Midsummer Music

It would be difficult to imagine a more eclectic programme of music than that performed by the Yorkshire

Philharmonic Choir in the last concert of its current season.

With both secular and sacred pieces spanning three centuries by composers of widely differing nationalities, the audience was treated to a wide variety of musical styles and idiom which by turns invoked passion, joy and even humour.

The choir set a high benchmark from the outset with the Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart. It was accompanied by the superbly versatile Amici String Quartet, led by accomplished violinist Eileen Spencer, who particularly excelled in performing the same composer’s Divertimento in D, Guest solo sopranos Maxine Taylor and Lucia Walsh-Hughes were as enchanting in The Flower Duet from Lakmé by Delibes as they were comedic in The Cat Duet by Rossini. In the latter, adorned with cats’ ears and claws, they strove to out-miaow each other to great effect!!

Organist Thomas Moore also contributed much to the success of the evening, captivating the audience with the tranquil Chant De Mai by Belgian composer Joseph Jongen. His more sanguine accompaniment to the choir’s performance of Tu Es Petrus by Pierre Villette was delivered with equal virtuosity, too.

Other highlights of the evening included the choir’s performance of Howard Goodall’s setting of Psalm 23, with solo passages beautifully sung by chorister Rachel Dedicoat, and the hugely powerful and inspirational processional hymn I Was Glad by Hubert Parry.

But whether performing The Way You Look Tonight by JeromeKern or Haydn’s Insanae Et Vanae Curae, the YorkshirePhilharmonic Choir, under theever-energetic baton of AndrewPadmore, dealt with the constantly changing tempiand musical dynamics withcustomary aplomb to deliveranother high calibre concert.

ROBERT COWAN