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Celebration of the century A Boy Was Born Ex Cathedra Birmingham Town Hall **** IT WILL be difficult for any music-lovers
to avoid Benjamin Britten this year as venues up and down the country
celebrate the centenary of the composer's birth. And when Britten could create music as beautiful
as this, why would we want to? Birmingham's Ex Cathedra Choir launched the
city's own Britten 100 series which will feature a host of talent
including City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary
Music Group, tenor Ian Bostridge, the Belcea Quartet and pianists Angela
Hewitt and Steven Osborne. Not surprisingly, this concert focussed on
Britten's choral works – taking us right through his career from his
teenage years with A Hymn to the Virgin through to the height of
his fame with Gloriana, written to celebrate the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II. What was immediately clear was Britten's great
understanding and dexterity with the choral form of music. No one style
dominates as his work moves from simple repetitive melodies to
incredibly complex multi-layered harmonies. Britten's subject matter is also fascinating.
Digging deep into English poetry and traditional music, he could then
draw on much more contemporary sources including verse by his great
friend W H Auden. Ex Cathedra, who have become one of the UK's
leading choirs, successfully brought out the heart of Britten's music,
so that we felt its place in a heritage of spiritual music and yet could
also experience it pushing the boundaries of these traditions. So, for example, in Rejoice in the Lamb,
Britten's song of praise takes the poetry of Christopher Smart as its
basis and examines the different ways of voicing that praise. The chorus
builds up the momentum, evoking Biblical figures like Daniel and David
and calling on music itself to glorify God while the soloists take us
back to simple nature, showing how animals and flowers reflect that
glory. Works like A Boy Was Born ask for a great
deal from a choir and yet Ex Cathedra, directed by Jeffrey Skidmore,
more than rose to the challenge as well as showcasing talent from
the youngsters in its Academy of Vocal Music. They were greatly helped by Alexander Mason on
the Town Hall's organ so that the combination of song and instrument
filled the hall, blowing away any cobwebs left over from the New Year. This concert was a splendid introduction to
Britten 100. While many towns and cities will be aiming to celebrate the
centenary it will be interesting to see how many do it as well and as
broadly as Birmingham. Diane Parkes
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