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"In Remembrance"

After such a long time, after lockdown and restrictions it was amazing to sing in St Paul’s again. Remembrance is always a poignant time and this concert made our return to live performances really special. Despite numbers being down due to illness, the sound of the choir was well-balanced and conveyed the emotion within the lyrics well.

As St Paul’s is undergoing roof repairs, the choir and sanctuary are blocked off; seating followed covid-safe guidelines and the reduced space meant that most of the choir were in the aisles and the audience were also widely spaced out. With a dramatic poppy display in front of floor to ceiling plastic sheeting, not quite hiding the scaffolding, the atmosphere created within the church almost suggested it had survived being hit by bombs and was being renovated.

For the first half of the performance, Peter Brown’s two short Remembrance pieces sandwiched the Jenkins’ “Motets”. Opening with “In Flanders Fields”, the best we’ve ever sung it, set the musical tone for the evening. This powerful piece is so beautiful and undoubtedly deserves a much wider audience. Jenkins’ work is popular and has a lasting acoustic impact – layered repeated phrases weave their musical poetry but can be demanding on the vocal cords. Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria” completed the concert – what a delightful, early work.

Veronica Gilbert gave a glorious performance of the tenor solo in the Puccini; in fact, each of the voices had moments of beauty, but for me, the bass line stepped up the most, particularly the majestic and stirring “Qui tollis peccata mundi”.

Thank you to Alan Gidney for his excellent organ playing; his musicality and articulation always evoke strong emotional responses, and a huge thank you to the inspirational Peter Brown!

Our 2021 Remembrance concert was a solemn, moving occasion and allowed us, and all the other choirs this year to remember and not ‘break faith’ with the millions who kept us safe through their service and sacrifice.