Singers enthralling

Press, 10 May 1979, Page 4

Singers enthralling

By h C. FOSTER BROWNE h |i The King’s Singers thrilled : their audience in the Town/ Hall last evening when they' performed under the di rec- 1 tion of the Christchurch Chamber Music Society.) Their place in the hearts and interest of local audiences is;] well established and we know them well through radio and record also. There are six singers, all formerly in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, where in exquisite surroundings and with lively chapel acoustics they developed their special excellence in blend, phrasing, cohesion, and precision. Now in the world of concert they have every opportunity of bring-) ing their programme material to a pitch of excellence) seemingly unequalled. Two of the singers are) altos. It is the alto quality' which gives English cathe-) dral type of tone its special and unmistakable timbre. In such places the soprano line is sung by boys but the altos >

of the King’s Singers are so accomplished that one of them can easily carry most soprano lines, as was so clearly shown in Byrd’s movingly beautiful Ave Verum 'Corpus, which seemed a perfect performance. His Haec Dies also had ratified atmosphere and perfection of expression, precision, and phrasing.

The ability of these singers to change their vocal qualities to something entirely different was clearly shown when they went from the English Renaissance motets straight to a work commissioned for them, “Tine Piece.” by Paul Patterson. This is a piece of grand fun, showing how things went agley in Creation when the i time element was introduced.

“Four Prayers of St Francis of Assissi,” by Francois Poulenc, again called for a new style of tone and presentation. These were not only charming but called for and got Gallic atmosphere and technique. They were attractive and were contrasted

in subtle ways with three songs by the same composer. Their singing of songs in the German tradition also showed a rare perfection of style in subtle ways. Their adaptability and sensitiveness in getting the finest points in varying interpretations makes it possible for them to make any type of composition their own, brings all sorts of light music within their capable grasp, and gives the widest possible choice to their programmes. All this is of benefit, even if some of the things they sing are more than an eclectic audience would want. Encores followed thick and fast at the end of a fairly short programme. These tended to dim something of the top quality of performance of the earlier works and had a tendency to make the head swim. Even with highly skilled performers such as these, it would probably be better for them to choose a good programme, balance it, and then keep to it