Testimonials

Mike Wheeler listens to Spring 2025 Concert
by Derby Choral Union
5th April 2025

Like Derby Bach Choir's concert the previous week, this was an effective study in contrasts.

Derby Choral Union and Central England Camerata, conducted by Paul Provost, began with Haydn's Te Deum of 1800, the second of his two settings (why does no-one ever seem to do the first?). It got off to a jolly start, taking a thoughtful turn at “Te ergo quaesumus”. The choir's firm tone was particularly effective in moments like the short unison passage at “Dignare Domine, die isto”.

Cecilia McDowall's Magnificat dates from 2003. One of its particularly attractive features is the way it side-steps expectations, in what is no run-of-the-mill re-tread of familiar words. This was immediately evident in the low-key start, with its dark orchestra introduction, which holds back the first violins for a while. The two wind instruments – oboe and cor anglais, counterparts to the soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists – had their plaintive moment, before greater animation led to the first choral entry, led by the sopranos and altos. In 'Ecce enim ex hoc beatam' the broken solo soprano line sounded capricious, Emma Rae Ward toying with it coquettishly. 'Quia fecit mihi magna' was contemplative, with a nervy oboe obbligato, hesitant two-note phrases, and a well-sustained slow-moving chorus part. Rosemary Braddy was plangent in the mezzo solo 'Et misericordia', and well matched with her colleague in the duet 'Fecit potentiam'. The choir handled the extended final chorus, 'Deposiut potentes', with quiet confidence, pacing the growing animation effectively.

Handel's popular Coronation Anthems formed the second half. The King Shall Rejoice was nicely buoyant, with a positive starburst at “Exceeding glad shall he be” Contrapuntal lines were well balanced in “Thou hast prevented him” and the concluding “Alleluia”. My heart is Inditing was suitably more intimate in manner, with a graceful“Kings' daughters” leading to a positively minuet-like “Upon thy right hand.” Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened was purposeful. “Let justice and judgment' came across as more plea than statement, but the Alleluia felt slightly subdued, as if not wanting to upstage Zadok the Priest (not that anything could). Here, the rising tension in the orchestral introduction was, again, slightly downplayed, but the initial choral outburst had all the vigour it demands. “And all the people rejoiced” went with a swing, and “God save the King” was firm and incisive.

Copyright © 2025 Mike Wheeler, all rights reserved. First published at classicalmusicdaily.com

MIKE WHEELER listens to
Messiah from Derby Choral Union
30th November 2024

There's always been plenty to enjoy in Derby Choral Union's performances of Handel's Messiah over the years, and this was no exception. The choir was joined by Central England Camerata, the Cathedral's Director of Music, Alexander Binns, on chamber organ, and a quartet of fresh-voiced young soloists. The choir's Musical Director, Paul Provost, directed from the harpsichord - Derby Cathedral, UK. 30 November 2024

The opening Sinfony's first section was a touch slow, but the quick music was vigorously spirited. Tenor James Beddoe made his mark straight away with winning accounts of 'Comfort ye my people' and a nicely brisk 'Ev'ry valley shall be exalted'.Mezzo-soprano Rosemary Braddy gave 'O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion' a real sense of eagerness, readily picked up by the choir. Matthew Jordan was more baritone than bass, but 'Thus saith the Lord' had plenty of declamatory power. Soprano Amy Wood used her bright tone to particularly good effect when describing the angels appearing to the shepherds, followed by the choir's exuberant 'Glory to God in the highest', with the - sadly, uncredited - trumpeter adding a bright sheen to the sound. She was admirably secure, too, in the running passages of 'Rejoice greatly'.

Derby Choral Union was generally on excellent form. 'And the glory of the Lord' had a real spring in its step, 'For unto us a child is born' was nicely buoyant, and 'His yoke is easy and his burthen light' well propelled. The basses and tenors seemed a little underpowered at the start of 'And he shall purify', but the performance gained a robust sense of confidence in the full choir sections

The contrapuntal choruses that predominate in Part 2 included a solemn but not ponderous 'Behold the Lamb of God', and 'Surely he hath borne our griefs' was launched with tremendous impact. 'And with his stripes' had a meditative quality as unexpected as it was effective, and 'All we like sheep' built momentum, the change of mood at the end marked not with over-emphasis but by withdrawing into a quiet place.

Rosemary Braddy brought just enough pathos to 'He was despised' - all the more touching for her restraint, with the orchestra giving incisive support in 'He gave his back to the smiters'.

Amy Wood was all serene confidence in 'I know that my redeemer liveth', her tone reined in to an appropriate degree, and in 'If God be for us', where she was partnered by a solo violin instead of violins 1 and 2 in unison, an effective touch. Matthew Jordan and the un-named trumpeter gave a well-declaimed account of 'The trumpet shall sound'.

The choir's later contributions included intricate detail brought out in 'He trusted in God', a properly celebratory 'Hallelujah', and just enough emphasis to the expressive contrasts in 'Since by man came death', while the concluding 'Amen' was smoothly handled - grand but not overbearing.
Several numbers, especially in Parts 2 and 3, were cut, as they often are; I particularly missed the pastoral lilt of 'He shall feed his flock' in Part 1. That aside, the performance was, on the whole, engagingly light on its feet. The choir's new outfit looked good, too.

