to uphold and continually renew a proud tradition of choral singing
Newsletter Issue 25
These are being introduced to further enhance the performance standard of the choir; we will have slightly longer rehearsals and the attendance requirement to qualify for concerts is being increased.
Welcome to this Spring 2017 edition of our Newsletter.
Photo: David Ward
The concert platform at our April concert The Society is in a period of great excitement. The work of our new Choral Director, Gregory Batsleer, has already shown itself in the widely praised concert of Vaughan Williams and Walton in April. Rehearsals are energetic and taxing but also very rewarding. By the time that you read this, 75 members of the choir may well be on their way to Canada. The Society is taking part in two performances of Belshazzar’s Feast in Toronto at the end of Spring bank holiday week. We are singing jointly with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.
SPRING 2017
There will also be a concert of organ accompanied music where the two choirs will perform some items individually and others together. When we return in early June, rehearsals continue for our first visit to Gloucester Cathedral to perform Holst Hymn of Jesus and Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony as part of the Cheltenham Festival on 8 July. The conductor is our Music Director, Martyn Brabbins.
A third and somewhat controversial move is to change our regular rehearsal night from Friday to Tuesday. Although still a very large and powerful choir, membership has been falling slowly but steadily since the Millennium and it is felt that a midweek rehearsal night will be far more acceptable to potential new members. In this respect we are delighted to welcome Sue Wilde as our new Recruitment Officer, a position that has been vacant since the 2016 AGM. Sue has lots of ideas and has formed a team to help her – we look forward to her ideas coming to fruition and an increase in membership in the near future. Elsewhere in the Newsletter I am delighted that Gregory has agreed to contribute his thoughts on his first six months at the helm; our Archivist, Malcolm Hinchliffe previews our Autumn concert, Haydn The Creation, and all the other regular features. I hope you enjoy reading it. STEPHEN BROOK Editor
In consultation with Gregory, the Committee are making a number of changes to rehearsal practice.
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Our Choral Director, Gregory Batsleer, gives us his thoughts on his first months in charge of the choir. With my feet now firmly under the table as the new Choral Director of the Huddersfield Choral Society, I have to say how thoroughly energised and excited I am about what we can all achieve together. The Huddersfield Choral Society is a stellar choral brand with a reputation that travels the globe. Before taking the post I was of course aware of the choir’s recent activities through various colleagues but sadly hadn’t had a chance to hear the Choral live since singing with them as a Chorister with the Manchester Boys Choir. From the very first rehearsal we had together I have been overwhelmed by the collective desire to grow and develop. It was thrilling to hear once again the wonderful and famous Huddersfield Choral sound that has been at the core of our existence for generations. However, what has been so powerful and what has had the biggest impact on me so far is the profound sense that comes across from each member of just how much singing in general and singing in this group in particular means to you. When joining any ensemble as a new member, especially within a leadership capacity, a crucial first step is to be open and honest in one’s approach; it’s vital that all parties agree to learn from each other. Over the last eight months I have not only learnt an incredible amount about the Choral but also about music and I do hope this learning will continue to be at the centre of our work together. The British choral scene is unique; unlike anywhere else in the world its spine has been made up of groups like the Choral, amateur in the sense that not one of the singers is paid but professional in its performance and ambition. The Choral is an amazing organism with many fascinating strands and a membership base ranging from those who have been members for more than 50 years and those whose first concert was only a few weeks ago.
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This wealth and diversity of experience can only be a good thing as our experiences of the past must inform how we progress forward. The Huddersfield Choral Society’s reputation has grown over time for many reasons, none more important than its distinctive and recognisable sound; the impact of a large choir singing both fortissimo and, crucially, pianissimo is so powerful. One of my main priorities is to ensure this sound is maintained in a musical sense and can be heard for generations to come. Musically speaking there is a constant challenge for us is to ensure that the sound we are making is made in a healthy way, with good vocal technique. This is something we must constantly address and that will ultimately enable us to communicate and engage with all our audiences in the fullest and most powerful way. Also in order to ensure this sound is heard in the future it is paramount that all of us embrace new ideas and approaches to musicmaking, explore them and constantly challenge ourselves to be fresh in all we do, using our experience as a guide. One of the other stand-out features of the Huddersfield Choral Society and what makes it one of the finest independent choral ensembles in the world is the exciting and innovative programmes it performs with leading international orchestras, soloists and conductors. The combination of thrill, excitement and dedication that came from the platform in the recent concert was one I will not forget. What a wonderful first concert together it was, a really good marker of where we’re at now, but crucially a strong sign-post of the potential we have to grow even further. As I have said on various occasions, with great history and great traditions comes great responsibility. Responsibility to ensure that we actively contribute to our history not just bathe in it. Crucially we must contribute to it and continually re-create it with collective ambition and excitement. Choral singing in the UK has moved forward and changed very markedly in the last decade or so.
