Joyous winter concert by Muscat Singers

'The Muscat Singers', now 51-years-old, presented their annual winter concert recently at The Bosch Centre for Performing Arts.
Entitled, 'Joy to the World — A Seasonal Celebration' it surely brought joy to all who packed the auditorium in Ghala to listen to the choir at its very best. The Singers — nearly 60 men and women of diverse backgrounds, ages and musical experience — have gone from strength to strength in recent years. The quality and control of their sound has never been better.
The programme started with Vivaldi’s ‘Magnificat RV610’, a stalwart of the Baroque repertoire in nine movements, conducted by Musical Director, Peter Hawksworth.

The impact of their combined voices in their beautiful rounded sound and excellent intonation was arresting from the beginning. ‘Et Exultavit’ focused on a trio of voices: soprano Julia Ferloni-Grandval with tenor Arun Alexander and alto Ibtisam Hamed, filling the huge hall.
‘Et Misericordia’ boasted some tuneful string playing from the Cheltenham Muscat Violin Trio with Tomasz Gniatkowski creating a solid bassoon continuo.
In quiet sections the choir sang almost acapella, men shining through with tricky chromatic phrases. It led seamlessly to a strong, powerful delivery of the ‘Fecit Potentiam’ and well-pitched contrapuntal singing in, ‘Deposuit Potentes’.

Most sublime was the soprano duet of Elayne Looker and Joanna Brown in the ethereal ‘Esurientes’. Accompanied by bassoon with pianist Aline El Khoury during some stunning dry recitative, it was a highlight of the ‘Magnificat’.
‘Suscepit Israel’ was a return to a strident and clear tutti followed by another trio treat: Soprano Ruth Mabry, alto Linda Samadi and bass Peter Hawksworth sung a sweetly blended ‘Sicut Locutus Est’.
‘Gloria Patri’ concluded the work with a slow, chordal section then lovely contrapuntal part-singing, with the altos shining out in the final tutti.
To vary the programme, the violin students performed Mozart’s challenging, 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' with great aplomb while Clara Schumann’s mellow, romantic 'Sommerlust' had some lovely lyrical ensemble playing.

Percy Grainger’s light, English folksong arrangement of 'Country Gardens' concluded the set with amusing pizzicato passages, reflecting the festive spirit.
The Choir returned on stage for Benjamin Britten’s 'Hymn to the Virgin' — at least most did. An Octet of voices echoed this wonderful unaccompanied song from the back of the theatre, creating a delightful acoustic spacial effect.
It was strong with excellent intonation and well-balanced voices. They achieved a warm tonal quality and dynamic contrasts — from poignant ‘pianissimo’ to huge, dramatic swells — worthy of any professional choir.

'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' conducted by Musical Director Rachel Halliday, with its sumptuous jazz harmony, formed the highlight — and conclusion — to Part One.
Tenor soloist, Christoph Mhowdawalla, brought a subtly poignant clarity throughout the song. Peter Warlock's slow unaccompanied 1927 Carol, 'Bethlehem Down' uses melancholic modal harmony with clashing chromatic inflections.
It was sensitively sung with haunting, breath-taking lyricism. 'Carol of the Bells' — that favourite chestnut — brought out dynamic variation and vocal precision. The rich jazz harmony in Irving Berlin’s 'White Christmas' was emphasised under Halliday’s baton, allowing the sopranos to shine in the tuneful arrangement.

Bach’s unaccompanied Violin Sonata BWV 1001 provided a contrast of timbre, accomplished by the brave Pouya Kamalian. The choir resumed with Robinson's contemporary arrangement of 'In Dulce Jubilo' with its irregular, cross-rhythms bringing passionate interpretations from each section.
Bob Chilcott’s 20th century setting of 'Mid Winter' was typical of his inventive style. It was beautifully sung with tender phrasing and attention to its wide dynamic range. 'Christmas Fanfare' by Joseph Martin rung in the festive spirit, rejoicing with this fast, jubilant song.

A surprise syncopated quote of ‘Hark the Herald’ with running piano bass was followed by an off-beat imperative to ‘Rejoice’, bringing the formal part of the evening to an end.
The audience was invited to join in three traditional Carols; although the choir is splendid rendition with soprano descant was stunning enough. With such accolades, Muscat Singers’ next ‘Summer Concert’ will be eagerly awaited with baited breath.