Opus 2 celebrates Baroque at St John’s
Opus 2 Choir and Orchestra delivered a Baroque treat in a spectacular “Come and Sing” concert at St John’s Church in Newbury on Saturday, when the regular choir welcomed extra singers to rehearse and perform on the day. And they performed some of the finest and most famous pieces of the period.
Opening with coronation anthems by George Fredrick Handel, written for the coronation of George II and Queen Caroline in 1727, the church rocked to the sounds of Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened, recognising the king as rightful ruler, and Zadok The Priest, the anointing which hails the recognition by God and the Church of the king.
The orchestra followed with the first and third movements of the divine concerto for fortepiano and harpsichord by CPE Bach. And fitting right in with the evening’s style was the contemporary Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo and the serenely moving Lux Beata Trinitas – blessed light of the Trinity – described as the most beautiful hymn from heaven, led by an oboe solo (Alexander Tostdevine), with words (probably incorrectly) attributed to St Ambrose.
The orchestra triumphed with the immensely popular, melancholic and reflective Adagio in G, attributed to Tomaso Albinoni but actually composed by a 20th Century musicologist Remo Giazotto, which he claimed was constructed around a fragment of an Albinoni trio sonata. One of two music directors for the evening, Susan Norman was sublime on the organ and John Kane’s violin solo soared.
The highlight of the evening, certainly for the choir, was Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. Perhaps the greatest of the Baroque composers, Vivaldi wrote at least three Glorias, settings of the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo, with words probably dating back to the 4th century. Conducted by co-music director Chris Lambert, the audience were treated to a triumphant rendition of this enormously popular piece – which will be familiar to film buffs, having been used in at least three films – and made supreme by the solo voices of soprano Jacqueline Pischorn and alto Zozi Soookanadenchetty.
A smashing evening in the heart of Newbury.
