes at the extreme of the register and this was achieved with consummate ease and clarity. There were a few occasions, however, when the powerful voices of both were ‘drowned out’ by both choir and orchestra, something which, I feel, needs to be addressed in future.

Overall, this was another triumph for Basingstoke Choral Society and David Gibson. I eagerly await future programmes.

Alan Gibson