A CEREMONY OF CAROLS - WEST ROAD
Is this the season to be jolly? With Blue Monday just behind us, mid January is rarely a time for Joy (or anyone else). But the grey gloom of a Cambridge lunchtime became a Santa’s grotto of sound thanks to a delicious winter concert given by singers from Clare College. I believe this to be their first public outing. If so, they did incredibly well especially facing a packed audience at West Road Concert Hall.
The ensemble consisted of eight upper voices accompanied in some pieces by harpist Ella Wood. The cleverly constructed programme consisted of works by British composers and a brand-new piece by Clare College alumnus Luca Zucchi.
The delight began with two short choral works by Imogen Holst: a charming tintinnabulatory setting of ‘As I Sat Under a Holly Tree’ and the more rigorous ‘The Virgin Unspotted’. These two set the tone for the lunchtime concert – just because the Christmas lights have gone, it doesn’t mean that January has to be dark. Next up was ‘Ave Maria’ by Gustav Holst, a vocal challenge met with ease by the fine singers. Two pieces by Walton and Elizabeth Maconchy followed and the first segment ended with the new work by Zucchi.
The title is ‘Lully Lullay! The Falcon hath Borne my Mate Away’. The text was taken from the same book of carols used by Benjamin Britten in the main work of the programme. With flashes of Britten, a touch more modernism and echoes of the master’s War Requiem. But it had a strength of its own and the ensemble (who by the by should give themselves a name) pulled of this energetically attractive work. I think we will be hearing more from Mr Zucchi. I hope so.
The main event of this splendid one-hour concert was Britten’s ‘A Ceremony of Carols’. Written on board a transatlantic liner in 1942, had the ship become a target of U-boat activity, this work would have gone down as one of Britten’s finest. But actually it still despite his golden gift boz of masterpieces from ‘Peter Grimes’ to the ‘Spring Symphony’.
Britten’s carols setting has long been a favourite of mine. I first heard on the ‘B’ side of a vinyl record I bought in 1973. I have been hooked ever since.
The performance began with a stunning coup de theatre. The octet dressed in solemn black had learned the work off by heart. This freed them from their books to make a procession around the hall. The work in fact begins with a dreamy plainsong chant and it set the mood just right.
What followed was 30 minutes of sheer pleasure. It was like having a box of delicious chocolates with only your favourite fillings within. ‘Welcum Yule!’ was sung with such gusto that you could easily think it was Christmas morn again. There was a moving solo, ‘That Yonge Child’ that was delivered with confidence and several duets. The chattering counterpoints of ‘This Little Babe’ were delivered with polish and precision.
Ella Wood did a wonderfully plucky job as harpist and her solo ‘Interval’ was mesmerising. Gorgeous. Above all, it was clear that this chorale was loving this wonderful work so much that their concluding processional up to the back rows of the auditorium, with their voices fading away into a winter sunset made one wish to hear the whole thing again. What could be more jolly?
