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Aylesbury Choral Society


Concert Review: December 2001
Our December 2001 concert was reviewed in the Bucks Herald of December 27, 2001 and the review is reproduced here.

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On a frosty night a warm reception was given to the new conductor of the Aylesbury Choral Society. James Burton directed music by two notable composers for voice - Benjamin Britten and John Rutter. Whilst Britten's reputation rests in the opera house, Rutter's lies firmly in writing music which choirs enjoy singing and audiences enjoy listening to.

The programme opened with Britten's Simple Symphony - an endearing string piece in which the orchestra made the most of the elegaic slow movement, generating an intensity that belied the title of the work.

In the following Magnificat by Rutter, James Burton's influence on the choir was immediately apparent - from their first en masse entry the choir produced a bright and clear tone, and the sopranos in particular had good and confident ability in their upper range. Soloist Charlotte Mobbs' descants were neatly sung and ably assisted by the orchestra.

After the interval, school choirs from Aylesbury Grammar and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar performed Britten's cantata St Nicolas. Telling the life story of the patron saint of children, seamen and travellers, this challenging yet classic work was firmly grasped by the choir as they conveyed the sense of foreboding and spiritual meaning. Soloist Mark Wilde was excellently impassioned as the adult St Nicolas, and Thomas Granville as the young St Nicolas contrasted perfectly with the waltzing, gossiping sopranos. In the parts of the pickled boys (three refugees lost on a wintry road) Andrew Hulbatt, Andrew Kight and Ben Styles captured the angelic tone well in their convincing and atmospheric performance.

James Burton's understated conducting style proved very effective for his local debut.

Hannah Lewington