[av_two_third first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
St Mary’s Choir thrills Bowdon Festival audience
On Saturday 14 May, those of us who were in St Mary’s were on to a winner. Nothing to do with the Eurovision Song Contest which happened that evening, but our own choir giving a magnificent concert as part of the Bowdon Festival, featuring some of the most beautiful choral music ever written.
Our Director of Music, Michael Dow, had put together a delightful programme of European choral favourites which were, as ever, expertly accompanied by Roger Bryan, our fine organist.
The ambience was created by the subtle purple back-lighting which lit up the chancel and gave a welcoming feel to the church. As we heard the first piece, Haydn’s ‘The heavens are telling’, we realised that we were in for a treat. The choir were in perfect harmony and when at full volume it felt as though they were going to lift the church roof off.
After works by the likes of Palestrina and Brahms we came to Mendelssohn’s ‘Hear my prayer’, where those who hadn’t heard the full piece before were surprised that it contained the better known melody ‘O for the wings of a dove’. The first half ended literally on a high note with Allegri’s ‘Miserere’. The four soloists sang from the bell tower while the choir remained in the body of the church to give us ‘all round sound’.
After a glass of wine in the interval, we returned to hear one of my favourite choral works, Fauré’s ‘Requiem’, with its haunting ‘Pie Jesu’, before the choir sent us to the very gates of heaven with the final movement ‘In Paradisum’.
The choir contribute to the services at St Mary’s every Sunday at 10.45 am and 6.30 pm where they regularly sing to this very high standard but it is easy then to take them a little for granted. So it was lovely to hear them showcase their talent in this wonderful concert. Of extra special note was the way that Michael has brought on three of the young choristers to the point where they are able to perform challenging solos with great aplomb.
John Lambie
[/av_textblock]
[/av_two_third][av_one_third min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_image src=’http://www.bowdonchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Choir-in-concert-300×225.jpg’ attachment=’5199′ attachment_size=’medium’ align=’center’ styling=” hover=” link=’lightbox’ target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’][/av_image]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
St Mary’s choir in full voice (photo: John Lambie)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_third]