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Reviews
Carols for All! -
The Mitchell Hall,
Marischal College
Alan Cooper
It was a tried and tested formula. Come and listen, and join in the singing too, with carols old and carols new. And obviously, it works. The Mitchell Hall was packed for two performances, one at 4.30pm and another at 7.45 pm. Roger Williams conducted the University Choral Society and Concert Band, and the Band on its own had two special spots both conducted by Eric Kidd.
With absolutely everyone in the Hall taking part, God rest you merry, gentlemen got the whole place nicely warmed up. Then A babe is born by William Matthias with its lively jagged rhythms and its gritty harmonies brought out the best in choral singing from the huge choir. Smooth unison singing in Away in a manger or the rich harmonic blend in Ding dong! Merrily on high certainly inspired the audience many of whom were keen to join in. To tell the truth, Dr Williams does not have to work the audience hard any more. Many have been to these concerts before and they know what to expect. They are ready and raring to go. Some of those sitting near me, not the greatest of singers, were throwing themselves into performing with a will. Even a difficult carol like Paul Tierney's prizewinning In Excelsis Gloria had the audience following the tune apparently without difficulty, although George Chittenden's organ accompaniment certainly provided a firm foundation to follow.
The Sans Day Carol and the Star Carol, one an arrangement, the other an original composition by John Rutter captured the joyful spirit of the season, while Philip Ledger's arrangement of the old German carol Still, still, still stirred up emotions and memories of Christmas past.
The University Concert Band conducted by Eric Kidd went full tilt with big arrangements of Three Carols from Olde England, but for me the highlights of their performance were Philip Sparke's colourful calypso arrangement of Mary's Boy Child and Harold L. Walter's band setting of Prokofiev's Troika from Lieutenant Kije.
So far this session there have been some great things from Aberdeen University Music with a lot more to come. Carols for All! however is a chance for some of the young, and not so young performers to let their hair down and say to everyone We wish you a merry Christmas, even although this year, there was no figgy pudding on offer.
December 2005
New Voices in Music, Marischal College, Aberdeen
Alan Cooper
As co-founder of Sound, north-east Scotland's new contemporary music festival, Aberdeen University Music is also a major participant, presenting some of the festival's biggest events. New Voices In Music on Sunday night was on a spectacular scale, with so many young musicians taking part.
It was the concluding work by the New Music Group, conducted by student Paul Tierney that stole the show. In Peter Maxwell Davies's Eight Songs For A Mad King, baritone Eamonn O'Dwyer was sensational, by turns terrifying or touching as the madman. It was a tour de force of acting and singing, and the small group of young players who provided the musical ambience that surrounded him were terrific, too.
With tremendous vigour and assurance, the University Choral Society carried off the astonishing variety of vocal sonorities demanded by composer Lyell Cresswell in O Let The Fires Burn. Conductor Alistair Macdonald's graphic conducting of the fifth song nearly upstaged the chorus in this intense and imaginative piece.
Integrales by Edgar Varese, conducted by Paul Mealor, received an impressively polished performance from the young wind and percussion players of the University Chamber Ensemble.
Flautist Louise McIntosh, in Density 21.5 also by Varese, and the University String Ensemble, conducted by Pete Stollery, in Arvo Part's hypnotically beautiful Fratres for String Orchestra and Percussion, were also thoroughly assured in their playing.
Monteverdi's Cantate Domino also made an appearance in this concert, since in his day he, too, was a new voice. The high quality and the huge number of young musicians taking part were surely a heartening sign for the future of music in the north-east.
The Herald, 22 November 2005
NB. University concerts are no longer reviewed by the Aberdeen Press & Journal.
Performance of Tchaikovsky was passionate and sexy
Roddy Phillips
The Music Hall audience in Aberdeen were spoiled last night by a performance of Tchaikovsky's B flat Piano Concerto by Murray McLachlan that was undoubtedly a benchmark for all other performances of this work.
Playing with the excellent University of Aberdeen Symphony Orchestra - who were on outstanding form - Murray produced a work that was so astonishing it was almost supernatural.
Powerful, passionate and sexy, it rose up and took flight from the stage daring the audience to avert their attention.
All this after a splendid performance from the orchestra under Roger William's' rapier-like baton of Wagner's Mastersinger's Overture.
In the second half, the University Choral Society got their chance to shine in a series of popular opera choruses.
The orchestra meanwhile consistently turned in sparkling performances of works by Strauss and Tchaikovsky.
A truly memorable concert by local talent which left the audience thoroughly impressed and exhilarated.
Press & Journal, 25 November 2002
Passionate rendition of Bach in city cathedral
Alan Cooper
Aberdeen University Choral Society and Orchestra conducted by Dr Roger Williams gave the first of two performances that will cover both of J S Bach's great Passions - the St John and St Matthew in St Machar's Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, during the coming week.
On Saturday, the Dunedin Consort will present their chamber scale performance of the St Matthew but last night for the St John Passion, the university fielded a large chorus.
Their fine disciplined singing gave spectacular power to the opening chorus, the emotion-filled chorales and the dramatic interjections of the chorus in the story.
Bach divides his orchestra into many different solo groups to accompany the solo singers and last night the power and colour of the instrumental playing proved exceptionally effective.
Two of Aberdeen's most celebrated international singers led the line-up of soloists.
Neil Mackie sang the part of the Evangelist. His exceptional clarity and facility gave the story an irresistible momentum and emotional charge.
