Review of Fauré Requiem 30th November 2024
Review: Fauré Requiem, Saturday 30th November 2024
One hundred years after the death of Gabriel Fauré, Stour Choral Society has performed his popular and uplifting Requiem. Fauré’s requiem broke with tradition of the time, in that it did not express the fear of death, but rather, a hopeful deliverance to eternal life in paradise. It seems fitting then, that the concert was dedicated to two people whom the choir has lost in recent weeks- Rosalind Tovell, one of our altos, and Daphne Rose, mother of our musical director.
The choir performed to a record audience, with not a spare seat in the church. Two new soloists made their debut- Erin Donegan’s pure soprano voice in the ‘Pie Jesu’ was indeed heavenly, and provided a lovely contrast to Chris Thomas’s lively baritone in the ‘Libera me’. The choir gave a confident and expressive performance throughout, a testament to the thorough rehearsing and attention to dynamics and diction, led by Susanna Rose.
The second half opened with ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, the solo verse sung by Anna Maria Rose, and some of the choir members presented solos- Deborah Board sang Elgar’s Ave Verum, Sally Rice, ‘Mary did you know’(Buddy Greene) and Anna Maria Rose absolutely nailed the high notes in ‘O holy night’(Adolph Adam). There were two beautiful John Rutter carols: – ‘All Bells in Paradise’ and ‘What Sweeter Music’ as well as ‘It Started with a Star’ by local composer, Tim Brooke and ‘Torches’ (John Jubert). Lighter pieces included ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Jingle Bells’, and there were a few well-known carols for everyone to enjoy.
Thanks, and admiration to Stephen Smith for providing the varied orchestral accompaniment, including bells and harp, and to Jayne Barnes for the trumpet accompaniment to ‘Joy to the World’ and ‘Hark the Herald Angels sing’. Thanks also to Laura Allison, our page turner without whom things could really go wrong!
With over 200 singers, organ and trumpet, we made such a joyful noise that I’m surprised we left our hosts at Mistley church with a roof! Our thanks to them for welcoming us again and for providing the interval refreshments. As usual our thanks to the SCS committee and friends who are invaluable in coordinating the huge effort required to make our concerts happen.
Our next concert will be on March 29th 2025, when we will perform Handel’s Messiah. Rehearsals start on Monday January 6th 2025, 7.15pm at Acorn Village. Please contact us if you would like to sing with us: – email: . We are a friendly choir and welcome new members.
