Organ, brass and audience join in Newbury Choral Society celebration of Christmas
A Celebration of Christmas with Newbury Choral Society
on Saturday 16th December 16
at St Nicolas Church
review by John P Lawler
Newbury Choral Society were conducted by Joe Tobin and accompanied by Steve Bowey on organ and the Proclamation Players Brass Quintet for an evening of festive music at St Nicolas Church.
An audience of about 250 were invited to join in several of the pieces during the concert including the opening piece O come, O come Emmanuel, a traditional Advent carol.
Over the next hour the choir, organ, brass, and audience covered a further 18 pieces, including In the Stillness, a modern carol that captures the hushed rapture of a small parish church in a snowbound landscape just before Christmas, which was sung with balance and clarity. The Sussex Carol with its fine organ accompaniment and the Gloucester Wassail were particularly appreciated by the audience. Steve Bowey’s masterful rendition of Bach’s In Dulci Jubilo BWV 729 was appreciated by all.
The choir’s unaccompanied rendition of The Coventry Carol was beautifully sung and displayed their dynamic range and harmonisation at its best. This piece was followed by a very lively rendition of While Shepherds Watched which tested the audience’s ability to keep up. O Come all ye Faithful, followed by an uplifting rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing gave the brass their opportunity to display their virtuosity before being joined by the choir, organ and audience.
The final piece for unaccompanied choir was a challenging arrangement of We Wish You a Merry Christmas which they sang with aplomb. The audience showed their appreciation and adjourned for complimentary mulled wine and mince pies, making the concert a perfect introduction to Christmas festivities.
Newbury Choral Society’s next performance is the challenging but superb Mozart’s Requiem on Saturday, April 13 at 7.30pm, St Nicolas Church.
Another date for your diary is Saturday, June 29 at 7.30pm, at Douai Abbey for the NCS Summer Season Concert.
