Date ~
Saturday 28th June, 2008
Venue ~ St Andrew's Church, Sutton
Programme ~
Rutter ~ Magnificat &
Birthday Madrigals, Gershwin ~ Highlights from "Porgy & Bess"
Organist ~ Sam Hayes
Double Bass ~ Ashley Harries
Soloists ~ Soprano: Eleanor Cramer, Baritone: John Simmons
After last summer's memorable performance of John Rutter's Gloria, we now return to Sutton again this summer, during their 'Feast Week', to perform more music by England's most popular living choral composer. In the first half the choir will sing his jubilant setting of the Magnificat; the second half will feature his Birthday Madrigals, a modern and jazzy setting of some familiar words. The concert will conclude with the music of Geshwin - excerpts from his Opera Porgy and Bess.
Review by Rosemary Westwell
It was a warm summer evening. St. Andrew’s Church was resplendent as Ely Consort gathered to sing ‘Magnificat’ by John Rutter - Cambridge’s renowned composer. When the very first notes sounded we knew we were going to have a splendid evening.
Under the directorship of Matthew Rudd, Ely Consort filled the church with glorious sounds. With many moments of attractive tonal colouring, focused and balanced close-hamonies and tremendously uplifting climaxes, these singers presented a programme of intriguing variety.
Highlights included the opening movement ‘Magnificat’ of Rutter’s work of the same name and a group of traditional madrigals that were graceful, unhurried and nicely shaped. These were: ’Sing we and chant it’ (by Morley), ‘Weep, O mine eyes’ (by Bennet) and ‘Now is the month of Maying’ (by Morley). Rutter’s version of ‘It was a lover and his lass’ was a deliciously light-hearted, jazzy and more modern interpretation. Ashley Harries on double bass added extra oomph to this delightful performance.
One of the stars of the evening was soprano Eleanor Cramer. With seemingly effortless but powerful technique, her crystal clear voice made ‘el misericordia’ in Rutter’s ‘Magnificat’ absolutely spellbinding. Her ‘Love’ by Ned Rorem was exquisitely restrained and pure, her ‘Take O take those lips away’ by Dring stirred the heart strings hauntingly and her ‘If thou wilt ease my heart’ by Britten captured the spirit of the song perfectly, integrating the elongated intervals into one effective, musical line.
The evening ended with another star of the evening: John Simmons (baritone) who sounded as if he was just made for his role in his songs from Porgy and Bess by Gershwin. His rich voice and his personal charisma made ‘I got plenty O’nuttin’,’ ‘It ain’t necessarily so’ and ‘O Lawd, I’m on my way’ vibrant and mesmerising – an unforgettable performance.
These fine singers were accompanied by a highly proficient organist and pianist: Sam Hayes.
Date ~ Saturday
8th March, 2008
Venue ~ Methodist Church, Ely
Programme ~
Henry
Purcell ~
Come Ye Sons of Art; Ralph Vaughan Williams' ~
Five Mystical Songs;
Hubert Parry ~ My
Soul, There is a Country
Organist ~ Jonathan Lilley
Soloists ~ Baritone: Robin Moore, Soprano: Miriam Brown, Alto:
Louise Place, Bass: John Simmons
Review by Rosemary Westwell
Ely Consort’s All English concert in the Methodist Church Ely presented a variety of works by a number of different English composers than span the centuries.
Early music in the first half of the concert included works by Henry Purcell, Thomas Tomkins and Thomas Weelkes. In Purcell’s Ode for the Birthday of Queen Mary 1694 the choir, ably directed by Matthew Rudd, shaped their phrases charmingly, providing a powerful full-bodied sound in Come ye sons of art and See Nature, rejoicing. The choir was joined by admirable soloists: Miriam Brown (soprano), Louise Place (alto) and John Simmons (bass). The grace and gentle continuity of line was noticeable in the alto’s Strike the viol while John Simmons gave a particularly impressive performance, his fine voice making real sense of Purcell’s interruptive style.
In the anthems by Weelkes, the choir enhanced the imitative flow of the many voice parts with sustained splendour.
The more developed compositional styles by later English composers made up the programme for the second half of the concert. Composers included real bastions of the English music tradition: Hubert Parry, Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Ireland. Parry’s My soul, there is a country was precisely and expressively phrased. One of the highlights of the evening was Elgar’s My love dwelt in a Northern Land in which this fine body of singers brought out the beauty and musical qualities of his style magnificently. His varied technical demands were well integrated into the atmospheric and descriptive flow of emotive sound
Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams featured an exceptionally fine performance by the baritone Robin Moore. His superb breath control and vocal technique supported a voice that infused warmth and tonal colour into the beautiful lines of this composition and the choir’s contribution in Easter and in the final Antiphon (Let all the world in every corner sing) enriched the harmonies with perceptive expression.
The organist and accompanist for the evening was Jonathan Lilley and his exciting solo: Capriccio by John Ireland rightly brought the house down. The audience were stunned by how skilfully he executed the cheeky detached thematic material, and how he revelled in the hurdy-gurdy episodes of this amusing but impressive show-piece.
