SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Bach, Howells, Lauridsen: Mosaic, Nicholas Robinson (director), Simon Johnson (organ), Lady Chapel, St Albans Cathedral 20.10.2007 (CR)

 

On 20^th October, most of England was watching the rugby world cup final. As an avid fan myself, I would have been glued to the screen that evening too, but for tickets to see Mosaic perform at St Albans Cathedral. Expecting the audience to be somewhat depleted, due to the rugby team’s somewhat surprising comeback, I was extremely encouraged to find the chapel full with a palpable buzz of anticipation.

The concert was framed at the beginning and end by two Bach motets, Komm, Jesu, Komm and Singet dem Herrn, both performed with the choir divided into two antiphonal groups on either side of the performance space. From the very start, one could be forgiven for assuming this was a highly experienced and well trained professional choir. If you didn’t know, it would be impossible to guess that these singers were amateurs. Despite the musical and technical complexities of these works, they were consistently outstanding and highly convincing.

For me, and judging from comments afterwards, many of the audience, the highlight of the concert was the Requiem by Herbert Howells. This piece was composed in 1936 as a reaction to the death of Howells’s eight year old son, and the composer did not permit a performance until 1980. The piece is intensely beautiful. The writing ranges from powerful unisons to astonishing eight part harmony which at times made me smile at its beauty and at other times made me feel some of the intense sorrow the composer must have felt when writing this work. Mosaic’s performance was spine-tingling, particularly in the et lux perpetua section in the third movement.  There were excellent solos from Juliet Hall, Kristine Jenkins, Steve Jones and Matt Wood.

The second half began with Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna. According to the programme notes, Lauridsen is ‘one of America’s finest and best-loved composers’.  Despite this accolade, and a once again fine performance, this music failed to convince me. There were some wonderful moments, where the music allowed Robinson to demonstrate the full, surprisingly broad dynamic range of the choir, but on the whole this work seemed compositionally and emotionally weak in contrast to the Howells.

The programme also contained two organ interludes, with works by Bach and Howells given excellent performances by Simon Johnson, Assistant Master of the Music at St Albans Abbey.

Mosaic is no ordinary choir, and Robinson is no ordinary director. His musicianship is instantly evident from the outset, and throughout a varied programme he demonstrated a true understanding of the works. He is a strong driving force, and it was clear that this highly polished performance was the result of enormous dedication and passion from all involved. Three things particularly impressed me about the choir’s performance. The intonation was faultless, the dynamic range was astonishing, and the sound produced by these 23 singers was truly beautiful. This is a choir to look out for. It is unsurprising that they already have a healthy following; with their versatility and talents they have the potential to go far. This was an utterly engaging evening from beginning to end and  I even forgot about the rugby.

Carla Rees

Carla Rees is a professional flautist and teacher. Her web site is www.altoflute.co.uk

The Mosaic web site is  www.mosaic.uk.com