Magnificent memorial
to conductor
NATIONAL politi-
cians, the borough
council and Surrey
music lovers converged on Guildford
Cathedral on Friday
night to pay homage
to the musicianship
of
Sir
Charles
Groves,
principal
conductor
of the
philharmonic
orchestra, who died in
June.
It
was
.
a magnificent
and
poignant
concert
which the distinguished
conductor would have
appreciated.
John Lill, the international
pianist,
played
Beethoven’s
Emperor
Concerto. Then Guildford Philharmonic Choir
and Orchestra performed
the
Mozart
Requiem.
Both soloist and choice
of music held significance
in this memorial concert:
Lill had a tremendous
rapport with Sir Charles
and he played the Emperor Concerto in the last
concert he conducted in
Guildford
before
his
stroke.
Friday’s memorial began with the immaculate
treble voices of the cathedral choir singing the Pie
Jesu
from
Faure’s
Requiem from the balcony high above the transept.
The conductor was En
Shao, the gifted Chinese
_musician who conducted
the previous week’s concert by the philharmonic
at the Civic Hall, and the
orchestra
clearly
responds well to his direction.
The accompaniment to
the Beethoven was most
sensitively
done,
with
clean phrasing, daylight
and mystery.
Lill played with his
customary authority despite having had to use
the cathedral piano for
the
rehearsal
as
the
Steinways grand was delayed on the M25.
The concerto had a
completely different feel
toit, played in the echoing
space of the cathedral.
Lill achieved some fantastic dynamic extremes,
while the tumbling runs
were transformed into a
thunderous blur of sound
which was extremely ex-
citing.
Fiona Firth-Spilier, soprano,
Pauline
Cayzer,
mezzo-soprano,
Andrew
King, tenor and substitute bass, Robert Carpenter-Taylor, made a very
well matched quartet for
the Mozart.
Acoustic idiosyncracies
meant that the Dies Irae
lacked menace at the
back of the nave, but
otherwise the dynamics
were well disciplined and
the choir sang with confi-
dence aad agcui'acy.
The basses ;‘l“uncl,}g;
taé
with
Ainto Rex Tremend
gusto and a swelling crescendo, and the Lacrimosa
also reflected En Shao’s
attention
to
phrasing.
The
cathedral was
packed for the memorial,
and all the/"?leusicians
gave their services free.
Proceeds will be used to
establish a $ir Charles
Groves
/'Endowment
Fund to support a young
professional musicians.
]
,?
&
Jane Garrett