The Edinburgh Bach Choir of about 50 voices moved to their places betwixt the pulpit and font from where they had been waiting at either side, the pianist was at the Steinway in front of them and on came Neil Mantle, the conductor, to his podium in line with the front pews.
With just a single note from the piano they sang Triodion, written in 1998 for the 150th anniversary of Lancing College, the senior of the forty or so Woodard Schools. Years ago I was a governor of one of those schools. This music by Arvo Pärt, had it been written, would have been so appropriate for the cathedral service when my school joined the Woodard family. The texts come from the Orthodox prayer-book. Even preoccupied teenagers would stop to listen. And for us in St Cuthbert’s the Choir sang it so clearly.
Two lovely unaccompanied Bruckner pieces, Ave Maria and Christus factus est followed, and then on to John Taverner’s The Tyger. Composed in 1987 as a 65th birthday present to a friend, the text is from a poem by William Blake and the Choir made it great fun to hear - it was a contrast from the earlier devotionals.
The first half finished with Three Motets from Charles Villiers Stanford written as he concluded his tenure as organist at Trinity College, Cambridge - just about the time that the current St Cuthbert’s Church was dedicated. Because the Three Motets are in four, eight and six parts the Choir performed what looked like a military-tattoo-like manoeuvre between each as they repositioned themselves.
After the interval it became clear why the conductor had not been wearing his customary jacket. With his horn Neil Mantle had joined his colleagues on the piano, oboe, clarinet and bassoon as the Aquillos Ensemble to play Mozart’s Piano and Wind Quintet in E-Flat major. It was enlivening to hear this combination of wind instruments accompanied by the piano, and they did well.
The Choir was back in place to sing two works by Bruckner. There was a slight tangle of voices at the start of Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat but this was soon overcome. The concert, part of the Choir’s centenary celebrations, finished with John Taverner’s Song for Athene - performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. A sad end but a lovely evening.
Event: Saturday 28 August 7.30 pm