Concerts
Exmouth Choral Society usually gives two concerts each year, in January or February and May, with rehearsals beginning each September. For these performances, the choir is often joined by a chamber orchestra and professional soloists, under the baton of Musical Director, Laurence Blyth.
Our next concert -
Saturday 25th January 2020, Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth, at 7.30pm
J S Bach: Christmas Oratorio, part 1,2,3 and 6.
Our last concert -
Saturday 11th May 2019
Howard Goodall: Eternal Light
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs
Benjamin Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb
Eric Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby
Review of the concert :
Exmouth Choral Society’s Spring Concert, held at Holy Trinity church, proved to be an exciting excursion into works by Benjamin Britten, Eric Whitacre, Vaughan Williams and Howard Goodall. Opening with Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb”, this challenging work demands much in the way of rhythm and intonation, but the singers set about their task with spirit, enriched by excellent solo singing. Together, they conjured drama and mystery from Britten’s stirring music and Christopher Smart’s rather idiosyncratic text.
Whitacre’s “Seal Lullaby” followed, a beautifully soothing and contemplative work, sung to words by Rudyard Kipling, that well illustrates the American composer’s considerable popularity.
Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs concluded the first half of the concert. Much of the piece is for solo voices, accompanied by the choir and by a sensitive and skilled ensemble of Devon string players, and once again the soloists did not disappoint. The final song – “Let all the world in every corner sing” – is, however, also a popular church anthem and the choir relished the opportunity to shine.
Howard Goodall is probably best known for his setting of Psalm 23, the theme tune for “The Vicar of Dibley”. But his “Eternal Light – A Requiem”, concluding the concert, is a highly creative composition. A choral requiem which can also be expressed as a ballet, Goodall has taken the structure of a traditional Latin requiem and woven into it secular pieces of literature, to create some deeply moving moments and a spectacular final chorus – “In Paradisum – Lux Aeterna”.
Laurence Blyth, the conductor, deserves credit for devising the programme and for a cameo solo in his fine counter-tenor voice. Julia Featherstone (Soprano), Michael Gormley (Tenor) and Julian Rippon (Bass) all sang beautifully. They were ably supported by Stephen Tanner and David Davies, both of whom enjoy well-deserved reputations as talented accompanists.
Stuart Mole
Our extra event -
Saturday 22nd June 2019, Tower Street Methodist Church, Exmouth, 10.00 am - 5.00pm
This workshop and informal concert on Mozart's Requiem, led by Laurence Blyth, was another success. Over 70 singers enjoyed an inspiring day which ended with a free performance given to a small but appreciative audience. Many thanks to our soloists and especially to Peter King, who accompanied us all day.
Saturday 22nd June 2019, Tower Street Methodist Church, Exmouth, 10.00 am - 5.00pm
This workshop and informal concert on Mozart's Requiem, led by Laurence Blyth, was another success. Over 70 singers enjoyed an inspiring day which ended with a free performance given to a small but appreciative audience. Many thanks to our soloists and especially to Peter King, who accompanied us all day.