In my opinion we are in a very exciting period, with lots of exciting new ideas and initiatives coming forward, many of which have of course been inspired by the great tradition with which the Choral has been so rightly associated. But there is a growing swell and commitment, which we must join, to refresh and re-define the tradition. What does and will always remain at the centre is that the music, this thing, this entity we are so lucky to work with every week must never fail to move and to inspire. We must keep this value at our core and be ever reminded of its power. Further to this, it is a strong belief of mine that venerable ensembles such as ours have responsibilities to the communities whose name we bear. Naturally the shape, feel and size of our communities change and we must constantly search for new ways to engage them. What is so incredibly clear over my first few months of working with the Choral is that we have a golden opportunity to become pioneers. We are well placed and have a very real opportunity to become a leading example to other choral ensembles by showing how we can use our great history and tradition to create a new chapter in what choral societies are and how they can again become important cultural ambassadors in our society. I have felt incredibly at home working with the Choral over the last few months, the potential is huge and exciting. I am immensely grateful for the support given to me by Margaret, Jeremy and Mark who work tirelessly behind the scenes, but most of all I am grateful to the committed members who come every week to make music, learn and grow. Every time we finish rehearsing I leave completely excited and eager to meet again. We have so much glorious music-making to look forward to.
The Four Seasons Supper Club
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
A very successful first meeting of the Choral Supper Club was held at Guest Dining in Farnley Tyas on the 24th of January. 44 members of the Club attended and were served an excellent supper by Amanda Guest and her team. We were delightfully entertained by Colleen Brown, Rowena Burton, Margaret Collison, and Graham Fearnley and with Jean Collison playing the piano. Our thanks go to all of our wonderful performers and to choir member Ruth Bostock who so ably coordinated the entertainment.The next event is on Wednesday May10th and we will once again be at Guest Dining. Hopefully the sun will shine and we can have drinks on the lawn before dinner. This will be followed by a supper at Woodsome Hall Golf Club on November 1st. If you would like to join us then do contact Helen Marshall on 07718 746085 or email her at helenfenay@aol.com
Photo: Ruth Bostock
The performers at the Supper Club
IN THE LOOP
subscribers are welcome to arrive from 6.30pm. There is free car parking on site.
In this section we will aim to keep everyone up to date with the many facets of the Society’s work.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 14 July at 7.30pm in the Town Hall. All members, associate members and subscribers are welcome to attend, but only singing members may vote at the meeting.
CONCERTS Details of all our concerts up to Christmas, including our prestigious tour to Canada, are shown in the Diary section and have been covered in other sections of this newsletter. Subscribers should note however that due to scheduling difficulties with the Town Hall, the Autumn concert will be on a Thursday evening 26 October. No doubt the legendary HCS Christmas and Sticky Toffee Puddings will be on sale once more at concerts in the run up to the festive season. SUBSCRIBERS’ BALLOT The Ballot for Season Tickets will take place on Tuesday 20 June and will once again be held at Greenhead College. The ballot will commence promptly at 7pm,
SPRING CONCERT 2018 An advance notice about our Spring 2018 concert. The work to be performed is Elgar’s secular cantata Caractacus. We are delighted that this concert is going to be recorded for CD by the Hyperion label. It will be our first recording of a major choral work, with orchestra, since Messiah with Jane Glover in 2010. In order that there is time for a ‘patching session’ after the concert the performance will begin at 7pm. Our Music director, Martyn Brabbins will conduct.
