REVIEW - Saturday 17th November 2007 - Handel, Alexander's Feast

YET ANOTHER MUSICAL CELEBRATION

Gravesham Choral Society and their soloists treated a large audience on Saturday evening at St George’s Church to another very successful concert.

The choir, under its masterful conductor Alan Vincent, has a long-held reputation for producing music of the highest quality – and this was further enhanced by the delivery of a programme of challenging 18th and 20th century music.

The first half of the concert was devoted to the works of Gerald Finzi, who died 50 years ago in 1956. The choir began impressively, accompanied by Geoffrey Lester on the organ, with “God is gone up”. This was followed by Finzi’s “Magnificat”, this time with accompaniment of the string orchestra, led very capably by Daniel Weatherley.

The third piece was “Dies Natalis”, sung by the superb soprano Sophie Bevan. Sophie sang brilliantly with the choir in their previous concert in Rochester Cathedral and is destined for great things in the future. The Choral Society was therefore delighted to welcome her back and she delivered another stunning performance. She has a winning combination of power and subtlety in her voice and an engaging smile that connects with her audience. Sensitively supported by the strings, this was a memorable performance.

The final piece in the concert was Haydn’s “Maria Theresa Mass” and Sophie was joined by Andrea Hazell [Mezzo-soprano], Timothy Hamilton [Tenor] and Julian Hubbard [Bass]. The four soloists’ voices complemented each other very well and they successfully wove their contributions into the choir’s many choruses. The sustained applause at the end of the concert bore testimony to a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

2006 has been a significant year behind the scenes for the choral society. In addition to celebrating Alan Vincent’s 25th anniversary as musical director, it has marked ten years under the Chairmanship of Gwyneth Charles and 28 years’ service on the committee by Bernard Keating. Gwyneth’s and Bernard’s enormous contributions to the choir were celebrated at a recent dinner.

The choral society and its new committee now moves forward under Colin Osborne as the new Chairman – this concert clearly demonstrates that the choir has an exciting future ahead.

Richard Gretton