GLYNDEBOURNE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
One of my personal seasonal highlights has to be the Glyndebourne Christmas Concert which shows to best advantage the touring orchestra, chorus and youth opera. Arriving early afternoon to a frost bedecked garden could not have felt more Christmassy, warming myself with a piping hot coffee and looking out at the beautiful Sussex landscape put me in exactly the right frame of mind for what had been four packed days of seasonal entertainment. And whilst I had enjoyed the previous four shows what a joy to end with something this good, pure class, the kind of class of course that one expects at one of the world’s very highest ranking opera houses.
Glyndebourne’s chorus is exemplary and across the annual festival and tour have to perform a wide range of works that this year had some very challenging moments none less than Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers which saw them on stage almost throughout in a complex and demanding production in every sense and one in which they truly excelled. Here though we saw them showing not only their classical talents but also their ability to embrace and execute different vocal skills and musical genres. And standing facing a packed auditorium we could see in their faces how much they were enjoying this, surely as much as we the audience were.
The same too goes for the orchestra, usually hidden from view in the orchestra pit, on these occasions we can watch and enjoy their faces, the concentration and for some the animation, in particular Richard Milone, the leader, who seemed to levitate with sheer pleasure throughout. The Youth Opera is an extraordinary collection of very fine and very pure young voices in the hands of Mariana Rosas. The purity and precision is what one might expect but what really stands out is their sense of rhythm which is perfectly expressed in their fine rendition of Christmas On THe beach In Waikiki where their phrasing was superb and not that drab and often stilted delivery that spoils the performance of this style of music in less able hands. And those faces, smiling and dancing and clearly having the best of times, I confess that a handkerchief was at times required.
The programme was wonderfully balanced, starting with Glinka, featuring some seasonal classics and the first half ended with four movement’s from Poulenc’s Gloria, composer that they are currently championing.
After the interval we returned to enjoy Rimsky-Korsokov’s Dance of The Tumblers, In Dulci Jubilo, Sans Day Carol, a very stirring Polish carol and Rutter’s I Saw Three Ships, and, in respect to HRH Elizabeth II, Walton’s Orb & Sceptre which, although composed for her coronation in 1953 could easily have been a film score for an Ealing comedy. The surprise piece of the afternoon though had to be Christopher Tin’s Baba Yetu, composed for an emerging genre of music composed for computer games. It was fascinating, lush, and South African baritone Kamohelo Tsotetsi’s beautiful voice soared above those rich sounds. The whole is looked after by chorus director and conductor Aidan Oliver whose words between the music are well formed, informative and witty, the man has real charm and presence so it is once again good to see him up there given voice.
The whole ended with a proper festive medley and smiling we left to find the gardens of the Sussex gem of a house and garden blanketed, as if scripted, in soft white snow.
Hat’s off to the front of house management and team for dealing with the icy situation, offering guidance and mulled wine to those who became for several hour stranded in that wonderful Christmas landscape.
Andrew Kay
11 December
Glyndebourne
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