Like many choirs and musical ensembles, Perth Choral Society has survived through memories of the good old pre-Covid days, occasional socially-distanced meetings and the shared hope that one day the norm, or as near to it as possible, would see them back in full performance and sharing classical choral music with a packed house.
Great things come to these who wait, as the saying goes, so Sunday’s concert in St John’s Kirk was something to savour for both performers and audience.cho
Two years and more since their last performance, the choir could have been excused for an over-eager and emotionally-injected performance, but conductor Peter Rutterford ensured that any passion or any excitement came from the music alone.
And if there was a cause for celebrating the return to performance, the numerous mentions of Alleluja (literally “praise the Lord”) were quite fitting, either in the explosive style of Beethoven or the more refined style of Mozart.
One would be forgiven in thinking that the choir had had no enforced sabbatical, as they started where they left off in December 2019, demonstrating their usual excellent balance, good diction and the ability to tackle anything complex that came there way with the utmost confidence.
Great choral discipline
This manifested itself particularly in the Beethoven Hallelujah, from his oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives.
In the more sedate items of the concert’s first half – Mozart’s Ave Verum, Panis Angelicus and Cantique de Jean Racine – good choral discipline was clear and obvious, and they also showed good spirit in the uplifting opening movement of Vivaldi’s Gloria, which opened the concert.
Guest soloists are an important factor in any choral concert, and Peter’s choice of soprano Colleen Nicol and local lad Kenneth Maciver was a sound one.
I liked the way Kenneth added his considerable prowess to the bass section on the first half of the concert – few soloists deign to do this – and although his solo contributions on the Faure Requiem didn’t have the weight of Colleen’s solo work in the first half, his delivery of the Offertorium and the Libera Me was confident and assured.
As for Colleen, well she was in sparkling from throughout. Mozart’s Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) requires pin-point accuracy in the many runs the work offers, especially in the final pretty-fast Alleluja, but her delivery was unwavering.
Panis Angelicus doesn’t require vocal gymnastics but it does require some delicacy and a more sober approach. Again, I couldn’t fault this performance and neither could I find any reason to criticise her role in Mascagni’s Easter Hymn.
The drama in this was finely judged, joining seamlessly with the chorus who, too, took advantage of some inspired choral construction. Add a perfect Pie Jesu from the Requiem, the sum total is a five-star performance.
A superb accompanist
When I said guest soloists are an integral part of the proceedings, so is an accompanist who is at home in any genre of choral music.
In Howard Duthie, Peter and the choir know that they have one of the best at their disposal, a resolute bulwark on which they gain confidence and produce fine performances.
As Peter said “it’s good to be back” and I couldn’t agree more.