This was a splendid concert.
Date ~ Saturday 18th
November, 2007
Venue ~ Chatteris Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul
Programme ~ Handel – Messiah
Con Brio Chamber Orchestra
Harpsichord ~ Jonathan Hellyer Jones
Soloists ~ Soprano: Catriona Clark, Alto:
Ashley Harries, Tenor: Pierre Dechant, Bass: Johnny Herford
The concert was sponsored by: CLE Print Ltd,
www.cle.co.uk & Lodge Printers Ltd, Upton, Huntingdon.
Ely Consort would kindly like to acknowledge the support of Chatteris Music Society.
Date ~ Saturday
30th June, 2007
Venue ~ St Andrew's Church, Sutton
Programme ~ Rutter ~ Gloria, Parry ~ I
was Glad, Songs of Farewell (My soul, there is a country; Never weather-beaten
sail; There is an old belief,
Vaughan Williams: Old Hundreth,
Elgar: Three Choral Songs, Op.18 ~ O happy eyes,
Love, My love dealt in a Northern Land
Organist ~ Sam Haze
Instruments ~ Cambridge Brass
Soloists ~ Soprano: Miriam Brown, Alto: Louise Place,
Date ~ Saturday 10th March 2007
Venue ~ Ely Cathedral
Programme ~ Duruflé ~ Requiem, Fauré ~ Cantique de Jean Racine,
and other works by French, Russian & Hungarian composers.
Organist ~ Jonathan Lilley
Soloists ~ Mezo-Soprano: Caroline Smith, Tenor:
Martin Kenward, Baritone: Simon Adams
Date ~ Saturday 2nd December, 2006
Venue ~ Fordham Parish Church
Programme ~ Music for a Lutheran Christmas
Organist ~ Edward Taylor
A concert performance of a German Christmas service from the beginning of the Seventeenth Century. Ely Consort will sing Hans Leo Hassler’s exquisite mass setting Missa super “Dixit Maria”. Organ music, motets and congregational carols, in which the audience will be invited to participate, will complete the musical side of the evening, after which mulled wine and mince pies will be served (included in ticket price).
Date ~ Saturday 18th November, 2006
Venue ~ Chatteris Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul
Programme ~ Mozart – Requiem & Te Deum, Bruckner -
Motets
Organist ~ Jonathan Lilley
Soloists ~ Soprano: Miriam Brown, Alto: Louise Place, Tenor:
Martin Kenward, Bass: John Simmons
In the last weeks of his life, Mozart was working on a Mass for the Dead, which was the result of an anonymous commission! In fact the Requiem was commissioned by Count Franz Walsegg-Stuppach (1763-1827) as a memorial for his wife. Mozart died before completing the work, which was finished by Franz Süssmayr (1766-1803), following Mozart's guidelines.
Although 'new versions' of the Requiem have been made in recent years, it remains above all the major work of Mozart. In 1814 E.T.A Hoffmann was already strongly aware of the Requiem's qualities when he wrote that 'the music remains devotional throughout; pure devotion resonates through these awe-inspiring chords which speak of another world, and which in their singular dignity and power are themselves another world'. We hope to replicate those words in our performance.
Date ~ Saturday
24th
June, 2006
Venue ~ St John's Church, Little Wilbraham
Programme ~ Music for a Summer Evening
Date ~ Saturday 11th
March, 2006
Venue ~ Ely Methodist Church
Programme included ~
John
Rutter - Requiem & Suite Antique
Gustav Holst - Te Deum & Five Partsongs
Head - The Singer
Review by Rosemary Westwell:
Matthew Rudd and Ely Consort are in fine form - in their concert at the Methodist Church Ely they captured the magical quality of music that makes it irresistibly appealing. They were particularly sensitive to John Rutter's genius for creating sounds that draw us into a world of heights of expression that we hardly believe possible. The highlight of the evening was the performance of Rutter's Requiem. In this work the variety of beautifully shaped tones from voice and instruments revealed Rutter's unique exquisitely-shaped and developing texture that transfixed us all. Moments of quiet foreboding in the Requiem aeternam, rich depth in Out of the deep, glorious acclamation in Sanctus, expressive constriction in Agnus Dei, exquisite harmonic colouring in the Lord is my Shepherd and striking revelations in Lux aeterna were just some of the amazing effects.
Ruth Shepherd (soprano) gave the familiar Pie Jesu a new and effective sense of gentle intensity. Ruth's expressive skill was also particularly noticeable in her performance of The Singer by Michael Head in the first half of the programme. She told the tale with mesmerising vocal purity inspiring our imaginations with a fanciful levity that could only have come from a genuine understanding of vocal technique and skill.
