Plenty of Atmosphere

MIKE WHEELER enjoys a Christmas concert given by the Sitwell Singers

The Sitwell Singers chose the sixteenth-century carol Gaudete to get their usual Christmas selection of familiar and unfamiliar numbers off to vigorous start - St John's Church, Derby, UK, 16 December 2024.

Dotted throughout the programme were three carol arrangements, and one original composition, by Ola Gjeilo. His treatment of the 'Coventry Carol' is arguably on the fussy side, for the most part, but its quiet last verse was handled very effectively by the choir.

The fifteenth-century carol Angelus ad Virginem (which gets a name-check in Chaucer's The Miller's Tale) - or rather 'Gabriel from evene king', since it was sung in the English-language version, in an edition by Percy Grainger - had plenty of vigour, with three of the singers switching to instruments: Katie Smith, flute, Claire Presland, recorder and Craig Meager, bassoon.

The Sitwells also paid tribute to their previous musical director, Malcolm Goldring, starting with his arrangement of 'Silent Night', given a reading of remarkable tranquility. Just when you thought it couldn't get any quieter, it did. 'The Shepherd's Cradle Song', by early nineteenth-century German composer Karl Leuner, in the popular choral arrangement by Charles Macpherson, built to a big, but not out-sized, climax, before flowing seamlessly into Gjeilo's arrangement of 'Away in a Manger', generating plenty of atmosphere - soprano solo Hannah Asbury - which continued into the evening's second Malcolm Goldring arrangement, of the Basque carol known as The Infant King.

'Sleepy Time Bach' is the well-known chorale movement from J S Bach's Advent cantata Wachet Auf arranged for The Swingle Singers by Bennett Williams. With tenor Ben Phelps picking up his cello to provide a breezy bass line, the Sitwells' spirited performance suggested that, while this and other Swingles' Bach arrangements may be at least fifty years old, they could well stand being revived.

Part 2 began with John Tavener in characteristic proclamation mode, in his Marienhymne, with a four-voice female echo-choir in the gallery adding to the sonic spaciousness. Ave Generosa by Hildegarde of Bingen moved smoothly into Ola Gjeilo's own setting of the same text, and the sinuous, winding lines of Peter Maxwell Davies' Alma Redemptoris Mater, and its tantalising mid-air ending, were sensitively handled.

Of Andrew Carter's Two Spanish Carols, 'Spanish Carol' went with a real swing - solo tenor Martin Power - and 'Spanish Lullaby' had plenty of atmosphere - solo soprano Gina Coventry. In between came Ola Gjeilo's gently crooning take on 'The First Nowell' - soprano solo Katie Smith. Peter J Wilhousky's arrangement of the traditional Ukrainian 'Carol of the Bells' was taken at an agreeably brisk pace.

Musical Director Dexter Drown again showed the ease with which he relates to audiences, and it was good to see solo, and instrumental, opportunities being shared out generously among the choir members.

The Sitwell Singers with conductor Dexter Drown (centre) in 2023

Deputy Conductor and bass David Henshaw also deserves a mention for repeatedly climbing to the organ loft to play for the four audience carols, and there was a touching presentation to rehearsal pianist Will Wright.

It was left to Malcolm Goldring to wrap things up, in his refreshingly un-tinselly arrangement of Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas'. And it includes the verse, which hardly ever gets done, and without which, songs of this kind are not complete.

There are more articles here about Christmas, Sitwell Singers, Dexter Drown, classical music in Derbyshire, choral music, vocal music, sacred music, organ music, Australia, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Ukraine, UK, USA, fifteenth century, sixteenth century, nineteenth century, twentieth century, 21st century and contemporary classical music.

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The background image on this page has been derived from a photo of Christmas tree baubles in Norfolk, taken on 15 December 2002 by Keith Bramich.

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