Copyright © 8 December 2024 Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK

MIKE WHEELER listens to
Brahm's Ein deutsches Requiem from Derby Choral Union
14th May 2022

It was bad luck on Derby Choral Union and recently-appointed conductor Paul Provost that he should have made his debut in October 2019, just months before Covid lockdown. But in their first major concert together since, they clearly had no trouble picking up the threads again.

There was just one work, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, sung in German, using Brahms' own version with piano duet, sensitively played by David Woodhouse and Beate Toyka. The opening chorus entry eased itself in gently, the music's consolatory tone also carrying an almost palpable sense of relief to be back performing again. Brahms's scene-setting was handled with tenderness and dignity, while the more energetic passage at “...und kommen mit Freuden” ('...and come with joy') suggesting the reserves of energy that would be drawn on later.

The second movement combined solemnity with a firm sense of purpose. The expressive brightening at “So seid nun geduldig” ('Therefore be patient') was effectively realised, and the two big outbursts were well prepared: first, the reprise of the opening, then “Aber des Herrn Wort...” ('But the word of the Lord...'), leading seamlessly into the first of the work's three great fugues.

The baritone soloist in the third and sixth movements, Stephen Cooper, had a lighter tone than I was expecting: less heavily patriarchal than we often hear, with a totally apt sense of human vulnerability. The work's second fugue, “Der Gerechten Seelen” ('The righteous souls...'), was the one point in the performance where the choir came close to being overbalanced by the piano duet team, and the tenor entry at the start was somewhat under-powered, but the final bars were firm and secure.

“Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” ('How lovely are thy dwellings') is popular enough to have taken on something of an independent existence. It's the work's emotional bright point, and the Choral Union's performance conveyed this, alongside a sense more of hope and aspiration than an aim completely grasped.
Soprano Harriet Astbury phrased her fifth-movement solo eloquently, though a slight edge to her tone at less intimate moments suggested a voice more suited to larger spaces.

The sixth movement is another big fresco, to balance the second, and the choir grasped every expressive opportunity with both hands. The outburst at “Dann wird erfüllet...” ('Then shall be fulfilled...') was positively ferocious, and the fugue at ”Herr, du bist würdig...” ('Lord, thou art worthy...') arrived with powerful sense of release. The final movement was an effective wind-down, and the final section, at “Ja, der Geist spricht” ('Yea, saith the spirit') had a convincing sense of both resolution and inwardness.

Copyright © 2023 Mike Wheeler

MIKE WHEELER listens to
Duruflé and Ola Gjeilo from Derby Choral Union and its new musical director Paul Provost
23rd November 2019

This was the debut of Paul Provost, Rector Chori of Southwell Minster, as Derby Choral Union's Musical Director - Derby Cathedral, Derby, UK, 23 November 2019; choir and audiences clearly have a lot of good things to look forward to in the years ahead.

We don't hear Derby Choral Union singing a cappella pieces all that often, but it sounded at home in Duruflé's Four Motets on Gregorian Themes. Ubi Caritas had a nice sense of flow, with appreciable changes of tone between the two choral groups. Tota Pulchra Es, for upper voices, was agreeably bright-sounding, though the counterpoint took a few moments to come into focus. A forthright Tu Es Petrus was followed by a smoothly-flowing account of Tantum Ergo.

Norwegian-born American resident Ola Gjeilo has produced some exquisite choral miniatures, but I am yet to be convinced by his larger-scale work. Nights of the Soul comprises two works designed as a pair. Dark Night of the Soul sets words by St John of the Cross. Soprano Hannah Dienes-Williams soared clear in her arching solo lines, but the music's switches between energy and stillness seemed fairly arbitrary, and I got no real sense of where it was going. Luminous Night of the Soul mostly uses a rather twee (and at one point shockingly inept) poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri. The music is mostly sub-Philip Glass, though it did give the choir's rehearsal pianist, David Woodhouse, the chance to shine in an extended cadenza-like solo.

Duruflé's Requiem formed the second half, dedicated to the memory of three former choir members, and of Stephen Cleobury, who died the day before. It is a much darker setting than the one by Fauré, with which it is often superficially compared, and the performance fully engaged with that. The opening Requiem Aeternam was notable for tonal warmth from both the choir and the orchestra, Central England Camerata. In Domine Jesu Christe, the choir moved convincingly from sorrowful opening to an urgency verging on panic at the plea for the departed to be delivered from the lion's mouth. The baritone solo at 'Hostias et preces' was smoothly taken by the choral tenors and basses, as was 'Tremens Factus' in the later Libera Me.

In the Sanctus, as elsewhere, the flexible plainsong rhythms were nicely shaped, and the big, expansive climax was well sustained. Pie Jesu saw Hannah Dienes-Williams centre-stage again, with well-shaped phrases, and this time projecting a mezzo-soprano tone astonishingly mature for a singer still only seventeen.

Agnus Dei saw a slight loss of focus for a moment, but Lux Aeterna was a properly tranquil interlude before the bigger canvas of the Libera Me, in which the singers were fully responsive to the sudden storm, delivering a really punchy account of the Dies Irae section. The concluding In Paradisum was all serene luminosity.

Copyright © 2023 Mike Wheeler, all rights reserved. First published at www.classicalmusicdaily.com