It is near impossible to overemphasise the dexterity of this piece . There truly is something for everyone – from haunting soprano lines to fast-paced canon and soft harmony – even if Britten isn ’ t usually your cup of Christmas cocoa .
Seeing as a live performance was off the table , the choir piled into St John the Baptist Church to record it on a very frosty winter afternoon . Unfortunately , churches are like big stone freezers .
We performed six of the 12 movements , starting with the processional ‘ Hodie Christus natus est ’. Likely to be a hit with the few but passionate fans of Gregorian chant and early music , it is a soaring soprano-driven piece , whose beauty is laid stark by its lack of accompaniment . Technically , this piece is an unforgiving opener which demands perfect intonation , timing and impeccable breath control . The rare silver lining of the pandemic and the resultant recording rather than performance meant we could handily sing this piece last on fully warmed-up voices .
‘ There is no Rose ’ is one of my favourites . It is full of gentle warmness that perfectly encapsulates the wonder of the birth of Jesus . Where to breathe was an issue in this piece as with so few to a part and the sustained ebb and flow of the music , any audible breaks would ruin the listening experience .
The following piece is a soprano solo , ‘ This yongë child ’. This is one for the Britten enthusiasts and I would seriously recommend Grace Hall ’ s brilliant performance , backed up by the incomparable Miss Wynne on harp .
Alex Hall ( also Upper Sixth ) made the brave decision to conduct us in ‘ Balulalow ’ ( or he was at least bravely coerced into doing so ). The Middle English presented a challenge as to whether something merited an alternative pronunciation or was just bad spelling . Praise also should go out to Caitlin Manchester for her spine-tingling solo verse .
After ‘ Balulalow ’, ‘ This Little Babe ’ is the musical equivalent of having an icy bucket of water chucked on you . As someone who has developed a generally low opinion of canons – as any cellist who ’ s played Pachelbel ’ s canon can attest – ‘ This Little Babe ’ is difficult , fast-paced and most importantly , interesting to sing . The staccato rhythms demonstrate how Christ has come to challenge Satan and certainly had the choir quaking in their boots .
This was finished up with my all-time favourite sung by the full choir : ‘ Deo Gracias ’, which is punchy , explosive and a perfect show-stopper .
Afterwards , we sang a few carols and were surprised by Mr Elzinga who turned up at the back of the hall with his daughters and joined in . It was such a lovely experience , despite the cold , and really made up for the loss of my final carol service , even if it was only a few of us in a nippy church .
Jess Downton , Upper Sixth
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