ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: THE GEELONG CHORALE – May 5th, 2024

St Paul’s Anglican Church, Geelong

For their first concert of 2024, The Geelong Chorale, conducted and introduced by Musical Director, Allister Cox, treated their appreciative audience to a train trip on the famous Orient Express, from Constantinople (Istanbul) to Paris, with whistle stops in Varna (Bulgaria), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Vienna (Austria) and Munich (Germany) before finally disembarking in Paris. 

In each city, the audience listened to local choral music – performed in the local languages as well as pieces with English, Italian and Latin texts. 

Before settling into first class, passengers wished Istanbul farewell, listening two pieces by modern contemporary composers.   The first was a setting of the Turkish folk song Çamdan Sakiz Akiyor by Ismail Yersiz.  This began with the basses in unison singing the melody, and then being joined in canon with the altos, before a complex setting for mixed chorus.  This set the scene for a wonderful concert – with the Chorale in best form in the stunning acoustics of St Pauls Geelong.  With the men of the choir towards the front, the balance of the four parts was good – and the blend excellent. 

After Gemlis Dünyanin Dőrt Bir, by modern female composer Melike, the train set off for Varna, for two songs by the Romanian composers.  The Marian text, Of a Rose we Sing, has been set in English and Latin by Dobrinka Tabakova.  Having much of her training in the English choral tradition, the work showed the influence of composers like Rutter and Whittaker, with a lovely piano part in the higher register, played sensitively by the choir’s long-time accompanist, Christine Mellens.   Gabriela Hristova and Joshua DeVries had collaborated on a setting of the traditional song Dilmano, Dilbera.  The setting expanded the traditional setting of melody and drone with complex harmonies and a very effective key change.  Despite the difficult setting, the choir shone in this unaccompanied performance. 

Travelling through Romania, the music moved back to the 19^th century, with works by Gheorghe Cucu and George Enescu.  Domnuleţ Şi Domn din Cer is a setting of a Christmas song, and showed off the excellent unison of the soprano line, with the deeper voices in the bass line enhanced by this a cappella performance.  Enescu’s Waldgesang is a celebration of nature – and, in particular, the Rhine River.   

From Romania, the Orient Expresses crosses the Danube into Hungary to make its next stop in  Budapest. 

Composer and musicologist Zoltán Kodály set the Italian poem Fuor De La Bella Caiba for women’s voices.  This work, about an escaping nightingale, lost to sing freely in the forest, was most ably introduced and conducted by the Chorale’s deputy conductor, Anne Pilgrim.  She postulated that the newly caged bird was owned by a young woman, who wished that the bird would come back to sing in her garden. 

Kodály’s output of choral music is immense.  It would be good to hear more of it from this excellent choir. 

The second Hungarian work was for men’s voices – Wir Sing Nicht Mumien, by Franz Liszt.  The piano doubled the voice parts, and was over-loud – at least partly caused by its prominent position in front of the choir.  I note here that the bulky upright piano’s position also masked a large proportion of the choir from the audience. 

Vienna was represented by the music of Josef Haydn – Alles Hat Seine Zeit, and Anton Bruckner – Os Justi.  The motet Os Justi was most moving in this lovely setting – with its big crescendos to high fortissimo climaxes and falls to serene pianissimos. 

Germany is huge in the choral repertoire, and was represented by works by three composers.  The works of Clara Schumann, belittled for many years by a perception of gender-superiority,  is once again taking her place in western music.  Her partsong Gondoliera deserves a place in any choir’s repertoire.   Josef Rheinberger’s beautiful setting of Abenlied was next, followed by a setting of Goethe’s Auf dem See by Felix Mendelssohn.  This was the last piece in a set of six partsongs, composed to be performed out of doors.   

After a journey of multiple days, passengers on the Orient Express finally disembark in Paris.  For the first class passenger, having settled into a  luxury hotel, the experience is topped off by a night at the Paris opera.   Bizet’s Carmen is playing a gala performance to an audience dripping champagne and diamonds. 

The Geelong Chorale ended this more satisfying concert with the scene from the opera – Les Voici! March of the Tordadors, a crowdwhich describes the procession of bull fighters and culminates in the famous Todeadors Song.  The choir sang their hearts out in this rousing concert performance, with Kristine Mellens giving a hearty piano rendition of the orchestra part. 

