St Joseph’s Chapel
Saturday, April 11
A capacity audience filled St Joseph’s Chapel on Saturday afternoon for the Southern Consort of Voices’ first concert for this year.
A selected themed programme of Easter music demonstrated the various styles of ecclesiastic vocal music and texts through the ages.
Twenty-one singers included four from St Paul’s Cathedral choir and strong, well-balanced harmony featured throughout.
Intonation was mostly good, but this unaccompanied repertoire is incredibly demanding.
It was interesting to follow compositional trends through several centuries of religious texts and music in chronological order from the 1400s to present day, together with informative introductions from musical director Daniel Kelly.
Baritone Kieran Kelly opened the programme soloing with an early Gregorian chant Tonus peregrinus followed by Tu Pauperum Refugium, an example of layered harmony in early plainsong by Josquin des Prez (c1450-1521).
Lamentations of Jeremiah II, by Thomas Tallis (c1505-85), was written during times of Reformation turmoil.
A sad, sombre Versa est in luctum, by Alonso Lobo (1555-1617), and When David Heard, by Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), with texts expressing grief, were written originally for funerals and mourning.
Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 50:3-21) by Gregorio Allegri (1585-1652) was a longer work, with chant and response from a well-blended semi-chorus of four: Catherine Daly-Reeve (achieving impeccable top Cs), Naomi White, Griffin Nichol and Kieran Kelly.
Crucifixus a 8, by Antonio Lotti (1667-1740), and Os Justi, by Bruckner (1824-96), both showed acceptance of choral dissonance through suspensions.
A Russian version of The Lord’s Prayer Otche Nash, by Kedrov (1871-1940), added another language to the consort’s linguistic skills.
They also sang two contrasting versions of O Vos Omnes — the first by Pablo Casals (1876-1973) written during times of Spanish political uprising, and, secondly, a contemporary setting (soloist Kathryn Gardner) by New Zealand composer David Childs (1969-).
Johanna Brusse added instrumental double-bass pedal-point to anchor the final Song for Athene, by John Tavener (1944-2013).
This group of singers always delights with its themed recitals of unaccompanied harmony.
