Choral Society

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is a demanding piece for any Choral Society to perform, and it is to Chepstow Choral Society’s great credit that they were able to accomplish this performance with considerable achievement.

From the audience reaction to this performance, the concert was a huge musical success, and yet another milestone for Chepstow Choral Society, which was delighted to be able to present such a programme to music lovers in Chepstow and surrounding areas.

Choir, percussion and soloists all gave of their best. The percussion component, assembled by Adrian Evans, was superb, and the four players brought all their experience and expertise into full play.  The two pianists, Marjorie Duerden and Rosalind Taylor, shouldered a large burden and played beautifully as a team, coping admirably with the high demands of this work.

The three soloists, Hannah Atherton (soprano), Sebastian Field (counter-tenor) and Henry Neil (baritone), (who were all from Gloucester Cathedral School), acquitted themselves with some fine performances in some difficult and technically demanding solo work.

The choir excelled themselves -this is not a work where the choir can sit back and coast along! For many in Chepstow Choral Society it was their first experience of singing this work, and it is to the great credit of Graham Bull, the Society’s Musical Director, that he was able to weave together the chorus input, percussion and pianos with such tremendous vitality.

The programme was completed by a selection of Johannes Brahms’ Liebeslieder.  These were beautifully performed by the choir and pianists alike and it was obvious that a great deal of attention to detail had taken place. The balance of choir and the two pianists worked excellently and an overall highly musical performance was the result.

As the Society once again arrives at the end of another successful season, it wishes to record its thanks to Musical Director Graham Bull, the music committee and also to the general committee for the imaginative programming which has brought to Chepstow works by Dvorak, Vaughan Williams, Faure, Brahms and Orff!

The Choir is now taking a well-earned summer break. Rehearsals will resume on Wednesday, September 3rd at Chepstow Leisure Centre. If you are interested in becoming a singing member, please contact Marjorie Duerden (tel. 01291 623310) for more details about the musical schedule and membership information. Chepstow Choral Society welcomes new singing members – particularly sopranos, tenors and basses.

The next concert will be the annual Christmas Music presentation. This year it will take place at St Mary’s Church on Saturday December 13th, with Lindsay Kidd (soprano) and the choir of Wyedean School as guests for the event.