Edinburgh Bach Choir

St Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh - 25/03/23 

Edinburgh Bach Choir | Orchestra of the Canongait | Stephen Doughty, conductor | Sarah Moore, soprano | Samanthi Shanjeevan, soprano

The generous acoustic and visually appealing ambience of St Cuthbert’s Parish Church on the Lothian Road again played host to an evening of orchestrally-accompanied choral music on the evening of Saturday 25th.  The Edinburgh Bach Choir, in musical partnership with the Orchestra of the Canongait and under the direction of Stephen Doughty, presented a programme of three works, all introduced by the conductor.  The concert was very well attended. 

The first half of the evening was devoted to the world premiere of James Robertson’s ‘Requiem for the Innocent’, for which the ensemble was joined by two sopranos, Sarah Moore and Samanthi Shanjeevan, the latter singing in an unornamented naive style representing innocence.  The piece is dedicated to the choir and its conductor, the composer having formerly sung in the choir’s tenor section.  It follows the template of the requiem mass, with additional biblical quotations and text from the composer, exploring aspects of suffering, injustice and oppression as experienced by the innocent, and our reaction to them.  It was completed just before the 2020 lockdown: now, finally, it has been brought to performance.  The piece is emotionally involving, from the anguished piano chords (Malcolm Garden) and cri-de-coeur on solo cello (Sam Coe) of the opening, through dancelike Kyrie and dramatic Dies Irae, impassioned Sanctus and climactic Benedictus, rhythmic pursuit-evoking Libera Me and supplicatory Agnus Dei, to the cathartic Lux Aeterna with its consoling final Amen.  The contrasting timbre of the two soprano soloists was exploited to poignant effect, in particular Samanthi’s pathos in the Sanctus and Sarah’s exquisite supplicatory ‘Libera me’ over high string chording.  It is no mean achievement to have brought this challenging but clearly rewarding work to such committed performance. 

Parry’s a cappella motet from ‘Songs of Farewell’ (1916), ‘My Soul, There is a Country’, one of the many pieces performed during the funeral of the late queen, opened the second half.  Parry’s warm harmony is tinged with sadness yet conveys a message of hope.  The singing was characterised by a gentle ebb and flow of phrasing, a fabulously full sound when called for, and a perfectly-judged use of pauses.  A slight drop in pitch was soon recovered and the overall effect was very moving. 

The final work of the programme, Morten Lauridsen’s ‘Lux Aeterna’ (1997), a continuous cycle of 5 religious songs drawing on the tradition of chant and structured to an archlike plan, suggestive in mood and content (but not really adhering to the plan) of a requiem, used a smaller orchestra than the Robertson, dispensing with trumpets, trombone, timpani and percussion, but with an important part for French horn.  The musical language was similar to that of the composer’s ‘O Magnum Mysterium’, but was also, to my ears, often suggestive of that of Samuel Barber or, at other times, Karl Jenkins, approachable and engaging.  Instrumental sonorities were exploited to great effect, while the vocal parts drew on many centuries of techniques in choral writing.  Choir, orchestra and conductor were “in the zone” with this piece and it was no less moving than the other works of the programme. 

In summary, a worthy and memorable performance of three masterworks. 

Donal Hurley

Donal Hurley is an Irish-born retired teacher of Maths and Physics, based in Clackmannanshire. His lifelong passions are languages and music. He plays violin and cello, composes and sings bass in Clackmannanshire Choral Society, of which he is the Publicity Officer.

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