It was a most satisfying musical journey for a Sunday afternoon, performed in a venue that has possibly the best acoustics for choirs in the region.  Bravo!

The Geelong Chorale will present two more concerts in 2024. 

Karl Jenkins  Requiem

Sunday, August 18, 2.30, Wesley Uniting Church, Yarra Street, Geelong

Ave Maria

A recital of choral music in anticipation of Christmas

Saturday November 30, 5pm, All Saints’ Anglican Church, Noble Street, Newtown

Music for Royal Occasions: The Geelong Chorale – May 6th 2023

Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1031340

Around the World in 80 Minutes – The Geelong Chorale- July 10th, 2022

All Saints Anglican Church, Newtown

A concert ticket was the only passport required for this whirlwind tour of six continents. Globetrotters taking up this offer were treated to a fine afternoon of armchair travel, presented by the Geelong Chorale, under the assured piloting of conductor Anne Pilgrim. John Stubbings was tour guide, providing comprehensive commentary. Kristine Mellens, provided flight deck assistance as accompanist.

Choir members arrived on stage well prepared for their tour around the world, with baggage, and dressed in comfortable in-flight clothing. Several arrived in national costume.

Before leaving Australia the choir presenting Percy Jones’ setting of Click Go the Shears.

A Middle-Eastern stopover in Israel relieved the long haul flight to Europe, with the men of the choir presenting the old Hebrew song Hava Nagila.

Eastern Europe was next with a beautiful setting of the Latvian folk song Kurs Putninis Dzied Tik Kosi, accompanied by Kristine Mellens who was in full Latvian dress. Hungarian composer Matyas Seiber’s arrangement of the Yugoslavian song The Unfaithful Lover followed. The choir showed their full range of dynamics and beautiful tone in this poignant song. (I note here, that this was then only song not presented in its original language.) The choir’s diction was excellent throughout the concert, though, as a mere tourist, I am not qualified to comment on the singers’ foreign language skills.

The next port of call was Sweden where soprano Fiona Squires presented the first of two unaccompanied folk songs – Uti vår hage. Skipping south, travellers visited first Italy (O Solo mio) then Germany (Brahms’ beautiful In Stille Nacht) and France (Auprès de ma blonde) before crossing the channel to the British Isles.

England was represented by Ralph Vaughan Williams’s setting of Just as the Tide was Flowing, Scotland by the poignant Loch Lomond, Ireland by Fiona Squires’ beautiful rendition of The Parting Glass and, finally, the men of the choir treated travellers to a side trip to Wales with Men of Harlech.

Not content with the old world, the tour continued to the new, with the American songs Shenandoah and Stephen Foster’s Nelly Bligh.

After another long haul flight the tour arrived in Asia. First, travellers visited Japan, with the women of the choir impressing with the children’s song Hotari Koi. A short hop led to Taiwan, represented by Diu, Diu Deng.

Travellers were welcomed back to Australia with an exciting performance of Walzing Matilda, arranged by Eric Austin Phillips. This challenging setting features both well-known tunes and musically paints the drama and pathos of the story of an iconic Aussie, truly down on his luck. The epic ending rising to a Hollywood-style cadence left the world travellers surprisingly refreshed and ready to present prolonged and appreciative applause.

Fiona Squires’ beautiful singing was a highlight of this performance. She skillfully imparted the emotion of her music through vocal tone, gesture and facial expression. Congratulations also to Anne Pilgrim, the Chorale’s Deputy Conductor, Kristine Mellens, accompanist, and John Stubbings, compere.

Choir numbers were depleted for this performance, due partly to illness, and also to people taking the opportunity to travel once again. Despite these problem, this was a most enjoyable concert.

Thanks to Colin Mockett for this image.

You can read Colin Mockett’s review of the concert at https://entertainmentgeelong.com/reviews-2/

Vaughan Williams – A life in Music – Sunday, May 15th, 2022

All Saints’ Church, Newtown

Conductor – Allister Cox

Accompanist – Kristine Mellens (piano), Ken George (organ)

Soloists – Amelia Warwrzon – soprano, Syrah Torii – Mezzo-soprano, Ben Glover – Tenor, James Emerson – Bass

This concert was designed to showcase Vaughan Williams’s music and marked the return of The Geelong Chorale to the concert stage after more than two years of Covid-induced interruptions. 2022 is Ralph Vaughan Williams’s 150th anniverasry. Obviously the music-starved people of Geelong were also avidly awaiting the Geelong Chorale’s return. All Saints’ Church was packed out for this concert.

