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Eye Bach Choir is one of the leading adult choirs in Suffolk, UK |
![]() For those of us who had not visited the cathedral before, first impressions were pretty jaw-dropping. We were right to wonder whether our voices would carry in such an enormous space, and the rather quirky acoustic didn't do much to reassure us. The thought that John Rutter himself would be there to hear the first performance of his rather personal work "Look to the Day", galvanised us all to maximum effort. Les coached us in the art of processing and singing simultaneously (no mean feat), and as the cathedral filled with people the tension grew. Nearly 1,000 people had come to share this service of thanksgiving arranged by Cancer Research. As well as our hymns with new descants written for the occasion by Les, and our anthem "Look to the Day" with really telling words as well as music written by John Rutter, we enjoyed hearing addresses by Harpal S. Kumar, chief executive and Professor Bruce Ponder, director of the Cambridge Research Institute. There was a perfectly heart-stopping performance of the Fauré "Pie Jesu" by Jay Britton. In all, a moving service - tears were shed, I am informed! The Lady Chapel, where we had a cup of tea afterwards, was as breathtaking as the cathedral itself and seemed to have a more manageable acoustic. It transpired that Rutter does indeed use this beautiful space for making his recordings. I for one enjoyed a great day of friendship, music and reflection, and all in the thoroughly beautiful setting of Ely Cathedral. JB Concert, 24th March 2007 This is the full text of the concert review by Alfred Hayward which appeared in the Eastern Daily Press and, in a butchered form, in the East Anglian Daily Times ... On Saturday 24th March the Eye Bach Choir & Orchestra delighted a capacity audience in Eye Parish Church with the first concert under their new conductor Leslie Olive. An entire concert of music by Mozart is an act of some bravery - Mozart may have been told by the Austrian Emperor that he wrote "too many notes", but he meant every one. Each is essential, and each must be perfect. Sadly in the opening serenade "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", the strings found Leslie Olive's brisk tempi a stretch, and were happier with the robust rhythms of the Minuet. For the second work, "Solemn Vespers", choir and orchestra were joined by four soloists, Lindsey Gowers, Muriel Kwint, Benjamin Segal and Christopher Wray. The Choir sang with careful phrasing and well-prepared dynamics. Their finest moment was in the difficult and cerebral counterpoint of "Laudate Pueri", while Lindsey Gowers' sweet, effortless "Laudate Dominum" was a delight. There was plainer sailing in the more familiar waters of the great "Requiem Mass" which Mozart wrote for a supposed mystery patron and never finished. Here were moments of great beauty and high drama - in the "Confutatis" the ladies of the choir were wonderfully ethereal, "Rex Tremendae" was taut and exciting, the choir was comfortable and confident throughout, "Lacrimosa" was gorgeous and "Dies Irae" a triumph. The four soloists must have been a conductor's dream, well-matched and fluent. True, there were moments of unlooked-for drama among the orchestra in "Lux Aeterna" and the beginning of "Recordare", but these were balanced by some fine woodwind playing particularly from Barry Carbon on bassoon. The Eye Bach Choir is one of the region's most mature, serious and accomplished choral societies, and in the calm, unfussy but communicative Leslie Olive they have clearly found a conductor to match their talents. Choral Workshop On Sunday 25th February 2007 we welcomed a wide cross-section of singers from various parts of Suffolk to our choral workshop. How lovely to meet up with other kindred spirits and exchange notes! The extremely well-equipped Hoxne Village Hall provided a comfortable setting for a day which offered a variety of challenges, drawn from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins, Brahms' Requiem, Bach's Magnificat and John Rutter's transcription of Panis Angelicus by César-Franck. Leslie Olive's expert rehearsal technique exacted enthusiasm and subtlety in equal measure from people who had never previously sung together, and allowed for every shade of levity along the way, not to mention the odd "collapse of stout party"! Though we are known for our Eye Teas, the "Workshop Lunch" was a near rival - the spread offered and enjoyed by all the participants was delicious, full of variety and comfortably washed down with a glass of wine. Yes, singing on a full stomach did require even more skill and concentration in the afternoon! The Eye Bach Choir Christmas Concert 2006 A full house at Eye Church heard an exciting seasonal concert from the Eye Bach Choir. As it said in the programme, the challenge for all choirs at this time of year is to perform works which on the one hand will please the audience, and on the other give the choir sufficient challenge and interest. In this concert both objectives were achieved.
The concert opened with Jauchzet, Frohlocket from J.S Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Conductor Adrian Knott set a brisk and joyous tempo with bold timpani and some particularly fine trumpet-playing being more than matched by a choir on top form. This was followed by Morten Lauridsen's setting of O Magnum Mysterium performed a capella to almost magical effect in the wonderful surroundings of a darkened church. This is a work in which dissonance and harmony are skilfully combined, and not resolved until the very last bar. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the choir followed in Lobet den Herrn, Bach's great motet of praise. It was beautifully sung with careful dynamic shading and great attention to detail. The choir had obviously worked very hard at it. The Corelli Christmas Concerto - an audience favourite if ever there was one - started with an impressively lively vivace, ending with the familiarly calm and re-assuring largo after some fine solo work from Geoff Barker (leader), Zbys Kaznowski (Violin) and Guy Johnson (Cello). An engaging Father Christmas appeared (Barrie Golding) to sing a splendidly bucolic rendition of the fifteenth century carol Sir Christmas with the choir, who followed it with the modern setting of the same work by William Matthias. After the Coventry Carol, once again sung a capella and characterised by some exceptional piano singing, the first half came to an end with the audience being swept to its feet to sing a setting of In Dulci Jubilo arranged by Adrian Knott for choir, audience and orchestra - once again with trumpets to the fore. Highlights of the second half of the concert were the David Willcocks arrangement of Ding Dong Merrily and John Rutter's Shepherd's Pipe Carol both performed with a full orchestral accompaniment, and the performance of the Vivaldi Gloria which closed the concert. The soloists were Catherine Carter (soprano), standing in for an indisposed Lindsay Gowers, and Marjorie Ouvry (Mezzo Soprano). The soprano aria Domine Deus and the mezzo aria Domine Deus, Agnus Dei were enhanced by the most moving, and finely played, oboe (Cathy Wilcox) and cello (Guy Johnson) accompaniment. The mezzo was perhaps not as strong as one would have liked, but the soprano singing had great charm and Catherine Carter's breathing and phrasing were very good. The choir clearly enjoyed their contribution to this popular work, no more so than in the Domine Fili Unigenite when the altos seemed to be almost bobbing up and down to the dance-like music. At the end of the concert the audience applause for conductor, choir and orchestra was deservedly enthusiastic, and we tumbled out into an unusually (this year) crisp and starlit night feeling that the excitement of Christmas was indeed that little bit nearer. (Review by Oliver Walker) This site designed and maintained for the Eye Bach Choir by PlainSite Copyright © The Eye Bach Choir 2007 |
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