Saturday 12 July 2003
The Barn Church, Atwood Avenue, Kew
Summer Concert
Thames Philharmonic Choir

The Perfect Summer's Evening

Imagine the subtle waft of strawberries to follow, music for sunshine and the remarkable setting of the Barn Church in Kew. This was the Thames Philharmonic Choir's concert for the summer on Saturday evening, July 12.

Under the direction of John Bate, the well balanced and gentle programme began with Palestrina and moved into Berlioz's Shepherd's Farewell as the last sunshine glowed through the glass behind the choir. Avoiding the usual turgidity of this piece, the choir set the tone for Parry, Byrd, and Howells overcoming a rather woolly acoustic of a packed church which threatened to reduce dynamic contrast and edge. The choir warmed to their delightful task, and academic fascination was engaged with a properly authentic performance of Allegri's Miserere. There was a certain cost to accuracy in the pc arrangement, rather cut and ironed out, with no top Cs but compensated somewhat by a convincing new austere monastic flavour.

Prokofiev's sonata for cello and piano opened the second part, with vivacious performances by Caroline Dale and Paul Turner. Sensitive atmospheric performance was there from the outset with a lighthearted imaginative Scherzo and lyricism of melody and texture, energy and flair of keynotes.

The musical part of the evening concluded with the choir accompanied as always by Roger Beeson with J S Bach's motet Jesu, meine Freude. The most arresting energy of the opening chorale sailed forward in increasing colour as the choir and its conductor warmed to the elaborate expression provided by Bach for these words. A feisty tenor section in the choir was especially enjoyable to hear, as was the convincing articulation of the central fugue.

Thank you again for a great evening.

Marion Woodroffe , Richmond and Twickenham Times, July 2003