Five stars for "thrilling" choir birthday concert
Crouch End Festival Chorus celebrated its 40th birthday on October 26th with a five-star performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah which musical director David Temple described as “the most “thrilling choral singing” he had ever conducted.
The audience at north London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre were greeted by special videos in the foyer from leading musical figures wishing the choir a special evening.
Composer Karl Jenkins, who has conducted the choir in several performance of his work, came along to celebrate one of the key moments of Crouch End Festival Chorus’s 40th year.
They enjoyed a performance to which reviewer David Winskill handed five stars in his Ham and High review.
“I have written before about the CEFC bounce. It happens when all 120 members get into that zone where they deliver (and know they are delivering) something special,” he wrote.
As the choir sang 'Thou fillest heaven with thy glory,' and the music faded, the audience rose as one to cheer, whoop and whistle.”
Bass James Platt won much praise for his singing of the role of Elijah in the concert with the London Orchestra da Camera. There were also top solo performances from soprano Ana Beard Fernandez, mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons and tenor Nicholas Mulroy.
Temple, who set up the choir with tenor John Gregson to perform Verdi’s Requiem at Hornsey Town Hall for the Crouch End Festival in 1984, said: “Every section was on top form.
“The chorus 'Holy Holy' -- with semi-chorus and then the main chorus -- was possibly the most thrilling and life-enhancing choral singing I have ever heard. The “ppp (super pianissimo) ” in 'Cast thy burden' could only be achieved by a group of singers who understand that the choir is more important than the individual. “
The choir have a busy finish to the year with another performance of Elijah in Oxford in December and three Christmas concerts including a performance with King's College, Cambridge. They will also be singing at the Royal Albert Hall in live showings of the Christmas film Home Alone.
All details for the December concerts can be found on the website.
