The wind howled as we pushed open the doors to the church in Chatteris to hear Ely Consort’s concert: Christmas Nights. The director, Matthew Rudd, was thrilled to see so many people in the audience, in spite of the weather. We were soon to understand why. The concert was, indeed, first-rate.
The choir was well blended, producing a full-bodied, even sound. The orchestra was in perfect sympathy with the singers and the pieces.
The soloists were excellent. Eleanor Bowers-Jolley’s voice was especially effective, every note given expressive importance even in the form of an embellishment.
The main work of the evening was Haydn’s St. Nicholas Mass which developed as expected with some fine singing by the choir and soloists ably accompanied by the full orchestra and organ.
The soloists were: Eleanor Bowers-Jolley, (soprano), Monica Underwood (alto), Martin Kenward (tenor) and John Simmons (bass). The latter three were from the ranks of the choir but well deserving of being selected to take these parts.
Choir and soloists blended perfectly, producing an overall reverential and harmonious sound appropriate for the different movements of the mass.
From the Gloria some of Haydn’s familiar dark harmonies were introduced adding colour and depth to the texture that was to be exhibited later in the work.
It was in the Credo that Haydn made his personal mark as the different lines of the choir sang completely different lines of the Credo so that it was sung more quickly yet every word of the text had been included as the church demanded.
The conductor, Matthew Rudd. kept the performers beautifully controlled.
However, it was the other works in the programme that sparked my interest considerably.
The opening Shepherd’s Pipe Carol by Sir John Rutter, accompanied by orchestra and piano, was taken at slower pace than I have heard it sung before and this proved to be exactly as it should be. It was joyful, not rushed, allowing the performers time to bring out the gorgeous harmonies, attractive syncopation, and light-heartedness of the phrases.
The unaccompanied Away in a Manger was again noticeably calm, and unaffected – a delightful item in the programme, not afraid to explore the simplicity of such a familiar carol. The audience was understandably silent, transfixed.
Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse devo sung by unaccompanied choir revelled in the dark Russian colour and harmonies, dwelling on long expressive phrases branching out into a magnificent climax. It was spellbinding.
Mozart’s Laudate Dominum demonstrated Eleanor Bowers-Jolley’s skill in making every note a part of the whole, the heartfelt expressiveness of every note incorporated fully. Her beautiful voice was a delight to listen to.
Another major work in the programme with its seven movements was Dreamweaver by Ola Gjeilo sung by the soloist, choir, string orchestra and piano.
The dream-like nature of the work was well maintained with notable exceptions. In The Bridge, excitement was introduced with a loud percussive accompaniment as the singers explored the bestial nature of the monster whose ‘claws tore at [their]cloak’. This powerful section moved to one of awe and reverence. The following Paradise was beautifully accompanied with broken chords on piano played by Anne Reece soon joined by the strings and soloist.
The climactic word ‘God’ was effectively startling. This momentary break-through was the more effective because of the narrative style of writing that pervaded the work as the story was told. This was particularly noticeable in the final Epilogue.
The evening ended with three popular gems: The Sussex Carol, the Nativity Carol and O holy Night. They were sung with joy, warmth, and involvement. Eleanor’s O holy night brought out the reverence, purity, and sincerity of the work with her exquisite, expressive voice.
The choir sang a delightful, well-deserved encore: The Twelve Days of Christmas which the audience thoroughly enjoyed.
This was an excellent concert, well worthy of braving the storm to hear.
The next concerts by Ely Consort are on Saturday 15th March 2025 In St Mary’s Church Ely ‘Bach to the Future’ and on Saturday 22nd June in Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel ‘Sing a new Song’.