The Society is deeply grateful to all our Partners, Sponsors and Patrons for the help that they give us to support our work in bringing high quality music making to our town, our country and occasionally the world. This season we are being supported by: CORPORATE PARTNERS University of Huddersfield Syngenta Fantastic Media Ramsdens LLP CORPORATE SPONSORS Country Classics (R.Gledhill & Sons) Inclusive Technology Ltd. Investec Wealth and Investment Ltd. Brewin Dolphin CANADA TOUR 2017 SPONSORS Neil & Judith Charlesworth Sandringham Financial Partners Thornhill Estates 1 Anonymous Donor SPONSORS – PERSONAL W. Currie & Friends Julie Kenny CBE Helen Marshall Jean Parker PATRONS Elizabeth Crowther OBE Mrs. Diana Franklin J. Donald Haywood DL Gerald and Christina Sutton Jane and Alan Pridmore Mrs. Betty Webb Richard Adkinson Wilkinson Building Supplies SS Components Brenda Mosley John and Ann Denham Neil and Judith Charlesworth PATRONS – HONORARY Joanne Harris MBE Dr. Ingrid Roscoe FSA Alan Titchmarsh MBE Sir John Tomlinson Dame Felicity Lott
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Top Opera stars link with Huddersfield Choral Dame Felicity Lott and Sir John Tomlinson become Society Patrons Huddersfield Choral Society enters the New Year with a welcome to new Honorary Patrons - British Opera stars Dame Felicity Lott and Sir John Tomlinson. The internationally renowned choir, one of the longestestablished choruses in Britain, starts 2017 under its new Director, Gregory Batsleer, with backing from two of Britain’s leading singers.
DO YOU REMEMBER ...-25 ? Friday 3 April 1992 The Dream of Gerontius - Elgar English Northern Philharmonia Jane Glover - Conductor Ann Murray - Mezzo Keith Lewis - Tenor David Wilson-Johnson - Bass
Dame Felicity Lott said “I am honoured to accept - I have very happy memories of singing with this great choir”. The “Choral” is also preparing for its first transatlantic tour for many years, with 3 concerts booked in Toronto in early June. Margaret Atkinson added “The tour - which has been supported by local sponsors - will help to reinforce the Society’s wider reputation. The Choral is one of Huddersfield’s most recognised “exports” and we are very pleased to be able to carry the flag for the town, and for Yorkshire”.
Chorus Master, Brian Kay, must have been especially pleased with the splendid work of the semi chorus. Simon Cargill in the Yorkshire Post commented… Tenor, Keith Lewis, with his fruity tone and approach to melodrama which recalls oratorio performances of yesteryear – is not above making Gerontius whine a bit (the character remains one of history’s great whingers).
Dame Felicity Lott
Photo: Robert Workman
Society President, Margaret Atkinson, says “2017 promises to be an exciting and challenging year for the Choral, and it is a great encouragement for us to have the support of such distinguished Patrons as Felicity Lott and John Tomlinson. Huddersfield has a long and proud choral tradition, but we aren’t resting on our laurels - and it’s wonderful to have the Society’s reputation recognised like this.”
Sir John Tomlinson, in accepting the position of honorary Patron, added “It is an honour for me to support such a great Choral Society, which makes music as I like it to be heard, with generous expressiveness, power and warmth”
Sir John Tomlinson
But the moment Huddersfield Choral open their mouths all that is forgotten. What a sound, full, firm, vibrant and always well supported – it is surely nearer to any heavenly host than Newman or Elgar could have imagined. The semi chorus was superb – their first Kyrie whispered out of nothing. Once again a vintage Huddersfield Choral prove they can upstage anyone.
Adrian Smith reporting for the Huddersfield Examiner stated... The chorus was in tremendous form. The fabric of the Town Hall has survived the impact of the climax to Praise to the Holiest many times, and did so again on this occasion – though only just I suspect. Photo: Selwyn Green
My notes simply say ‘Wow!’ The notorious problem of the Demons’ Chorus (do they snarl like demons or sing like musicians) was resolved by a masterly compromise.
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The semi chorus in Gerontius
Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs With all the changes at the Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs, you might have expected us to have had a relatively quiet year — but you’d be wrong! It’s safe to say that each section of the Youth Choirs has had a rollercoaster of a year since Alison North stepped in as Musical Director in September. Having gained several new members, and armed with a varied repertoire of both spritely and soulful music, the choirs have taken on challenge after challenge.
The Mrs Sunderland Festival was no small challenge to take on in the short time since September, and we will build on this success using the positive feedback we received for next year.
