Due to the presence in the Hall of Arvo Pärt (composer of the first Programme
item, his Credo) and the general clamour to shake his hand, the start to
Saturday's concert was delayed by fifteen minutes. This cloud had a Brass
lining.
Anyone familiar with the horn section of orchestras will know about their liking
for drink. The short delay gave them the opportunity to neck an extra pint and
still be on time for the first notes of Berlioz's masterpiece.
The Chorus had warmed up with the short but challenging Credo - a
complicated and, in part, atonal piece that explodes into a frenzy of confused
voices competing with the Salomon Orchestra in a fury of improvisation. Then
suddenly - silence, but a very loud and empty silence.
There was no interval so we were able to sit and watch the set up for the main
item on the Programme - Berlioz' Grande Messe des Morts. One should have
known to expect something on a large scale, for on stage were sixteen timpani
and a large wooden drum about the size of a medium garden shed.
It is curious that so many religious masterpieces were written by agnostics or
atheists; our Hector finds himself in this camp. Written over 160 years ago, the
Grande Messe still as the power to surprise and enthral the listener.
After a fairly conventional start, the Kyrie gave way to the Dies Irae. In the
second verse of the libretto we find the couplet "Wondrous sound the trumpet
flingeth/Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth". The trumpets and the rest of the
brass certainly did flingeth it.
Westminster Central Hall has a balcony running round the auditorium and at
each of the four corners a group of brass players had been positioned. When
they started this resounding anthem like passage, one group relaying the music
from the first to another, there was open-mouthed astonishment in the
audience. A glorious cacophony filled the hall to the rafters, lifting the choral
part on a carpet of brass and percussion.
This was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever been to. If you're
thinking of buying a new sound system and get hold of a copy of this recital. If
you're not astonished by what you hear, don't buy the system.
The finale - in the form of an Agnus Dei was a bit of a let down. I was
expecting something climactic; instead it just seemed to peter out. Perhaps this
reflects the atheist's view of death as finale, a full stop.
Once again, Crouch End Festival Chorus (with their sparring partners, the
Solomon Orchestra) gave full value for money. Their next concert is Haydn's
Creation.
