Cantores Olicanae put on a splendid concert with a fascinating difference at St John’s Church, Ben Rhydding, on Saturday 26th October. And the fascinating difference? The concert was inspired by Oscar Wilde’s gothic masterpiece “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. This informed the choice of the pieces performed by the choir and gave the proceedings an enjoyably spine-chilling and at times macabre dimension!

A set of five readings, brilliantly delivered by members of the choir (Cantores Olicanae obviously has a wealth of versatile talent!) were woven into the fabric of the concert. Each choral piece then reflected some of the themes suggested by Dorian Gray’s journey to Damnation.

The first two pieces, “Timor et Tremor” by Francis Poulenc and “Insanae et Vanae Curae” by Joseph Haydn, highlighted the juxtaposition of earthly temptations and tribulations with the heavenly tranquillity that can come from residing in godly contemplation. The choir sounded splendid, and this gave the concert a resounding start. There was a concentration of sound and controlled power in both pieces. The contrasting quieter passages, especially within the Haydn piece, were sung with great sensitivity.

The choir then sang a Vaughan Williams setting of Prospero’s speech from The Tempest -“The Cloud-Capp’d Towers.” This is a difficult sing given the shifting harmonies and tonality, but again the choir did well, communicating effectively the unsettling nature of the music and of Prospero’s soliloquy.

The ever-changing tides of life were also evident in the choir’s performance of “O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. A difficult piece to pull off without the usual orchestral forces, but with the help of Robert Sudall’s excellent accompaniment the choir created a sense of drama and foreboding through well-executed quieter and crescendo passages. The themes of impermanence and the arbitrary nature of fortune contained within “O Fortuna” are the very things that Dorian Gray fears will destroy his beauty. This fear leads him to make a Faustian pact with his portrait!

The choir then performed two movements from Mozart’s Requiem. If only Dorian Gray had heeded the dire warnings in “Confutatis Maledictis”! The choir once more showed its ability to sing with power and passion and then contrast this with a lovely lyrical rendition of the ‘Voca Me Cum Benedictis’ section. The “Lacrimosa”, sung exquisitely, was an excellent way to bring the first half of the concert to a close.

The second half opened with “Tantum Ergo” by Maurice Duruflé which brought a much needed sense of the possibilities of redemption to the proceedings. This is such a lovely moving and melodic piece and the choir did it justice, despite a slightly untidy start.

Then it was back to the temptations of life as personified by the sneaky corruptions of the Devil in György Orbán’s “Daemon Irrepit Callidus”. The choir duly created the appropriate seductive atmosphere.

The final chilling reading from Dorian Gray was followed by concluding works which thankfully contain a sense of hope and ultimate redemption!

“Libera Me” and “In Paradisum” from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem were performed beautifully. The pleading nature of the first, giving way to the resolution and hope of the second, was reflected by the sensitive and dynamically varied singing of the choir.

The concert was rounded off with “Song for Athene” by John Tavener. The choir rose to the challenge of this wonderful piece, singing the quiet plain song- like first section before delivering an uplifting crescendo when the soul is invited to ‘Come and enjoy the rewards and crowns I have prepared for you’.

In addition to the choral works the always excellent Robert Sudall performed two superb solo piano pieces. In the extraordinary and atmospheric “Vingt Regards sur I’enfant Jésus” by Olivier Messiaen, Robert brought out the subtle intricacies of the music, playing the dissonant chords and more conventional tonal passages with great skill. He followed this by playing “Prélude, Fugue et Variation” by César Franck. A beautiful composition which Robert performed with enormous sensitivity. An absolute delight!

I was thoroughly entertained by the evening and very impressed by the quality of the choir’s vocal performance due, in no small measure, to the expert guidance and conducting of the choir’s Musical Director, James Savage Hanford.

I can’t wait to see and hear what other themes and varied musical delights will await me at future performances.