Portsmouth Festival Choir - Portsmouth Cathedral
David Truslove’s final concert as musical director of the Portsmouth Festival Choir was distinguished mainly by a performance of music by Carissimi. Jephte, an oratorio based on an Old Testament story of a warrior who has to sacrifice his daughter in return for victory in battle, is full of drama - and that brought the best out of most of the performers. All the soloists in the concert showed good period style but soprano Olivia Robinson was outstanding in portraying the daughter’s depth of emotion with utter conviction but without over-egging the cries of ‘Ululate’ (Wail) and ‘Lachrimate’ (Weep). The choir were particularly effective in this section, too. Truslove generally set lively tempi and lithe rhythms both here and in the programme’s other works - the Magnificat and Beatus Vir, both by Vivaldi, and Albinoni’s popular Adagio, played by the Academy of St Thomas in nicely flowing style. The small professional ensemble played expertly throughout but the choir sometimes seemed too respectful towards Vivaldi. To coin an unmusical phrase, I wanted them to ‘give it some welly!’
Mike Allen (from the Portsmouth Evening News)
Portsmouth Festival Choir - Portsmouth Cathedral
Brahms’ German Requiem was given a welcome performance in the seldom-heard version for piano duet, chorus and soloists. Portsmouth Festival Choir sang confidently and musically, capturing the essence of the work under the direction of conductor David Truslove. Francis Pott and Philip White-Jones on the piano provided first-class accompaniment. Baritone Gavin Carr gave a lyrical and sensitive performance. The first half of the concert included an interesting selection of shorter works by Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn, accompanied by Philip White-Jones on the organ.
Andrew Cleary (from the Portsmouth Evening News)
| The choir, conducted by David Truslove, presented an interesting programme of celebratory music written for a birthday, a coronation and a victory in battle. Soloists included celebrated counter-tenor James Bowman, and the singing of the other three - Julia Doyle, Warren Trevelyan-Jones and Jimmy Holliday was also of the highest order. Handel’s Birthday Ode to Queen Anne gave Bowman plenty of opportunity to show the versatility of his counter-tenor voice. The orchestra, the newly formed Academy of St Thomas, gave stylish and spirited accounts of the Handel Te Deum and Birthday Ode and the strings played sensitively and sensuously in Cecilia McDowell’s Ave Maris Stella, matched well by the choir. The singers’ attention to detail was admirable, with a committed performance throughout. |
Portsmouth Festival Choir performing with James Bowman © Ian Frogley 2006 |
Andrew Cleary
Portsmouth Festival Choir’s offering of seasonal fare included well-known carols, several movements from When Icicles Hang by John Rutter, and A Ceremony of Carols by Britten. They were joined by harpist Laurette Pope who accompanied the Britten section with assurance and sensitivity. The choir gave a solid account of this demanding work, with effective contrasts and some strong rhythmic singing during which their ensemble was precise. The carols were sung with spirit and energy, for which organist Michael Stoddart offered sympathetic support.
Andrew Cleary
At a time of emphasis on celebrating victories, it was fitting that the final concert of the Portsmouth Festivities focused on the need for reconciliation.It was bad luck that attempts to fulfil Britten’s wish for a tri-national team of soloists British, German and Russian were foiled for this performance of his War Requiem.But there could be no complaints about the Russian and two Britons who did make the line-up, with tenor Justin Lavender outstanding.He caught the Britten style without attempting to emulate the individual manner of original performer Peter Pears, and was overwhelming in draining his voice of tone in the contemplation of death.The massed voices of Portsmouth Festival Choir, Southampton Philharmonic and Southampton University Choirs finally rose to the occasion after lacking some early crispness.Portsmouth Youth Choir conveyed exactly the poignant sense of innocence Britten wanted. The Bournemouth Symphony supplied both the full orchestra and the chamber group used to counterpoint the male soloists, and played with thrilling vigour.
Mike Allen - Portsmouth Evening News June 2005
The Portsmouth Festival Choir under their new Musical Director, David Truslove, gave a memorable performance of Haydn’s Oratorio The Seasons in Portsmouth Cathedral on Saturday 15 June.The orchestral accompaniment was by the Chameleon Arts Orchestra and the three soloists were Angela Kazimierczuk, soprano, Paul Badley, tenor and Thomas Guthrie, baritone. Soloists and choir portrayed the melodic beauty of Haydn’s music admirably with the Cathedral’s acoustic sometimes giving the impression of a much larger choir and full concert orchestra, for example in the storm in Summer and the Bacchanalian style chorus in Autumn. In contrast, there were some wonderfully tranquil moments in the duet and chorus, Spring. Her Lovely Charms Unfolding and the trio and chorus Now Cease the Conflicts.
The soloists gave excellent performances although the baritone was occasionally overpowered by the orchestra when in his lower register. Unusually, in the choir the first parts in each voice were placed behind the seconds but this worked well with the first sopranos soaring above a well-balanced sound.
(The News, Portsmouth 21 June 2002)
The most notorious pitfall in Brahm's German Requiem was skilfully dodged on Saturday. It was evident from the first chorus that conductor Rupert D'Cruze was having no stodgy tempi, and the performance was supple in movement and dramatic when necessary, notably at the sound of the last trump. It was also ultimately comforting, as Brahm's choice of text requires.
Mike Allen - Portsmouth News, 19 November 1999