Choral society concert does not disappoint
THE Richmondshire Choral Society spring concert featured a wonderful selection of music. St Mary's Church was full with an expectant air that was not to be disappointed.
Starting with Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, the impressively high standard of the choir and the string section of the orchestra was immediately apparent.
The choir was evenly balanced - good to see female tenors'- and each section of the choir sang as one.
Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus followed, a personal favourite of mine. This was also sung with a great depth of feeling.
For Elgar's Serenade for Strings, the mood in St Mary's Church was one of quiet confidence, knowing that we were about to hear another wonderfully-performed piece.
To finish the first section of the evening, we were treated to another excellently performed piece, Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine, Op 11. Kathryn Haworth, the conductor, appeared well pleased.
The highlight was a rendition of Mozart's Requiem. The solo soprano, Rowan Pierce, sang effortlessly. Helen Jarmany, mezzo-soprano, blended beautifully with her. David Pisaro (tenor) and Dominic Barberi (bass) gave excellent performances, all contributing to a wonderful presentation.
Only one criticism - a "uniform" folder for the music scores of the choir could prove to be a visual improvement.
The choir, soloists and orchestra worked well together. I am looking forward to the Christmas concert-with great anticipation. - KS
