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Firm and Incisive
MIKE WHEELER reports on Haydn, McDowall and Handel from Derby
Like Derby Bach Choir's concert the previous week, this was an effective study in contrasts - Derby Cathedral, Derby, UK, 5 April 2025.
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'.
Paul Provost and the poster for Derby Choral Union's Spring 2025 concert
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 orchestral 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.
Rosemary Braddy (left) and Emma Rae Ward
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 © 16 April 2025
Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK
