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Clyst Valley Choral Society
Joseph Haydn: "Creation"
Holy Trinity Exmouth
Sunday 5 May |
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| Musical Director: Paul Stock |
On a balmy spring evening, a small and enthusiastic gathering of musicians breathed life and joy into Joseph
Haydn's epic biblical oratorio, "
Creation". In a perfect closing performance for their fiftieth anniversary year and their Musical Director's twentieth,
Paul Stock's
Clyst Valley Choral Society shared Haydn's spectacular work with feeling and energy.
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| Clarinet: Phil Bonser |
Sally Bull led the small orchestra with
Chris Gould who, as always doubled as trumpeter.
Rebecca Jackson continues her sterling work as second violin with
Deborah Hamilton joining as violist.
Sue Stock plays 'cello and is a major organising force for these events. The wind section comprises
Clare Rackham playing flute,
Julia Hill oboe and
Phil Bonser clarinet. All contributed their deliciously delicate sound to the many moving arias in the piece.
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Tympani/Bass Trombone:
Ben Lund-Conlon |
For the rousing choruses there was the ever reliable
Ben Lund-Conlon, not only providing percussion on the tympani but also playing magnificent bass trombone cadenzas as well. In the organ loft, the quiet and self-effacing
Mark Perry supplied the subtle and reliable continuo - while his wife
Nicky Perry sang in the choir.
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Raphael: Jason Bomford
Uriel: Gordon Pike
Gabriel: Janet Macdonald |
Three splendid soloists joined the choir to perform the recitatives and arias, as
well as sing in the choruses. Sadly the choir's regular alto soloist
Myriam Prual was unable to take part, but did come with family to enjoy the music with everyone else. Soprano
Janet Macdonald gave a brilliant performance alongside two equally impressive singers from
Exeter Cathedral Choir. While Janet was the Archangel
Gabriel, Tenor
Gordon Pike was
Uriel and
Jason Bomford delivered the words of
Raphael in a splendid bass voice.
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"In the Beginning"
Jason Bomford |
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"God saw the Light"
Gordon Pike |
From an initial intriguing representation of chaos by the orchestra followed the opening words of Hebrew Scripture delivered with clarity and arresting energy by Jason and Gordon. "The Earth was without form and void . . . and God said, Let There Be Light!" with Haydn's additional lyrics the familiar story unfolded in heroic style. By the Second Day, Janet had joined the fray with Haydn's ethereal vaults resounding to the praise of God.
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"The Marvellous Work Behold"
Janet Macdonald |
Green grass, fragrant herbs, lights to
lighten the day and the night, everything was praised in music, culminating at the end of Part 1 with a chorus and trio, "The heavens are telling the Glory of God."
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"In Long Dimension Creeps
with Sinuous Trace - The Worm!"
Jason Bomford |
In Part 2 Janet introduced the creatures of the oceans and the dry land, each grandly described by Jason. The eagle aloft, the merry lark, the tender dove, the immense leviathan, the tawny lion - and the flexible tiger. No less important, the nimble stag and meek and bleating flocks and swarming hosts of insects. Last but by no means least - The Worm!
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"This World so Great"
Keith & Sandra Wadlan |
For the final appearance of humankind,
Keith and
Sandra Wadlan left their places in the choir and stepped up to the pulpit to sing the parts of
Adam and
Eve, "O bounteous Lord . . . we praise thee now and evermore." With the creation of Heaven and Earth compete, it only remained for the choir (with the three Archangels) to round off the story with more rapturous praise of the Creator, "Jehovah's praise for ever shall endure. Amen. Amen."
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Celebrating 50 years
of music and 30 years
of collaboration
Conductor: Paul Stock |
The choir will return to more secular works next year, but for the last two evening concerts of their half-century celebration they exhilarated audiences with effusive sacred music of the most thrilling kind.
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Chocolates for the regular soprano
Janet Macdonald |
Paul Stock's production of Haydn's "Creation" with the Clyst Valley Choral Society and Orchestra was the most joyous and fabulous outpouring of delightful and triumphant musical beauty. May his twenty year tenure with the choir, like Haydn's Creation, endure - if not for ever, for a long time to come.
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Delicious cake and refreshments
Alto: Myriam Prual
Soprano: Janet Macdonald |
Special thanks also to
Carolyn Keep, who as always was instrumental in the preparations and running the front of house, and to the church committee for providing such sumptuous refreshments during the interval - including a celebratory cake for Paul Stock the Musical Director.
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Don't forget the Organist!
Mark Perry |
In November the choir will reconvene for Eric
Thiman's "
Songs of Sailors and the Sea", Ralph
Vaughan Williams' "
Five Mystical Songs" and Charles Villier
Stanford's "
Magnificat and
Nunc Dimittis" in C major.
In the spring of 2020, look out for Giacomo
Puccini's "
Messa di Gloria".
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