Upcoming concerts
Concerts and Reviews
Mozart Requiem
Our next concert will be in Ely Cathedral on Saturday 22nd April 2023 at 7:30 pm when we will sing Mozart’s Requiem Mass and to complement the Requiem, we will also be performing Haydn’s Salve Regina.
Mozart’s Requiem ranks next to Handel’s Messiah as one of the best-known and popular works ever. Having received the commission from a mysterious stranger dressed in grey, he composed it as he was approaching his own death and did not finish it. He even believed he was writing his own Requiem, but his sketches only got as far as the Lacrymosa, which, it is believed, he was humming on his deathbed.
To complement the Requiem, we will also be performing Haydn’s moving Salve Regina.
With Susanna MacRae soprano, Emma Lewis mezzo-soprano, Richard Symons tenor, Harley Jones bass, Glen Dempsey organ, Camerata East leader Helen Medlock and Ely Choral Society.
The concert will be conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Tickets are on sale now at £25, £20, £10 and £5 for U18s from the cathedral box office or at www.elycathedral.org/events
Review of Ely Choral Society’s ‘Carols for All’ concert on Saturday December 10th 2022 in St Mary’s Church, Ely
Andrew Parnell is a star. He created an evening of excellent entertainment in the ‘Carols for All’ Concert given by Ely Choral Society on Saturday 10th December 2022 in St. Mary’s Church, Ely. This was the first time I had been in the church since it had been refurbished and it was such a delight to sit in a comfortable, warm place now transformed into a very pleasant, well-lit, spacious area. It is no wonder that it has been filled with people daily since it first opened again.
The programme was very carefully designed by Andrew to show the best of the performers, as well as to entertain and include much audience participation. Even in the audience-participation pieces, Andrew‘s penchant for a high standard of music and performance shone. This is only possible with an experienced and very capable conductor such as Andrew.
Taking part, were Ely Choral Society, the largest choir in Ely, a much-strengthened Ely Youth Choir, an impressive cellist, Csilla Waterfall, a fine baritone, Steven Marygold, and the well-renowned organist, Glen Dempsey. Glen is currently Assistant Director of Music at Ely Cathedral and Organist at King’s Ely. Such a combination was bound to provide a delightful evening’s entertainment.
There were traditional carols throughout including ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, ‘Unto us a Child is Born’, and the rousing finish to the programme with ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’. In a number of others, the music was arranged to provide a fresh new look which certainly held the audience’s interest.
The programme opened with Ely Choral Society singing a suitable calm and peaceful work by Malcolm Archer: ‘Where do Christmas Songs Begin’. This was followed by a different and lively arrangement of ‘I saw three ships come sailing in’ by Richard Lloyd. This, for me, was one of the highlights of the evening. Everything was clear and the phrasing polished under Andrew’s direction. A charming performance of ‘I wonder as I wander’ by Arthur Wills followed. Andrew commented that it was the first time they were able to pay homage to our local famous composer, Arthur Wills and I was pleased they chose this very approachable piece by him.
Ely Youth Choir has really come on since I last saw them,and they mastered some quite challenging music. In ‘When Christ was born of Mary free’ it was lovely to hear these young, tuneful voices sing so well. Ely Youth Choir’s ‘Carol of the Children’ by John Rutter was another of the highlights of the evening. The beautiful, sonorous tone of the young singers suited this piece admirably, as it did with their ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘What star is this?’
The final item of the first half brought in the cellist and baritone and marked the 150th year from the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. It was ‘Fantasia on Christmas Carols’. This demonstrated the potency of Ely Choral Society Choir, and we were treated to some wonderful, well-rounded sounds especially in the quiet harmonic support they gave the soloist. Andrew’s skilful conducting made the changes in rhythm and mood unseamed. The customary polish and expressive phrasing were also evident. There were some lovely cello solos.
Instead of a steady 2- beats to ‘Ding song merrily on high’, this arrangement counted in 5 – not an easy rhythm to maintain, but the choir found it no trouble at all with Andrew’s guidance. With this rhythm, created by arranger William Llewellyn, you could indeed imagine the bells ringing. Other challenges Andrew introduced into the second half were rather complicated canon-like additions and alterations to the melody we know for ‘The Holly and the Ivy’. All managed superbly by Andrew and ‘choirs’ which included the audience.
One of the most poignant and effective performances was Andrew’s arrangement of ‘I sing of a maiden’. The sounds were exquisite yet profound and it was easy to imagine Andrew’s need to write this for his mother who had died in October.
Readings and constant sensitive accompaniment by the organist as required helped to make this one of the most varied and enjoyable evenings of the season.
Ely Choral Society’s next concert is on Saturday 22nd April 2023, Requiem, Mozart and Salve Regina, Haydn.
Rosemary Westwell