As Christ, bass Alan Watt sang with glowing warmth and authority. He also performed the bass solos leading the contemplative group that also included the beautifully light tenor singing of Ross Buddie, the freshness of soprano Lauren Hart and the gentle purity of alto Katherine Smith. Baritone Simon Hart, as Pilate, led the cast of supporting singers.
Of the two Bach Passions, the St John is less well known but last night's moving performance proved its music to be no less magnificent. It was dedicated to the memory of a kind friend and colleague, David Haggart.
Press & Journal, 17 March 2002
University musicians strike the right note at Music Hall
Alan Cooper
I doubt whether any of the UK's professional orchestras today could have afforded to stage anything as lavish as the performance which Aberdeen University Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society, conducted by Roger Williams, gave in honour of the international bass-baritone Raimund Herincx in the Music Hall last night.
Herincx teaches at the North East of Scotland Music School. He himself was one of 16 vocal soloists taking part in the first Scottish performance of the Serenade to Music by Vaughan Williams, and a magical event it was too featuring nearly every top vocal North-east soloist.
Aberdeen too has string players capable of staging Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, also by Vaughan Williams. Two other works by Vaughan Williams brought a top-class performance from the University Choral singers. Finaly there was Bruckner's Symphony No 6 which few orchestras can tackle and come away with smiles of triumph from the conductor. I looked along the line of trumpet players and there at the end was John Wallace - only Britain's best player sitting in.
Press & Journal, 19 March 2001
Choral society does justice to drama
Alan Cooper
For their main choral event this year, Aberdeen University Music chose the Childhood of Christ by Berlioz. A remarkable combination of opera, oratorio, symphonic poem and ballet, the University Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra did ample justice to the drama and musical spectacle of the work even though on this occasion they left out the dancers.
Jean-Claude Amiot from Clermont-Ferrand was back as guest conductor and the performance was sung in French although a well written and often moving narration in English delivered by Roddy Begg kept non-French speakers up to date with the action. The choral highlights included Angel Choruses sung from the gallery and the magnificent Shepherd's Farewell often sung as a Christmas Carol. The orchestral playing was wonderfully expressive and included a stunningly played trio for two flutes and harp.
Oliver J White was a spendidly sweet-toned narrator. Berlioz being unconventional gives the finest aria right at the beginning to the baddie King Herod, sung magnificently by Jonathan Best. For me he dominated the performance and the natural warm tones of his bass voice came to the fore later in the work when he also sang the kindly Ishmaelite Father letting the audience know that he's really a nice chap at heart.
Press & Journal, 19 March 2001
Piping up in choral extravaganza night
Alan Cooper
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Aberdeen University Choral Society, Roger Williams conducted last night's joint concert which brought together Aberdeen Sinfonietta, The University Choral Society and King's College Chapel Choir for a lavish performance in the Music Hall - surely something for everyone. The huge chorus were featured in a new work, Pipes of Peace by Edward McGuire, with bagpipe virtuoso Rob Wallace playing three different types of Scottish bagpipes.
I was not convinced by some of the more idiosyncratic use of spoken words for the chorus at the opening but I loved the pipes and there were some lovely atmospheric sounds sung by the choir as the work unfolded.
The concert opened with Faurés Suite Pelleas et Melisande - then lavish string playing with lovely woodwind and horn solos and gloriously transparent playing by the whole orchestra. Next came Mozart's Piano Concerto in C major K503, with a welcome return visit by Russian pianist Mikhail Kazakevich as soloist. Definitely the finest Mozart performance yet by this team.
Finally, Faurés Requiem was performed in a revival of its original form, with violas entirely replacing the violins in the orchestra except for Bryan Dargie's soaring solos in the Sanctus and in Paradisum.
Baritone Tobias James and soprano Sam (Samantha) Galt gave performances that were perfectly in character for this work. The chorus captured every iota of the intimacy as well as the glowing richness of this music.
Press & Journal, 3 March 2000
Chorus hits the high notes
Alan Cooper
Last night in the Mitchell Hall, Aberdeen University Music presented A Pageant of Choral Music. It was the outcome of a special workshop by voice production coach and choir director Michael Kibblewhite. In addition to members of the University Choral Society it brought together choir members from throughout the North-east - even one from as far away as Carnoustie.
Michael Kibblewhite's speciality is in getting choirs to match vocal tone colour to the sort of music they are singing so last night's programme covered selections in a vast variety of singing styles from a renaissance motet by Victoria to Harold Arlen's C'mon Get Happy.
Kibblewhite certainly got the huge choir to blend and to produce stunning sounds ranging from the warm gentle harmonies of Mozart's Ave Verum and the seamless melodic lines of Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine, to the vibrant characterful singing of Orff's Carmina Burana or the rich dark tones of a Rachmaninov Vesper. Something of a Tour de Force for both chorus and conductor.
Press & Journal, 8 November 1999
Elgar masterpiece on stage
Alan Cooper
Edward Elgar's magnificent choral masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius was the choice of Aberdeen University's Symphony Orchestral and Choral Society performed as a tribute to Professor Charles Sanford Terry conductor of the University Choral and Orchestral Society from 1898 to 1913.
The huge choral and orchestral forces arrayed beneath the vaulted window of the Mitchell Hall last night looked spectacular and sounded glorious.
Conductor Roger Williams presented a straightforward performance in which everything was properly in its place.
The big choral climaxes - especially Praise to the Holiest - packed their full emotional charge and the orchestra glowed as they presented Elgar's sweeping melodies.
Press & Journal, 22 March 1999