25 March 2011
The Abingdon Singers' Platform held in the Charles Maude Room today (not, as billed in the programme, on April Fool’s Day) involved no fools but nine talented artists giving us a series of bravura performances.
Michael Stinton ended the evening by paying compliment to voice coach Andrew Yeats and it seems appropriate to start a review in the same place. It was an evening of singing of a very high standard but in many ways Andrew was the real star having trained the boys, chosen the repertoire to so well match their voices, and then accompanied them with consummate and sensitive skill.
Andrew gets these boys at age thirteen, still with their treble voices, and often from five years as choristers (seven of the nine performers had been members of New College Choir under Edward Higginbottom) where they already have considerable experience of the recording studio and concert hall. He then has to help each boy through the trauma of the loss of their treble instrument and guide them through various transitions to a new voice. All the while giving them the confidence and technique to ensure they emerge with the professional accomplishment that we saw at this concert. It is a task that involves much more than just musical ability. We are sure Andrew was very proud at the end of the evening and Abingdon should be very pleased that they have him guiding their boys.
It was an evening of two parts not divided strictly at the intermission. The first part of the concert comprised conventional solos and duets with the last third devoted to settings by Benjamin Britten of proverbs and poems by William Blake.
Opening the evening, William Hewstone’s mellifluous baritone, sung as if in native Italian, filled the room with “Gia il sole del Gange” by Scarlatti This was followed by his duo with Lewis Spring in a well-balanced performance of Purcell. Later in the programme William gave an even-toned and affective performance of “Sommerabend” by Brahms.
We were arrested anew by Handel as Humphrey Thomson and Hector Stinton sang ‘O Death Where is thy Sting?’ from Messiah and were later serenaded by Humphrey in Britten’s “Last Rose of Summer” - no easy ask for a young voice. Despite a wobble on top D (Humphrey’s own words), we are left in no doubt that here is a powerful tenor and mature interpreter of song.
Hugh Cutting’s performance of “Whither must I wander“ by Vaughan Williams combined power with poetry which, together with his later singing of the Britten, showed what a talent is in the making.
In such a talent-packed evening it is hard to single out performances, but Ben Etherton’s warm, powerful baritone in the Recitative and Aria from Mozart’s "Le Nozze di Figaro" was a special treat.
Henry Jenkinson gave us a glorious Broadway interpretation of Fauré and a very powerful “Blow, Blow thou Winter Wind”. Later in the evening Henry sang “Cry me a River” in an arrangement by Buble that rocked the rafters of the CMR.
Last on before the interval Robert Brooks gave an intense performance of Schubert lieder which again combined musical intuition with feel for the language. Robert’s use of different voices in “Erlkonig” certainly brought the tragedy to life. German speakers present were complimentary and after all of these performances the audience broke for interval with a sense that they were in very good hands.
The regular solo part of the evening concluded with another miniature recital as John Carter gave a flawless rendition of Vaughan Williams’ “Songs of Travel”, which were well suited to his bright tenor.
The last part of the evening was devoted to the not widely known Britten settings of Blake’s poetry taken from “Songs of Experience”, “Auguries of Innocence”, and “Proverbs of Hell”. This brave and unusual selection was confidently delivered by five alternating voices. The piece was hauntingly anchored by Lewis Spring singing the short but challenging proverbs preceding each poem.
The first and second poems (“London” and “The Chimney Sweeper”) were sung by Ben Etherton with a relaxation and purity of tone that was impressive given that these songs, originally written for the voice of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, lie high in the baritone range.
Poems three and six (“A Poison Tree” and “The Fly”) were sung by Humphrey Thompson, as he delivered a chilling performance that, so different from the earlier Handel duet, showed his versatility as a singer.
Hector Stinton sang the fourth piece, “The Tyger”, which was perhaps the best known of the poems performed. With a treble voice still just intact Hector rose to this responsibility, able to beautifully encapsulate a child’s wonder and fear at the terrible creature described.
Poem six (“Ah, Sun-Flower”) was sung by Hugh Cutting and again the power and control exhibited, from one not yet in upper school, promises much in concerts to come. The evening ended with Ben Etherton singing “Every night and every morn”, bringing beautifully and thought-provokingly to a close a memorable concert.
In closing perhaps a brief word about the audience which, as usual, included mostly parents and other family members. Also in attendance were Revd Henry Kirk and his wife and had there not been the conflict of a careers evening we would also have seen David Dawswell. These non-music department members of staff are regular attendees at music events: something that is noted and appreciated by boys and parents alike.
It would not be exaggerating to say some of the performances at the concert were at a professional standard – with free entrance! – and we should try and encourage a wider attendance. It continues to amaze that one school can produce such an array of talent.
David Brooks