On Saturday night, in Bath Abbey, there was the second live performance of my Requiem Mass. The Hertfordshire Chorus (oh so many of them) under their Conductor, David Temple MBE, did a magnificent job, filling the vast gothic space effortlessly with glorious sound. The eight-piece brass section and the orchestral percussion blasted us to spine-chilling effect, and the crucial tenor soloist, Alastair Brookshaw, hit perfectly that precious middle-ground between classical and rock singing, that is so important to me. His performance was very fine indeed.
The four-strong rock band also did a wonderful job. The score is not easy, but their amazing skills, honed in the world of West End theatre bands, enabled them to rock-out with deceptive ease, as if they’d been playing the thing for years. Bass player, Daf Lewis, has been involved in the project since 2016 when he enabled me to find the necessary players who could record the work without weeks of rehearsal, which was a bit of a new concept for me. Lead Guitarist, Martyn Hope, and Drummer, Gareth Roberts, both performing the piece for the first time, and Acoustic Guitarist, Jon Bishop were all pitch-perfect.
I was very happy!
The audience, which completely filled the central area of the nave, really seemed to like it, and the Choir themselves were very enthusiastic (which is what counts, if it ever came to the possibility of another performance.)
Lots of my friends turned up, which gave me great pleasure, and Fiona made sure our guests had a good time. (Without her vigorous encouragement, it should be remembered, the Requiem would be still relaxing on a shelf in manuscript form, and not being a CD, and not being a wonderful live show) So, My Thanks to her, to Maestro David Temple, to the choir, to the musicians, and also to Michael Brand, nursemaid of the fledgeling piece of music, fifty years ago, and Ricardo Odriozola, its musical Godfather, thirty-four years later.
The rest of the program, written by real composers, John Rutter and Leonard Bernstein, not some rock’n’roll Neanderthal, was very splendid indeed, and hearing what they could do with choral music was a bit of a reality check for me…