Just a week after the Geelong Symphony Orchestra with solo violinist Erica Kennedy presented a sublime performance of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark in Ascending, The Geelong Chorale presented a program made up of Vaughan Williams’s vocal music. The pivot of this concert was one of Vaughan William’s most beautiful and challenging unaccompanied choral works – his Mass in G Minor. For the mass, the choir divided into two four-part choruses, with soloists Amelia Worwrzon – soprano, Syrah Torii – mezzo-soprano, Ben Glover – Tenor and James Emerson – Baritone.

The choir’s hard work paid off admirably, presenting a most moving performance of the work. In particular, Allister Cox produced a full dynamic range from his singers. The soloists were spellbinding, from the clarity of line of Amelia Warwrzon’s soprano to the convincing depth and assurance of James Emerson’s baritone.

The concert opened with the anthem, O Clap Your Hands, composed in 1920 and first performed at Westminster Abbey with chorus, organ and brass. The Geelong Chorale sang Vaughan Williams’s later arrangement for choir and organ, with Ken George playing the organ. Unfortunately, balance between choir and organ was an issue, perhaps made worse by choir placement – on the carpeted floor without the use of risers. However, this was less of an issue for the concert’s final motet.

The remainder of the program consisted of a range of secular choral works, including an early setting of three Elizabethan part songs for choir, and solo songs with piano accompaniment from each of the soloists. It is pleasing to see The Geelong Chorale engaging young singers as soloists. We look forward to hearing more from these four as their careers continue to develop.

Kristine Mellens, the choir’s regular accompanist, was accompanist throughout the concert, with her skills fully utilised in her nuanced partnership with the soloists in their individual songs.

Vaughan Williams is well-known as a musicologist, especially in his collecting of British folk songs. It is therefore fitting that the program included three folk song arrangements, Alister McAlpine’s Lament, The Turtle Dove (with James Emerson as baritone soloist) and Just as the Tide was Flowing.

The final work, Lord, Thou Has Been Our Refuge , was a rousing celebration of faith. In this case, it shows the faith of The Geelong Chorale to come back to performing after a long gap with many interruptions. Congratulations to the hard-working choir members, and conductor, Allister Cox for a return to fine music-making.

In his commentary for the concert, Cox noted that Ralph Vaughan Williams, despite his prodigious output of sacred music, was a ‘cheerful agnostic’, quipping that his mass was ‘…not bad for an agnostic’. For me, the mass was the pinnacle of the performance. It stands comfortably with other great masses in the repertoire, and it was a joy to hear its return to The Geelong Chorale’s repertoire after many years of absence.

Magnificat – The Geelong Chorale: Saturday, December 7th, 2019

All Saints’ Church, Newtown

• Conductor – Allister Cox
• Accompanist – Kristine Mellens
• Guest Artist – The Geelong Handbell Choir directed by Gwyn Gillard

The traditional Christmas concert from The Geelong Chorale is always well attended.  While a little less carol-focused this year, the audience went home most satisfied after a Christmas concert of English music to celebrate the Christmas story and the meaning of Christmas.

The program began with Ralph Vaughan William’s A Fantasia on Christmas Carols.  The carols selected for this early work of Vaughan Williams, were several of the many hundreds of folk songs Vaughan Williams collected from around the country.  Before his Fantasia, most were little known.  However, now at least one, Sussex Carol, is firmly in the repertoire of carols sung in English speaking countries around the globe.  This performance, with piano accompaniment, lacked something of the mystery and drama of the of the original full orchestra version, with its haunting cello solos and orchestral colour.  The baritone for this challenging work was Rodney Dearing, who stepped up from the choir.

Although written for a massed choir – the first performance was at the 1912 Hereford Festival – the Chorale, under the direction of Allister Cox, sang with a full range of dynamics, filling the church with a lovely blend of voices.  The balance was excellent,  despite the fact that the tenor line was depleted through illness to only three voices.

