Press Reviews

Express & Star: Tuesday 12th March 2013

Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610

Wolverhampton Chamber Choir

St John's, Wolverhampton

By Jerald Smith

When the Vespers first performed they were the revolutionary music of the day. Monteverdi was already a prolific composer of madrigals and operas, but the vespers were based on the Gregorian chants combined with the more modern style of the early Baroque.

This mixture of the old and new, along with settings of biblical texts, certainly enhanced the composer's reputation.

The work also proved an inspired choice for the choir as it was rewarded with its largest concert audience for some years, and the classical interior of St John's-in-the-Squares in Wolverhampton provided the perfect atmosphere and acoustics for this music. In turn, those present were treated to one of the best local choral performances where the choral lines were carefully shaped and delivered with enthusiasm and clarity.

Conductor Geoffrey Weaver's attention to detail ensured that the dynamics and tonal colours were always interesting and the tempi impressively bright.

The Salomon Ensemble's accompaniment was admirable throughout, providing great support for the singers. There were eight soloists of whom the tenors Robert Jenkins and Christopher Fitzgerald Lombard excelled on this occasion.

In the Motets: Duo seraphim and Audi coelum the pair worked extremely well together, blending their voices very well and ably demonstrating the vocal elaboration of the period

It has to be said that this performance was simply a delight.