Other worthy items in the programme were Festival Te Deum and Five Part Songs by Holst and Kiran Robert's flute performance of Aria and Ostinato (Suite Antique) by Rutter. The Festival Te Deum was a splendid opening to this excellent concert. The choir's well-balanced, strong and potent expressiveness was apparent from the start. Other key instrumental contributors included accompanists Jonathan Lilley (organ), Matthew Rudd (piano), Julia White (oboe), Nikki Porter-Thaw (cello), Elspeth Pullinger (harp), Tom Baker (timpani) and Emma Cardwell (glockenspiel). Ely Consort's next engagement will be on Saturday 24th June 2006 at Little Wilbraham "Music for Summer's Evening".
Date ~ Saturday 17th
December, 2005
Venue ~ Ely Cathedral, Lady Chapel
Programme ~ Christmas Music
Programme included:
Ding dong! merrily on high French Tune, arr.
Charles Wood
There is no rose of such virtue John Joubert
The holly and the ivy English Carol, arr. Henry
Walford Davies
Here is the little door Herbert Howells
Adam lay ybounden Boris Ord
The Shepherd’s Cradle Song Karl Leuner
Past Three O’Clock Traditional, arr. Charles Wood
Infant holy, infant lowly Polish Carol, arr.
David Willcocks
In dulci jubilo German Tune, arr. R L Pearsall
Clicking on image to see & hear Infant Holy, infant lowly
[Mpeg file, Size: 20Mb].
Date ~ Saturday 12th November, 2005
Venue ~ Ely Cathedral, Lady Chapel
Programme ~ Choral music for 'A Brush with Faith'
Review by Rosemary Westwell, Ely Weekly News, November 2005
Ely Consort has developed new depth, maturity and potency under the directorship of Matthew Rudd. This was most evident in their recent unaccompanied concert in Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel. This concert was held to complement Ely Methodists’ art collection: ‘A Brush with Faith’. Each musical item reflected the theme of a painting and as each piece was sung, the image of the painting was projected onto a screen.
One of the most moving pieces was ‘Bogoroditsye Dyevo’ by Rachmaninov. The richness of the smooth cohesive lines in the singing reflected perfectly the warm all-embracing lines in the picture: ‘The Dalit Madonna’ by Jyoti Sahi. In ‘Hosanna to the son of David’ by Thomas Weelkes the mass of glorious interwoven sounds ideally reflected ‘Christ’s entry into Jerusalem City by Norman Adams. In this picture an accumulation of colourful banners and flags frame the central glowing figure of Jesus entering Jerusalem City on a donkey. Several movements from Palestrina’s ‘Missa Aeterna Christi Munera’ simulated the cohesive integration of the parts in the picture: ‘The Elements of the Holy Communion’ by Jacques Iselin. The barbarity of the crucifixion and the harsh suffering endured were contained in the choir’s intensely expressed clashing harmonies in ‘Crucifixus’ by Antonio Lotti. This composition reflected, in particular, the largest frame of the images in ‘Crucifixion polyptych’ by Francis Hoyland. The more challenging, complex messages in Rutter’s ‘Come down, O love divine’ captured the mystical nature of ‘Pentecost’ by Dennis Hawkins. The solo singing by Aileen Biagi was remarkably pure and clearly focused. John Simmon’s expressive solo in the ‘The Three Kings’ by Peter Cornelius, juxtaposed by smooth chordal movements in the choir, was an inspired choice to reflect ‘Epiphany’ by Albert Herbet. The mystical power of the oil painting ‘The ascension’ by Peter Rogers with its rising golden globe and a clear vision of the face of Jesus contrasted by the surrounding shroud of mystical transparency were complemented generously by assured, effectively contrasted choral performances of two pieces: ‘O quam gloriosum’ by Tomas Luis de Victoria and the strong, powerful and energetic finale ‘Coelos ascendit hodie by Charles Villiers Stanford.
The concert also incorporated an interesting introduction to the Methodist art collection by The Reverend Alan Ashton who reflected on the religious messages of the artists.
Date ~ Saturday 12th March, 2005
Venue ~ Ely Cathedral
Programme ~ American Choral Classics
Review by Rosemary Westwell, Ely Weekly News, March 2005:
Ely Consort has developed into a choir of real distinction and this was clearly demonstrated in their programme of American Choral Classics in the south transept of Ely Cathedral under the perceptive directorship of Matthew Rudd. The unaccompanied works were special while Jonathan Lilley’s accomplished piano playing enriched the accompanied works: The Road Not Taken by Randall Thompson and highlights from Porgy and Bess by Gershwin. The unaccompanied works by the choir – five Gospels and Spirituals, Shenandoah, Yankee Doodle and Four Motets by Aaron Copland – were beautifully balanced and inspired the audience unconsciously to hum excerpts as they left their seats at the interval and at the end of the evening.
Jonathan Lilley further demonstrated his prowess as a fine pianist with solos that balanced the programme.
Further variety in the programme was provided by John Simmons whose rich baritone voice made Cole Porter’s Blow Gabriel Blow especially enjoyable. He positively shone in the Porgy and Bess highlights and it was hard to believe that he was not in costume in the roles he represented. These pieces, which included more splendid sounds from the choir, made a wonderful and fitting finale to a highly successful and memorable evening.