Glory in silver lining
ACCORDING to the proverb,
every cloud has a silver lining
— the closure of Guildford’s
civic hall has benefited the
cathedral, which has seen an
explosion of musical activity
in the interim.
It hosted two major events
at the weekend, starting on
Friday
night
with
the
Guildford
Philharmonic’s
Russian Romantics concert.
The cathedral’s cavernous
interior generally suits choral
and lighter music. But the
Philharmonic
has
rightly
|
decided that Guildford concertgoers should not have to
survive on a limited diet for
five seasons.
Carefully chosen largescale works have been programmed and although the
quick-changing harmonies of
Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila
Overture were muddy, con-
ductor
Edward
Gardner
extracted great energy.
This led strongly into
Rachmaninov’s
Piano
Concerto Nol in F sharp
minor, where the orchestra
gave a beautiful accompanying performance to soloist
Jorge Luis Prats, whose virtuosity and technical faculty
was completely staggering.The concerto is frighteningly difficult but he seemed
to glide over it with a minimum of movement — nothing
‘added
or
taken
away.
Scintillating, exhilarating and
passionate; adjectives comprehensively fail this performance.
Tchaikovsky’s
brooding
Symphony No5 in E minor
was a great choice and a great
way of providing a substantial
work
in
reverberant
acoustics.
Edward Gardner is an
exceptional conductor and,
although the Philharmonic is
usually a very good orchestra,
he extracted from it an extra
emotional edge.
This energy was urgent,
foreboding and ecstatic as
necessary and brought into
sharp focus Tchaikovsky’s
theme of providence working
itself through the individual
movements.
It also genuinely encapsulated the idea of Russian
Romance - a fine way to end
another great concert.
B ON Saturday, Sir Edward
Elgars
The
Dream
of
Gerontius was performed by
the Guildford Philharmonic
Choir = and
the
Forest
Philharmonic
Orchestra
under the baton of Jeremy
Backhouse.
From the start the Forest
Philharmonic was in control.
Made up of London’s best
amateurs
and
rising-star
music students, this “community orchestra” was the best
non-professional group I
have heard.
Elgar’s scoring is highly
effective but the effects often
come at the expense of flowing individual part writing.
The orchestra provided exactly what Elgar intended - an
ethereal sound with a gentle
stream of movement punctuated by dramatic, even violent, passages.
It is never easy for a large
chorus to sing with an orchestra and stay in time but this
was not a problem for the
choir. Members clearly relished the Praise to the Holiest
and devil’s choruses and the
many plainchant and imitative passages.
As Gerontius, Eugene Ginty
made a slow start but was
fully warmed up by the
Sanctus, fortis, singing the
second half particularly well
with a befitting resolve and
passion.
Michael Bundy, as the
Priest and the Angel of the
Agony filled the cathedral
with his rich tone and projected superbly, providing
among other things an impetus before the extraordinary
“sight of God” moment.
Elgar placed a huge emotional investment in this work
— there are so many highlights, so many beautiful
melodies, soulful moments
and personal references.
This performance was a
strong interpretation worthy
of the music and a unique
spiritual experience.
‘
Simon Ashall
20 Surrey Advertiser 5th November 2004
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Guildford Cathedral plays host to The Dream of Gerontius..