Waverley Singers

"Music for a Summer Evening"

The following review appeared in the Saint Mary's Frensham Parish Magazine and the bulk of it may also have been published in the Farnham Herald.

The Waverley Singers gave their first concert at Frensham under new conductor, Richard Pearce, on Saturday 14th June. A warm evening, a full church and a varied programme of English music suggested we were in for a treat, and the choir and soloists delivered on the promise.

Elgar’s anthem Give unto the Lord, Vaughan Williams’ Te Deum in G and Britten’s Choral Dances from Gloriana were all written for grand occasions and allowed the choir to demonstrate both its full dynamic range and its control in the more reflective moments. They also sang a number of part songs, including the very challenging Three Shakespeare Songs of Vaughan Williams. These require an exceptional awareness of pitch and intonation from the singers that would be well beyond lesser choirs. At the heart of the first half was a selection of familiar folk songs sung by the tenor, Thomas Hobbs, accompanied by harpist, Lucy Wakeford. Their lyrical delivery was a delight, particularly in The Foggy Foggy Dew and Waly, Waly.

The choir’s accompanist for the evening was the very talented Iain Farrington, who played several extracts from his organ work Fiesta. In this work he brings modern jazz to the pipe organ and few will have heard such a remarkable performance before. It says much for the Frensham instrument that such a piece could be played here.

The concert concluded with arrangements by Percy Grainger of four English and Irish folk songs, in which the choir was joined by Thomas Hobbs. These lighter pieces were an excellent choice to round off a superb evening of music.

After the concert, audience and choir enjoyed refreshments in the churchyard and it is good to report that the event raised a substantial sum for St Mary’s Trust.

The Trustees of Saint Mary’s Frensham Trust would like to thank all of the 25 or so ladies who made those lovely sandwiches as well as the 9 contributors to the cost of the wine. Thanks also to Max Hadfield for the use of his marquee and his work in setting it up and taking it down.

We are hoping we may have raised getting on for £500.