St Asaph Choral Society

Reviews

A selection of reviews of performances by the St Asaph Choral Society

Saturday 27th March 2004 - George Dyson's "The Canterbury Pilgrims"

written by John Hywel, Welsh Amateur Music Making representative, published in "Making Music Highnotes".

Every once in a while amateur choral societies are sufficiently emboldened to try something a little out of the ordinary and to venture beyond the boundaries of known repertoire and to try both unknown and unfamiliar works. Such a piece is George Dyson's "The Canterbury Pilgrims" and the brave choir that ventured into the unknown was the St Asaph Choral Society under the direction of Paul Harvey, accompanied by the Philharmonia of North Wales on the occasion of their 40th Anniversary. Largely because of the, regrettably still prevailing, fashion for modernism and unedifying complexity in avant-garde music, at least one, if not two, generations of British composers have been deliberately neglected by the musical establishment. Foremost among those subject to total ignoral in the decades following 1945 were Gerald Finzi and Herbert Howells; a lesser luminary, Geroge Dyson, however, suffers nothing in comparison with these and a work such as "The Canterbury Pilgrims" provides ample and interesting challenges for performers and audience alike.

The tenor and bass soloists, Stephen Newlove and Nigel Shaw, gave an impressive and fluent account of the solo numbers, juxtaposing the high drama of Chaucer's Monk and Franklin, whilst soprano soloist Susan Williams dealt equally well with the pert, put-on sweetness of the Nun.

Curiously, Dyson gives the choir pride of place in the billing describing "The Canterbury Pilgrims" as a work for "Chorus, orchestra and three soloists" - in that order! Listening to the St Asaph Choral Society one can see why. No choral makeweights here - the choral writing is just as important, dramatic and colourful as the solo writing. Notwithstanding the occasional imbalance (due mainly to the perennial problems of securing equal number of male and female voices), the choir gave a truly stunning account: by terms grand and appropriately massive when pitted against the full orchestra, and subtle in unaccompanied sections such as the Prologue. Choral fugal entries were particularly good in "The Knight" and "The Clerk of Oxenford" even though the tempo dragged a little in the latter. (This might, however, have been a deliberate ploy to illustrate the rather pedantic nature of the character.)

Orchestral colouring and performance was particularly good in "The Doctor of Physic" with delicate interplay between woodwind and harp. Overall, though, greater contrasts were sometimes overplayed by massed orchestral forces and, very occasionally, the orchestra drowned the soloists and even the choir.

The audience keenly followed the soprano soloist's words in "The Wife of Bath" - witness the enthusiastic massed rustling of programmes. The high spot of the evening for me, however, was the choir's rendition of "A Poor Parson of a Town". Loveliest of all the choral numbers, the choir performed both beautifully and beatifically as they reached a sublime, numinous and thoroughly captivating climax to the work.

Very much of its time - 1930 - and place - England - Saturday's performance by the St Asaph Choral Society of "The Canterbury Pilgrims" proved beyond doubt that music by this unsung generation of composers, and George Dyson in particular, should now be heard again throughout the land.

Excerpt from a letter by critic John Hywel to Rita Thomas, secretary of the society

March 30th 2005.

My apologies for not writing sooner following the "Messiah" performance. I enjoyed this very much indeed, and must compliment the choir on really excellent, disciplined and accurate singing (apart from one moment of sheer terror for the otherwise fine tenor section when attempting their initial "Amen"!).

The conductor clearly knew every note of the work and, though undemonstrative - as befits a Cathedral organist - he produced an interpretation that was stylish and well-paced. The soloists were good, and I would single out the soprano for especial praise. The two young men will, in years to come, probably develop their voices of more power and distinction but it was evident that both were musicians of high calibre.
Many congratulations to all concerned.