Baroque-ing all over the church (From Salisbury Journal)

Baroque-ing all over the church

10:46am Friday 6th July 2012 in Entertainments

SALISBURY BAROQUE WITH SARUM CONSORT, ST THOMAS'S CHURCH, SALISBURY

ST THOMAS’S Church offered a fitting background for a concert by the combined forces of Salisbury Baroque, ably led by Theresa Caudle, and Sarum Consort Singers under the expert direction of Andrew Mackay, with guest artist bass singer Ben Davies.

The concert began with two works by Henry Purcell-Chacony in G minor and My Heart Is Inditing, in which Salisbury Baroque and Sarum Consort Singers combined forces to produce a joyful performance marked by well-balanced ensemble and clear entries, leading to a triumphant conclusion.

Bach’s Ich habe genug featured Davies and Alex Koshelev, who provided a sympathetic oboe accompaniment. Davies’ interpretation of this piece was simply sublime. Sung with great breadth of tone, his sincerity shone through and captivated the audience.

The concert concluded with Handel’s Dixit Dominus. Mackay’s masterful leadership saw the performers through this fiendishly challenging work. Soprano soloists were Katharine Hawnt and Deborah Mackay, who gave memorable performances throughout. Andrew Stewart, a fine alto voice; Colin Howard, tenor, and Davies contributed to the excellence of this performance.

The inspiring final Gloria brought this concert to an end.

The enthusiastic reception at the conclusion of this concert reflected the high standard of performance.

Anne French