The East Sussex Community Choir is a large, thriving, friendly, no-audition choir singing classical music, based in Lewes. The group’s website states: “We are open to all. Our aim is to enjoy our singing and to bring glorious music to our audiences from East Sussex and beyond. With 100 we are one of the largest classical choirs in the region.”
On Saturday May 4 the beautiful setting of the imposing church of St Mary’s Rye was a wonderful backdrop to the visiting choir which sang a varied repertoire for an appreciative audience. Pieces showcased the individual soloists with music specially chosen to suit their voices.
The East Sussex Community Choir is directed by Nicholas Houghton and he and the choir expressed their pleasure at being so warmly welcomed in Rye and by the St Mary’s audience.
Isabel Ryan is a great supporter of the arts in Rye and was at the concert, summed up her experience: “This was Saturday evening’s free concert sung by a choir of sixty. It was well-attended and there was a retiring collection for Rye’s St Mary’s church.
“We enjoyed an eclectic choral programme spanning several centuries of composition including two excerpts from Haydn’s Creation. Suitably joyous for post-Easter, entirely audible were the words ‘Glory to his name forever; he sole on high exalted reigns, alleluia’; plus ‘The Heavens are telling the glory of God – The wonder of his work displays the firmament’. For me the piece that excelled was the superbly sung Fauré’s Cantique de Racine. This poignant romantic melody was recognisable to Ryesingers fans in the audience from their own previous performances. Hearing it inspired research and I found that Fauré, as a twenty-year-old student, composed it as a graduation exercise at the École Niedermeyer. This fifty-minute evening concert was enhanced by a Vidal organ recital, followed by the lark-like soloist- what a treat for us all!”
The full programme was:
Pitoni: Cantate Domino
Farrant: Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake
Haydn: The heavens are telling (with choir soloists: Angela Wilkes; Peter Hanson and Michael Bloom)
Haydn: My mother bids me bind my hair. Soprano solo: Angela Wilkes
Bruckner: Locus iste
Faure: Cantique de Jean Racine
Organ solo: Andrew Wilson
Bullard: Calm and deep peace
Bullard: Three Shakespeare songs
Haydn: Achieved is the glorious work
Image Credits: Kt bruce .