Choir sails through dramas
Sydney Chamber Choir, Saturday 11 April 2009
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Reviewer: Steve Moffatt, Liverpool Leader, 15 April 2009
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A broken instrument, a baby impatient to be born, a delayed lutenist and a last-minute change of conductor all failed to faze Sydney Chamber Choir in their At the Foot of the Cross Easter concert.
The instrument, a baroque guitar, belonged to Tommy Andersson, who was also delayed by another engagement. The baby belonged to Nicholas Routley, who was to have been guest conductor.
Fortunately Liz Scott, who has conducted the choir in the past and who had overseen several of the rehearsals, was able to step in at the eleventh hour and the whole concert passed off triumphantly.
The choir is travelling to Spain later in the year to take part in a festival there and has been brushing up on its Hispanic repertoire.
The first half was interespersed with excerpts from Tomas Luis de Victoria’s gorgeous Missa pro defunctis a 6, some lute pieces by Luys de Narvaez and the world premiere of Australian composer Anne Boyd’s Cum Rex gloriae.
This last piece, which describes Christ’s journey down to Hell to liberate the dead saints and wage the final war, is an arresting work, from its dark, quiet dissonant start to its triumphant shout of the saints when they see their Saviour.
The second half was devoted to Domenico Scarlatti, who, although Italian, spent several years in Spain as a court composer.
Harpsichordist Neal Peres Da Costa performed one of the 550 exquisite keyboard sonatas for which the younger Scarlatti is best known today. This one, a “pastorale” followed by a very quick section, acted as a pipe-opener to the Stabat Mater – one of Scarlatti’s few sacred works.
This work, which was accompanied by Da Costa on organ, Daniel Yeadon on cello and Andersson on archlute, gave the choir the chance to show off some of its soloists as well as its fine ensemble singing.
Scott did an excellent job filling in at such short notice and the evening, like the season itself, showed that after stress and adversity can come the ultimate triumph.