11 Dec 2008

EX CATHEDRA

ST.CHAD'S CHURCH

Ex Cathedra is a superb choir who, for two glorious hours of candle light, delighted a capacity audience at St. Chad's Church with their programme called "Christmas by Candlelight". It was a programme of music and readings which were carefully selected, well planned as a programme and delivered with a mixture of obvious enjoyment and consummate skill.

There were carols by familiar composers-Britten, Vaughan Williams, Bach, Herbert Howells, Lassus and Gibbons as well as a ritual of 1631 and carols of more recent composition. Each item flowed seamlessly into the next helped by director Jeffrey Skidmore's precise yet unobtrusive conducting. Every section of the choir sang superbly; the sopranos sang with a blend of other worldly purity and tingling excitement especially in "O Adonai" by Roderick Williams which opened the second half of the programme. On occasions, the basses sounded like the resonant voices we associate with Russian choirs. For the most familiar works, Mr. Skidmore chose broad, expansive tempos which really allowed the music time to breath and showed the fine quality of the choir's diction.

The readings were a vital part of this concert; some reverential, others tongue in cheek, some from the great gems of our literature. Towering above all was "The best Christmas present" by Michael Morpurgo. This fine text, written as from a British officer to his wife, told the story of Christmas 1915 when the British and German troops called a halt to hostilities, shared food and drink before returning to the senseless slaughter. The reading lead to a singing of "Silent Night" in German. I'm sure every one of us felt a lump in our throats for this music was delivered with a reverential hush which defies description.

Andrew Petch

Last Updated : 01/03/2009