Saturday 13 May 2006
Cadogan Hall, Sloane Terrace, SW1
Mozart: Requiem and Solemn Vespers K339
Thames Philharmonic Choir
Thames Festival Orchestra

The recently refurbished Cadogan Hall in Sloane Square is proving to be an excellent new venue for London concerts. It provided a suitably magnificent setting for the Thames Philharmonic Choir's all-Mozart programme on Saturday 13th May, which thrilled a delighted audience under the assured direction of their conductor John Bate.

The first half was given over to a work composed towards the end of Mozart's early years in Salzburg, the Vespers of 1780, an exuberant and sunny work, where Mozart, looking forward to a new life ahead, cheekily cast off some of the more suffocating strictures which had been imposed by his employer, the Archbishop. Indulgent operatic-like flights of fancy lighten up and complement the more sober, traditional writing, dutifully included to match ecclesiastical expectations. This is a major tour-de-force for the chorus, whose incessant activity receives little relief from the soloists. The Thames Philharmonic Choir rose to the challenge admirably, demonstrating an impressive stamina with a performance that was fluent, controlled and committed. The tenor voices were in particularly fine fettle on this occasion, positioned centre-stage for maximum impact. The wonderful writing for solo Soprano is, of course, the exception to the otherwise minimal role the soloists take in this work, reaching its uplifting climax in the justly celebrated Laudate Dominum. Kathryn Harries' beautifully controlled entry emerged subtly and sensitively from near silence evolving into a spell-binding rendition.

Mozart's Requiem formed the second half of the concert, a crowning achievement from the end of the composer's life and an altogether more mellow and awe-inspiring work. Musical precision was not compromised by the ease and relaxed commitment of the choir, for many of whom this was clearly a much-loved and familiar work. There was a freshness and subtlety to the interpretation, aided greatly by the exhilarating support of the Thames Festival Orchestra under its leader Matthew Scrivener. Assisted by sympathetic acoustics, John Bate's direction secured an exceptional transparency of sound and textural subtlety sustained throughout the entire performance; dramatic precision balanced by lyrical serenity. Here the team of soloists came into their own. Kathryn Harries, joined by Heather Shipp (mezzo), Andrew Carwood (tenor) and Julian Empett (bass) provided complementary performances that were sensitively balanced and finely judged. Once again the distinctive standing arrangement of the choir highlighted some interesting musical features, such as a very effective antiphonal exchange in the Confutatis between sopranos and altos at opposite ends of the platform. This was a wonderfully optimistic performance, full of energy and sharply defined, revelling in an almost paradoxical quality of reverent jubilation, but very Mozartian, and entirely appropriate for this year of anniversary celebrations. It clearly impressed the audience.

Kathryn Harries, who is also Honorary President of the Thames Philharmonic Choir, returned for a curtain call sporting her 'Opera Walk' T-shirt. Kathryn explained to the audience that she was walking to Cardiff, on to Leeds, then back to London in aid of the E&WNO (English & Welsh National Opera) Benevolent Fund, starting at the London Coliseum the following morning. Details of her progress and the benefiting charities can be found at www.eno.org/operawalk or by listening to Jane Jones' lunchtime programme on Classic FM.

Kevin Jones, May 2006