Lammermuir Festival: NYCOS Chamber Choir
St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington - 10/09/23
National Youth Choir of Scotland Chamber Choir | Christopher Bell, conductor
After their stunning debut at the Lammermuir Festival in the Chapel of Loretto School in Musselburgh last year, NYCoS Chamber Choir returned, this time in the warm acoustic of St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, with another imaginatively constructed programme, under their conductor Christopher Bell, on the night of 10th September. Christopher introduced the program with his customary genial wit.
Britten’s ‘Hymn to St Cecilia’, written in 1942 during the return voyage to the UK after spending the early years of the Second World War in the US, sets words of W.H. Auden and, as a concert opener and a showcase for the dynamic and expressive range of a choir, must know few equals. From the opening invocation, it set out their stall with fabulous dynamics, precision of pitch and rhythm, unanimity of phrasing and stress, and unfailing excellence of vocal tone. The Hymn promised much and, of course, as last year, the young chamber choir delivered on the promise. There were also impressive solos featuring for each of the SATB sections.
Danish composer Per Nørgård’s ‘Wie ein Kind’’ is a setting of two contrasting poems. The first, nonsense words in emulation of imperfectly hearing a mother shout from a high window in a tower block to her child playing outside at ground level, is surreal, weird and, frankly, great fun, ‘text’ by Adolf Wölfli, ironically called ‘Wiegenlied’’ (Lullaby). Rilke’s ‘Frühlingslied’’ (Spring Song) receives a slightly less manic setting, with a gentle barcarolle-like metre, though syllables ‘leap’ between the parts in a bizarre fashion (Christopher Bell coined the term ‘musical pointillism), giving the music a vaguely ‘barrel-organ’ texture. Performed with total commitment and consummate skill, it received a persuasive outing.
James MacMillan’s ‘Divo Aloysio Sacrum’ inspired by the inscription over St Aloysius’ RC Church in Garnethill, Glasgow, where the composer used to worship, sets a Latin text. The opening invocation was blisteringly powerful, while elements of medieval organum and Renaissance polyphony, as well as traditional modal homophony, appeared in the texture. I’ve never heard a piece by MacMillan that I didn’t like, and that didn’t make a big impression, and this was no different. I can also confirm from personal experience that his music is rewarding to perform. Superb.
Stacy Garrop’s ‘Sonnets of Desire, Longing and Whimsy’ comprised a selection of 3 (out of the cycle of 24) poems by Edna St Vincent Millay charting a love affair from besotted devotion, through the heartache of breakup, to ‘moving on and being so over him’. The first, with sighs, exhalations and shifting harmonies, painted a vivid picture of abject captivity. The second, observing that ‘time does not bring relief’, portrays the agony of the tormented soul, constantly reminded of the erstwhile beloved, quasi-canonical elements portraying this musically, and performed with arresting realism. The third, light hearted, witty and, at last, self-possessed, brought the set to a cheery and determined conclusion: “I shall forget you”.
The evening concluded with a selection of 6 (also out of 24) of sacred pieces from Estonian composer Urmas Sisask’s collection, ‘Gloria Patri’’. There are many points of comparison between MacMillan and Sisask. Both take inspiration from their Catholic faith, medieval and Renaissance music and the folk music of their native lands. There is an additional element in Sisask’s music, stemming from a fascination with astronomy. Starting with planetary orbital data from our solar system, he interpreted these as frequencies of vibration and identified 5 notes, C#, D, F#, G# and A, this 5-note modal scale forming the basis for many of his compositions, including ‘Gloria Patri’’. Far from being restrictive, this discipline leads to music of quite extraordinary beauty. The chamber choir were ‘in the zone’ with this music and owned it. Quite excellent.
There was a charming encore, MacMillan’s setting of Burns’ ‘Lassie, wad ye lo’e me?’, reprising their turn at the wedding of a former choir member the previous day. Very lovely.
NYCoS Chamber Choir continues to shine.
Cover photo: Stuart Armitt