Two chorales from Vaughan Williams’ Christmas cantata Hodie, followed.  This work is in the same form as the Bach cantatas, with biblical text narration, sung by soloists and a unison treble choir, interspersed with chorus and soloists commenting through arias, choruses and two beautiful chorales, No Sad Thought His Soul Afright, and The Blessed Son of God for unaccompanied choir.  The Geelong Chorale’s performance was spellbinding.

The Geelong Handbell Choir, a popular guest artist for Christmas concerts, performed five carols.  Keeping the the English music theme, the first four, In the Bleak Midwinter, What Child is this? (with words composed for the tune “Greensleeves”), I Saw Three Ships, and Past Three A Clock.  The fifth, the ever-popular German carol, Silent Night, was performed using a setting for women’s voices and guitar by John Rutter, transposed for handbells.  For the first time the handbell ensemble added hand chimes in some pieces, with the chiming legato of the chimes enhancing the melody line.

The final work in the program was John Rutter’s extended setting of Magnificat.  This canticle, sung at evensong in the English tradition, becomes, in Rutter’s realisation, a major work of seven movements, with the biblical text and Gloria as well as a setting of a poem “Of a rose, a lovely rose”, an original carol by John Rutter.  The work is scored for choir, orchestra and soprano (or treble) solo.  This performance was valiantly accompanied by Kristine Mellens, once again playing the piano reduction with flair.  Soprano Fiona Squires, a choir member, sang the solo part with sensitivity and style.

Reviews of John Rutter’s Magnificat have been mixed.  At the first Los Angeles performance, the music critic, Timothy Mangan described it as “a virtual encyclopedia of musical cliches, a long-winded, tamely tonal, predictable exercise in glitzy populism. …He starts right off in the first movement (out of seven) by crossing Carl Orff with the Marlboro theme.”  However, the audience at the Chorale’s performance were delighted, and reveled in the Hollywoodesque choral climaxes and sentimentality.

The Geelong Chorale

Rodney Dearing, soloist in Fantasia on Christmas Carols

Fiona Squires, soloist in Magnificat

Allister Cox, Music Director

The Geelong Chorale has released details of its 2020 season:

• Sunday May 3, Brahms – A German Requiem
• Sunday August 16, Around the World in Eighty Minutes
• Saturday December 5, Christmas Through the Ages

For more details go to The Geelong Chorale website.

 

 

 

 

Great Moments: The Geelong Chorale – Sunday, 18th August, 2019

St Luke’s Uniting Church, Highton

Conductor:  Allister Cox OAM

Accompanist:  Kristine Mellens

The Geelong Chorale is a chamber choir.  Therefore, a foray into musical theatre, opera, operetta and musical comedy is rather outside the choir’s usual musical fare.  Allister Cox, musical director for some years, is a long-time performer in musical theatre, and directed the choir and two excellent soloists with assurance.

The first half of the program was devoted to grand opera, with choruses, solos and duets from Verdi, Mozart, Donizetti, Gounod, Puccini and finishing with a rousing performance of the Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana.  There was a little staged drama – the program began with Brindisi (a drinking chorus) from La Traviata.  The choir (as people at at party) chatted animatedly during the introduction till the tenor, David Campbell, entered from off stage singing the well-known verse followed by the chorus with the choir before soprano Lisa Breen entered to sing the verse reprise.  It is good to hear Lisa’s lovely singing after some time.  We hope to hear more of her in future concerts.

David Campbell’s acting skill came out throughout the program, no more so that in his aria Un Furtiva Lagrime with a stunning love-lorn cadenza.

Kristine Mellens, the Chorale’s accompanist, had a near impossible task – attempting to emulate an orchestra.   Kristine wrought all possible tone from the available upright piano playing with drama, a sense of style and sensitivity (especially in David Campbell’s aria from L’elisir d’amore).

Deputy conductor, Anne Pilgrim conducted the women of the choir in The Witches’ Chorus from Verdi’s Macbeth.  There was a fine sense of dynamics, and some percussion in the background as the witches announce Macbeth’s arrival.  Unison singing brought out the excellence of the choral lines, even though the sopranos were depleted somewhat in this program.

The second half of the concert produced lighter fare – with excerpts from Yeomen of the Guard, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow, Porgy and Bess, West Side Story and concluding with a rousing performance of the title song from Oklahoma with soloists joining the choir.

The choir was in its element in an a capella arrangement of Summertime from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with Lisa Breen excelling in a jazz style performance.  This arrangement, which includes intricate scat singing from the choir, would be well worth keeping in the choir’s repertoire.

