Triumphant Purcell, Handel & Mozart

On Saturday 28 March a large audience at St. James’s church, Taunton, were treated to a feast of choral music by Purcell, Handel and Mozart, performed by the Amici choir under Andrew Trewhella and his assistant conductor, Peter Adcock. Special guests included the world famous exponent of the Baroque trumpet, Crispian Steele-Perkins, and leading soprano soloist Charlotte Ellett. Orchestral support was provided by The Divertimento Ensemble, on modern instruments, led by Mary Eade.

This was an evening of triumphant and energetic performances from start to finish, with the main theme being coronation music. The opening anthem I Was Glad, by Henry Purcell, directed by Peter Adcock, was performed with great flare and energy, and at a lively, attractive tempo. It was followed by Handel’s Let Thy Right Hand be Strengthened, conducted with great strength and clarity by Andrew, under whom Amici delivered solid, crisp and well-prepared choral entries with the text always clearly enunciated. I was particularly moved by the grandeur of the second movement, Let justice and judgement, where the soprano tone in particular (aided by several young voices) was bright, clear and resonant.

Purcell’s evocative Latin motet Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes, replete with Italianate vocal writing and unlike any of his English anthems, was probably originally performed with not many more than one voice to each part. Nevertheless, Amici gave a convincing and colourful choral rendition of this intense work, the drama of ‘Ego cubui et dormivi’ (‘I laid down and slept’) being particularly well conveyed. Apart from an ensemble mishap in the final cadence of the bass solo, the overall effect worked well.

With Crispian Steele-Perkins joining the orchestra on first trumpet for Handel’s anthem The King Shall Rejoice, everyone present knew this would be a dynamic tour-de-force, and indeed it was. Under Andrew, Amici and the orchestra gave a superb performance with all the necessary power and majesty, striking right into the hearts and minds of the audience. The cataclysmic interjections of the trumpet section in the fourth movement, Thou hast prevented him, reminded me of how much King George II, himself a soldier, loved the martial trumpets-and-timpani sounds of the battlefield. Thankfully, in the vast space of Westminster Abbey (and indeed at St. James’s, Taunton) the martial element did not almost deafen the congregation, as was reportedly the case when Handel’s orchestral anthems were performed in the tiny Anglican Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace!

After the interval Crispian and Charlotte performed, from memory, Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim, in what was one of the highlights of the night. The combination of Steele-Perkins’s flawless, articulate trumpet virtuosity with Elllett’s rich and superbly controlled vocal agility had the listeners spellbound. Ellett gave one of the best performances of Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate (a work requiring consummate control over rapid semiquaver coloratura), that I have heard for some time. The Andante was taken more slowly than I would personally have preferred, but this in no way affected the performance, and Ellett’s final vocal cadenza was stunning.

Mozart’s ‘Coronation’ Mass is a stalwart of choral repertoire, and must surely be one of the composer’s most popular Salzburg masses. For this reason I tend to approach performances of it with some trepidation, fearing slow tempi and a lack of musical punch. However, with Amici and Peter Adcock at the helm I was not to be disappointed. His tempi were appropriately lively, especially the Credo, with the choir responding confidently. The soloist quartet (three from the choir) blended together beautifully. I was impressed by Clara Wood’s rich and mellow alto tones and Gareth Deyus-Jones’s crystal clear bass voice.

I last heard Amici in November 2012. Since then, Andrew has evidently moulded his choir into an even more finely-tuned ensemble, capable of taking on a wide variety of choral works, delivering them with great panache and keen stylistic awareness. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

PETER LEECH