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Spring Concert
Congleton Town Hall, May 1st 2010
In the Town Hall on May 1st,
Congleton Choral Society gave a challenging programme of
Charpentier, Pergolesi and Haydn that really put the choir
(and the audience, some might say!) on its mettle.
Charpentier’s ‘Te Deum’ is
his best known work and has gained popularity through the
adoption of its Prelude as a media anthem, recognized with
pleasure by the majority of the audience. This was perhaps the
most difficult piece for performers and listeners alike in its
length and wordiness, though it gave the soloists a chance to
shine.
Pergolesi’s ‘Magnificat’
wooed the audience a little more with its melody, pace and
choral interludes.
However the best was last, with
Haydn’s Nelson, otherwise known as the Imperial Mass. The
piece thrilled with the urgency of the Kyrie, the heartfelt
call "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy" the drama
of the Gloria and the sheer energy of the Credo. One of the
audience commented "'d never heard the Nelson Mass before
and it made a tremendous impression on me. How can music that
is in some ways so predictable - you often know what's going
to happen for the next few bars - yet be so interesting and
indeed moving?"
Overall, the choir performed well
and gave great support to superb international standard
soloists accompanied by a professional orchestra.
Other comments were:
"The Choir sounded wonderful
and my wife, who sings in another choir was mesmerised by the
singing."
"Thrilling; so exciting; no
need to travel to Manchester for choral concerts when we can
hear marvellous music here in our own Town Hall".
"The soprano soloist was out
of this world".
"All the soloists were
excellent, but I especially enjoyed the tenor".
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