Waverley Singers

Waverley Singers: Opera Gala  

The following review by Rosemary Wisbey was contributed, we assume to The Herald newspaper; we are seeking to establish if it was published!

It is an anniversary worth celebrating and the Waverley Singers certainly did so in style, marking their Diamond Jubilee with a sparkling Opera Gala at Farnham Maltings last Sunday. Deputy Mayor Jill Hargreaves opened the concert with a message of congratulations to the choir whose history began as an offshoot of Farnham Girls Grammar School Association in 1955. A small group of singers met and rehearsed in a house in Waverley Lane, hence the choir’s name. Five years later they allowed men to join their ranks and now they perform four concerts every year. Molly Goddard, the founder secretary, was a guest of honour [pictured below with Soprano soloist Natasha Day, ed.] but sadly John Cotterill, the choir‘s first conductor, was not well enough to attend.

The capacity audience was treated to an evening of operatic gems and the female choir members appropriately wore jewel colours. The music was very different from the Waverley Singers’ normal repertoire: no less than 25 blockbusting operatic highlights, demanding great reserves of energy, emotion, and versatility. And, under the charismatic direction of conductor Richard Pearce, they certainly rose to the occasion. Among many highlights were the ‘Anvil’ (or on this occasion horseshoe and mallet!) Chorus, performed with great gusto; the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin which achieved an ethereal quality; and precise, rhythmical, singing in the light-hearted and uplifting ‘Brindisi’ from La Traviata.

The Waverley Singers are extremely fortunate in their talented pianist Jakob Rothoff and it was good to hear him as soloist as well as accompanist. His rendition of Liszt’s ‘Liebestraume’ was tender, sensitive, and dramatic and was appropriately placed after an aria from Don Giovanni, the arch-seducer.

The three soloists complemented and inspired the choir and delighted the audience with superb coloratura performances. Soprano Natasha Day swept in wearing a sparkling gown and thoroughly beguiled the audience, especially when she left the stage as Carmen to flirt with men in the audience. Her Violetta aria from La Traviata was a true tour de force and won rapturous applause. Tenor Christopher Diffey and baritone Huw Montague Rendell also excelled in much-loved arias, notably the wonderful duet ‘Au Fond du Temple Saint’ from the Pearl Fishers, where their voices achieved a magical blend.

A ‘Triumphal Scene’ from Aida made a splendid and powerful choral finale to a great evening of celebration.