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“One of the best performances I have heard from this much improved chorus.”

Review: Ilkley and Otley Choral Societies perform Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley, Saturday, March 22

By Chris Skidmore
Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, despite being born out of intense personal grief, went on to become his most popular choral work, so well suited was it to the large choral societies of the late nineteenth century. It is operatic in its ambition, a characteristic it shares with that other large work of the 1870s – Verdi’s Requiem – but its emotional appeal is subtler, leading the listener inward towards an empathy with the plight of Mary at the foot of the cross. Performances in the twenty-first century are rare so there was a real sense of occasion as a rather damp audience gathered at St Margaret’s last Saturday.

The evening started with a performance of Parry’s My soul, there is a country from the choir unaccompanied. Balance and attack were superb and the choir negotiated the tricky corners well, notably the collapse into unison at ‘none can thee secure’. This was secure a cappella singing.

Nor was the performance of the Dvořák a disappointment. The combined Ilkley and Otley choral societies with the Yorkshire Chamber Ensemble and soloists under Alex Kyle gave a masterful account of this complex score. The chorus tenors, so often a worry because of their lack of numbers, led the way from their first entry and showed that this was a well-rehearsed and balanced choir who relished the opportunity to sing this glorious work.

The well-chosen young soloists each added distinction to the performance – Harry Brookes-Owen (bass) with powerful resonance throughout; James Micklethwaite (tenor) with pleasing bright ringing tone; Georgie Malcolm (soprano) and Louise Ashdown (alto) completed the excellent quartet. They were all capable of ringing out over the combined chorus and orchestra as well as having delicacy of expression in their solo passages. And in a work in which there is so much call and response between the soloists and choir, the chorus matched them well. Altogether this was one of the best performances I have heard from this much improved chorus.