RESOUND & REBELLES: TWISTMAS
For many years now Resound have proved to be a very accomplished amateur choir, no doubt their achievements driven forward by exacting and ambitious choral directors. Their director for the last four years has been Sam Barton, a composer, pianist and tenor himself, he certainly offers this small ensemble challenges. Their concerts always contain fascinating works, often by contemporary composers and often fresh to the ears of their audiences. This alone makes any Resound concert worth attending. And that element of ambition and challenge certainly works for we, the audience. I often come away with a list of composers to further investigate.
If by saying this I am making a Resound concert sound dauntingly academic nothing could be further from the truth. In amongst their chosen repertoire there is always space for wit and humour, a lightness of touch and balance to the sound that they achieve.
On this occasion their set was peppered with delights, many of which are sung in unfamiliar languages but never lacking a clarity of diction which has to be admired. There is a precision to the choir but never at the cost of expression or indeed emotion. This time around I particularly enjoyed Limu Limu Lima, Jul Jul Strålande Jul and Vuelie in part one. I could happily have lived without Pure Imagination, which they delivered well – but I dislike this saccharine song, just not to my taste.
This was the first course in an evening structured as a meal, a fun conceit that gave the writer of the programme notes a chance to play.
The second course was delivered by Rebelles, the female counterpart to Resound and regular partners at their Christmas concerts. Led by Antonia Hyatt, this choir has seen many changes over the years I have been listening but right now they are achieving a real strength of sound, not always perfect but heart-warming and with some truly soaring individual voices emerging from the whole. Their choice of programme is far more secular but no less entertaining with a number from Miss Saigon featuring Liv Beckwith and a Kevin Rowland song standing out, and Sue Purbrick shining in Gabriel’s Message. Much as I love Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair, and Juliette Rajak was excellent, I felt the whole need more punch to drive home the change of pace in the second part.
The two choirs joined forces to end part one with a complex and stirring Alleluia that highlighted the full range of voices.
After the interval the quite was abruptly punctuated by the arrival of Andy Platt, Keri Davies, and JJ Thurlow-Criss who delivered a very cheeky Santa’s My Boyfriend, great fun for sure although not one of them seeming to acknowledge that Father Christmas was cheating on them all, naughty, promiscuous Santa!
For me though the highlight of the evening was Cold Moon by N R Kelly which sees Resound at their very best, and this followed by Time by JL Cook which sees them at their most adventurous.
In my traditional heart I lapped up Rebelles’ Mary’s Cradle Song, soothingly traditional before the rousing gospel Music Down In My Soul in which Liv Beckwith and Marion Smith shone and all this before Resound returned to the platform to belt out Baba Yetu with Andreas Hiersche and Claire Fitzpatrick delivering those all important solo lines and yelps of delight in turn.
Banquet Fugue rounded this feast of music of with an echoing belch, not a sign of musical indigestion but one of feeling replete.
Andrew Kay
13 December
St Luke’s
Rating:
