On Saturday May 13, Kendal South Choir performed Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle.
A review by Ian Jones said: “Choral music is thriving in South Cumbria! Already 2023 has seen performances of several major choral and orchestral works given by various choirs in different venues and all to satisfyingly large audiences. Kendal South’s performance last Saturday was no exception!
“This huge and joyous mass setting – it is neither ‘petite’ nor ‘solennelle’ – is an astonishing achievement. Rossini’s fame was based on his operas but his operatic pen had been silent for 30 years and in that time he had only written small-scale chamber works when suddenly, at the age of 72, he set about this piece calling it, rather whimsically, ‘the final sin of my old age’.
“The work is scored for mixed voice choir and four soloists with the unusual combination of piano and harmonium as accompaniment. The latter were provided by Ken Forster and Andy Plowman. The piano part is a tour de force. Ken Forster has a distinguished reputation as a pianist and accompanist and this demanding role was met with great pianistic skill, sympathy and sensitivity made all the more remarkable given his distance from the singers and his need to stay with the conductor in spite of what the church acoustics made him hear! Andy Plowman, playing the small Bevington organ for the harmonium part, showed equal sensitivity in his much smaller role. He came into his own in the beautifully phrased and voiced ‘Prelude religieux’ solo late on in the performance.
“The ‘Petite Messe’ offers challenging solo opportunities and the four young singers met them head-on with a high degree of success. Their arias are all of operatic proportions demanding great vocal flexibility and physical stamina. They are extended and intricate with modulations and chromaticisms which need careful handling and excellent intonation. Ellie Blewitt sang the strikingly beautiful melodies in the ‘Crucifixus’ and ‘O Salutaris’ with accuracy and purity of tone; Rebecca Anderson’s mezzo-soprano was well-matched with the soprano in the ‘Qui Tollis’ duet and she came into her own in the moving setting of the ‘Agnus Dei’. Henry Strutt was a most impressive tenor soloist. He has a real ‘presence’ and a lovely wide vocal range. The upward rising intervals which are such a feature of his ‘Domine Deus’ solo were despatched with ease and accuracy! The baritone soloist Sam Weakley provided a secure and supportive bass line for the quartet but found the composer utterly merciless in his extended setting of ‘Quoniam’ which taxed Sam’s upper range!
“Kendal South Choir under Geoffrey Field’s enthusiastic leadership is in good heart and responded well to the varied demands of this two-hour-long piece. Extra voices drafted in to the tenor and bass sections ensured a well-balanced sound. (How one hopes that more men would come forward in response to every choir’s plea so that it wasn’t necessary to call for extra help!) The big concerted choral statements were very impressive; the forty-five strong choir have real strength when needed but also know how to vary the dynamic range most effectively. The many more contrapuntal passages sometimes lacked the clarity one would have liked but the resonant church acoustic didn’t help. Incisive entries and real self-confidence in the counterpoint were often missing but these are the most demanding aspects of choral singing and Geoffrey Field is clearly making great progress to achieve this with Kendal South.
“The performance was greeted with enthusiastic and prolonged applause: GF and KSC are clearly well matched and ‘going places’! Long may it continue!”