Soloists: Caroline Trutz (Soprano), Katie Bray (Mezzo), Ben Thapa (Tenor), Thomas Faulkner (Bass)
This exhilarating 65-minute performance rose to the challenge magnificently, beautifully played and sung throughout
Review by Grahame Whitehead for Nottingham Evening Post
MEMBERS of the Nottingham Bach Choir joined forces with the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra under Derek Williams for an energy-laden evening of Beethoven and Brahms which demonstrated just how powerfully both composers speak to our emotions.
Beethoven’s Leonora Overture No 1 is not often heard, and the composer himself rejected it as an overture to his opera Egmont, but the NSO’s sensitive interpretation brought out its attractive combination of charm and passion.
Brahms’ setting of Hölderlin’s Song of Destiny finds solace in the face of human suffering.
The gripping central section, looking despair in the face, had a primal energy in its staccato singing and angry string sounds.
Beethoven’s Choral Symphony demands all the stamina that conductor, orchestra, choir and soloists can muster. This exhilarating 65-minute performance rose to the challenge magnificently, beautifully played and sung throughout.
There was excellent singing both from the Bach Choir and from soloists Thomas Faulkner (Bass), Katie Bray (Mezzo), Caroline Trutz (Soprano) and Ben Thapa (Tenor), the last two standing in at short notice.