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Barber, Purcell, Howells, Bax and Scarlatti: Mosaic, Nicholas Robinson, Tom Winpenny(organ), St Peter’s Church, St Albans, Herts, 14.3.2009 (CR) 

Barber: Agnus Dei
Purcell: Jehovah Quam Multi Sunt Hostes, Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Herbert Howells: Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks, Take him Earth for Cherishing
Arnold Bax: This Worldes Joie
Domenico Scarlatti: Stabat Mater
Mendelssohn and Orlando Gibbons: Organ pieces


I have often been involved in discussions with friends and colleagues about the role of music in life and about the way our listening changes as our knowledge develops. I remember as a small child being inspired by almost everything I heard, because so much of it was new, exciting and impressive. These days, as a professional musician, I tend to listen on a completely different level, and I find that with a certain amount of technical knowledge it takes much more to generate the magic I used to experience all the time as a child. On rare occasions, however, that magic returns, and when it does, the impact is all the more meaningful. Mosaic’s concert at St Peter’s Church in St Albans was one such occasion. I had expected a lot of this choir – previous hearings have been deeply impressive – but even my expectations were exceeded.

Mosaic is a St Albans based choir with 25 singers, formed in 2006 under the leadership of Nicholas Robinson.  Extraordinarily (and something which continues to shock me every time I hear them), they are not professional singers, but the quality of their work would rival any of the top choral ensembles. Their choice of repertoire ranges from mainstream choral works to contemporary and is becoming increasingly ambitious as the choir develops.

The Lent-themed concert began with Barber’s Agnus Dei, a vocal arrangement of the Adagio for Strings. An atmosphere was created from the opening note which remained for the rest of the concert; it is hard to put into words – to say it was very, very good doesn’t even come close. These high standards were maintained throughout the evening. The audience seemed almost stunned at the end of the first piece, as if applause would break the mood and somehow get in the way.  The first of two Purcell works followed.  Jehovah Quam Multi Sunt Hostes is one of his two Latin motets, using the text of Psalm 3. Convincing and expressive solos were performed by Jonathan Knight (tenor) and Chris Head (bass). This is a dramatic work which is full of contrasts, and the choir gave a ravishing performance. The other Purcell work on the programme was the perhaps better known Hear My Prayer, O Lord. This is an intense, short work, lasting almost three minutes, with some wonderfully rich harmonic progressions.

English composers were represented by Herbert Howells, and Arnold Bax, and these were highlights of the concert. Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks was composed in 1941 and is a powerfully stirring work.  Another solemn work, Take him Earth for Cherishing, had a particularly profound emotional effect, and was given an exquisite performance by Mosaic. The choir handled the changes of harmony with panache and the intonation was always secure. Bax’s This Worldes Joie is a setting of a poem written in c1300 and has a clear influence of the composer’s love of Ireland. This was another high quality performance which left me mesmerised.

The main work of the second half was Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater. With frequent changes in tempo and metre, the choir handled the complexities of the work with apparent ease, and there were some excellent solos from Juliet Hall and Steve Jones. The concert also featured two organ solos, by Mendelssohn and Orlando Gibbons, ably performed by Tom Winpenny, and providing a wonderful opportunity to hear St Peter’s stunning new Mander organ in action.

It is difficult not to gush with superlative praise about this choir, but it cannot go unmentioned that their success is in a large part due to the superb musicianship of its director, Nicholas Robinson. For me, the most impressive quality of the evening’s performance was the balance of the sound the choir produced, and Robinson’s discriminating ear is clearly an important factor in that. The intonation was impeccable, demonstrating that rehearsals must be rigorous and detailed. As a whole, this ensemble creates a plethora of sound colours, within a broad dynamic range. There is drama and passion in their performances and one has the sense that they mean every word that they sing.

With Julian Lloyd Webber recently announced as the choir’s president, it is clear that they have already attracted the attention of some of the big names in the classical music world, and deservedly so. This was an absorbing evening which was spellbinding from start to finish.

Carla Rees


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