Waverley Singers

"Waverley Singers perform at St Thomas-on-The Bourne Church in Farnham"

An edited version of the following review by Philippa Penfold appeared on 14 November 2022 in the Farnham Herald, and in the print edition under the rather more exciting headline; "A Magnificent Concert by Waverley Singers"!

On a warm October night, my father (who had travelled from North Yorkshire specifically to attend the concert) and I sat in eager anticipation of the latest performance by the Waverley Singers at St Thomas-on-the-Bourne Church, Farnham. And we were not disappointed.

The Waverley Singers, returning after their monumental performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in June, were in fine form. Opening the concert, accompanied by Philip Scriven on the organ, with a joyful rendition of Benjamin Britten’s Jubilate in C, the choir were poised, attentive and tuneful. The mood changed for the next piece, John Joubert’s O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing, a quiet reflective piece giving the choir a chance to show their dynamic versatility.

The choir then welcomed mezzo soprano, Nancy Cole, to the stage to perform four folk song arrangements by Benjamin Britten, with Richard Pearce relinquishing his conductor’s baton to take on the role of accompanist. Nancy’s rich, mellifluous vocal tone, and clear diction with a slightly cheeky twinkle, brought the folk songs to life.

For the final piece of the first half, the choir welcomed baritone Andrew Jupp to join them for Ralph Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs. Despite a brief tumble from the rostrum by the conductor, the latter, choir and soloist provided a poised and confident performance with the beautiful vocal lines in the eclectic songs clearly defined.

The Waverley Singers are noted for their support of various charities at their concerts. This evening, Sir Mike Aaronson, former member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and choir member, spoke on behalf of the DEC Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal for continuing support for their work in aiding Ukrainian civilians who are not only exiled in this country, but also either displaced within their own land or even trapped within the war zone. 

The second part of the concert was devoted to a performance of the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, the noted French composer and organist. The soloists, Nancy Cole and Andrew Jupp, rejoined the choir and organist Phil Scriven for a moving and beautiful rendition of this sublime work. For the mezzo solo of the Pie Jesu Nancy Cole was delicately accompanied by solo ‘cello played by Lawrence Durkin. The choir, under the careful control of conductor Richard Pearce, produced music ranging from the gently ethereal to earth shattering massive, accompanied by the thunderous organ in the deft hands of Phil Scriven. As the piece drew to a peaceful end the audience sat in total silence, as they gently brought themselves back to the real world.

Thank you Waverleys - you were magnificent!