The near capacity audience included many who are not regulars to concerts from Geelong Chorale.  Judging from the warmth of the applause, they were not disappointed.

The Geelong Chorale’s final performance of 2019 is Magnificat: Music to Celebrate Christmas, on December 7th at 5pm at Christ Church, Geelong.

Lisa Breen and David Campbell

Lise Breen

David Campbell

 

 

An American Portrait: The Geelong Chorale

Sunday May 21st, Wesley Uniting Church, Geelong

Conductor:  Allister Cox,  Accompanist:  Kristine Mellens

An American Portrait, presented by the Geelong Chorale, was more a series of portraits, each focused on a specific area of American music.

The first bracket comprised four Negro Spirituals.  Two, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Deep River were arrangements by Australian Arthur S. Loam, in the 1940s.  The other spirituals are more modern works, composed and arranged by African-Americans.  Soon Ah Will be done-ah wid de Troubles of de World, composed by William L. Dawson (1899-1990) and Ain’t got Time to Die composed in 1956 by Hall Johnson (1888-1970).   Soloist John Stubbings was in fine voice in this piece, which was called by the composer an ‘art song in the style of a spiritual’.

Stephen Foster was the foremost composer of popular songs in 19th century America.  It is therefore not surprising that, for its second ‘portrait’, the Chorale chose three songs by Stephen Foster, I Dream of Jeannie (arranged by the Chorale’s Anne Pilgrim), My Old Kentucky Home (arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw) and Beautiful Dreamer (arranged M. Gardner).  The men of the Chorale shone in their unison singing in this piece.  Foster’s songs were immensely popular in the minstrel shows whose popularity continued well into the twentieth century.  (The performers were usually white people, with blackened faces – performing songs, dancing, comic skits and variety, although there were some all black groups.  Times have changed!)

Popular folk songs comprised the third bracket.  Shenandoah (arr. J. Erb) dates to the early 19th century.  The Riddle Song (arr. A. Warrell)  originates from a 15th century English song, which was brought to the Appalachian Mountains by early settlers.  Aaron Copland, like Benjamin Britten, was an avid collector of folk music.  Two of his folk song arrangements concluded this bracket, the ballad Long Time Ago and minstrel song Ching-A-Ring Chaw.  Kristine Mellens showed herself a most accomplished accompanist in Copland’s arrangements.  She joins an illustrious group as it’s interesting to note that the original solo arrangements of these two songs were first presented by Peter Pears (tenor) and Benjamin Britten (piano) in 1950.

Art songs followed.  Samuel Barber’s beautiful Sure on this Shining Night was followed by Randall Thompson’s challenging Alleluia commissioned in 1940.  Despite the joyous Alleluia lyrics, the piece is gentle and prayer-like.  Allister Cox elicited the long build-up to forte and the decrescendo was equally satisfying.  There were some lovely pianissimos in the high tenor line.  The Road Home followed, composed for the Dale Warland Singers by Stephen Paulus in 2001.  This work is based on an old American folk song tune.

America is the home of the modern musical, and musical cinema.  The choir let its hair down and sang songs of Gershwin (a medley titled Gershwin in Love (arr. Mac Huff) with beautiful solo work from Helen Seymour and John Stubbings), then Cole Porter’s Night and Day, followed Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz), and the rousing final reprise of the title song from Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein in the original stage arrangement.

The Geelong Chorale concluded its American Portrait with an arrangement of Battle Hymn of the Republic.  P.J. Wilhowsky’s arrangement featured the piano, in a fanfare-like opening, which was then taken up by the women’s chorus.  There are multiple  key changes as the piece builds in tension verse upon verse, with various ‘special effects’ including a marching chant from the men’s voices.  The verse ‘In the beauty of the lilies…’ was sung by the men in Welsh-style close harmony, before the final climax – ascending choral chords – a very ‘Hollywood’ finish to a most enjoyable concert.

The Geelong Chorale, a well-balanced, medium-sized choir of ten sopranos, ten altos, four tenors and six basses was in very fine voice.  It is good to see some new faces among the line up.

The Geelong Chorale’s next concert is Voices of Our Time: Music of contemporary composers on Sunday, August 27th at 3pm in All Saints Anglican Church, Newtown.