Our Christmas Cheer Concert, at St Stephen’s in Lindley, was Alison’s first as our Musical Director, and what a success it was. The choirs performed brilliantly to a sell-out audience, and really got everyone into the festive spirit. The Youth Choirs were given the opportunity to lend We always feel very privileged to be invited to their voices to a special performance of Handel’s sing with our parent choir, and the Huddersfield Messiah, sung by young people throughout the area, also including the Lindley Junior School Choir, Colne Choral Society Christmas Concert was no exception. Although Alison hadn’t spent much Valley Boys’ Choir and the University Chamber Choir. time with the choirs, she set some challenging This was a premier performance of a Youth Messiah in Kirklees, led by the acclaimed Mastersingers. pieces that showed what we’re made of. We’re excited to perform alongside our parent The performance was very well received and served as recognition of our members’ diverse array of choir again this December. musicianship and talent. See the videos on our To round the year off, the choirs performed Facebook page! at Shorehead Sainsbury’s, providing a Our springtime concert at All Hallows’ Church in fantastically festive accompaniment Almondbury was a great opportunity to showcase the for shoppers. diverse range of music the choirs have mastered in rehearsals, including a fantastic performance of ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ by our small but dedicated and rather brilliant men’s section.
All sections of the Youth Choirs entered to compete in the Mrs Sunderland Festival. They really pulled out all the stops with their enthusiastic performances, making us all very proud indeed. The Young Voices gained third place in the Junior Choir section, and second place in the Junior School Hymns or Sacred Song class. Vocalise and the Youth Choir also excelled in their performances, with Vocalise gaining a Distinction and the Youth Choir a Commended grade.
The Choirs are now working hard to prepare for our summer concert on July 2nd at Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield. Also, be sure to look out for selected members of the Youth Choir who will feature in CBBC’s ‘Creeped Out’ later in the year! The Youth Choirs have a lot of new and exciting opportunities to look forward to. Keep up with our shenanigans at www.huddersfieldchoralyouthchoirs.com 5
Haydn The Creation - Thursday 26 October 2017 Next October, after an absence of some 22 years, Haydn’s sublime oratorio The Creation makes a welcome return to our subscription concert series. Working with Baroque specialist Laurence Cummings - a conductor new to the Choral Society - we eagerly anticipate a fresh and vigorous approach to a work widely regarded as the crowning glory of Haydn’s later years. To discover the genesis of Haydn’s Creation, we need to go back to 1790, the year in which Haydn’s aristocratic patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, died. After some 30 years’ service to the Esterházy family, Haydn was at last free to take up an invitation to visit London, as the Prince’s son, Anton, had dismissed most of the Court musicians, only retaining Haydn’s nominal service. Departing for England in December 1790, the 58-year old composer began the first of two extended and financially lucrative visits to this country. Although he must have been familiar with some of Handel’s music, it was the overwhelming experience of hearing Messiah and Israel in Egypt performed at the Westminster Abbey Handel Festival of 1791 which inspired Haydn to plan a similar large-scale oratorio of his own. Returning from his second London visit in 1795, Haydn brought with him the libretto of an oratorio on the subject of the creation of the world, given to him by Johann Peter Salomon, the impresario and musician who had originally been responsible for
bringing Haydn to England. As Haydn spoke very little English, he enlisted the help of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an Austrian diplomat and enthusiastic patron of music, to produce a version in German suitable for his purpose (van Swieten had previously translated four Handelian libretti, including Messiah, commissioning Mozart to revise and ‘update’ them for performances in Vienna during the late 1780s). The (now-lost) original English libretto was based on the Biblical account of creation from the Book of Genesis and Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost: it may have been compiled by Charles Jennens, Messiah’s librettist, but there is no certainty about its authorship. The Baron’s abridged German translation even contained some musical suggestions on how Haydn might set the text - some of which he was happy to comply with! Most of the work was composed during 1797 and was premièred in semi-private performances in April and May of 1798, the first public performance taking place on 19th March 1799 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, its total success being perhaps the greatest triumph of Haydn’s life. For the score’s publication in 1800, with text in both German and English, van Swieten attempted to provide a reverse translation, using the familiar words of the King James Bible where possible, but occasionally his limited grasp of idiomatic English fails to make much sense at all - a challenge
This is the earliest Creation programme in our archive
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for our performance is whether or not to opt for textual changes from the familiar printed score or whether to do the (almost) unthinkable and sing it in German - we shall have to wait and see! An indication of Creation’s popularity during the 19th century is our own performance history: it was selected for the very first ‘Quarterly Meeting’ held at Spring Street Infant School on15th July 1836 and was repeated on at least 24 subsequent occasions during the first fifty years of the Society’s existence. However, from the late 19th century until well into the 20th, Haydn’s music in general was surprisingly neglected, until more recent scholarly re-assessments and the development of period performance practice has once again restored it to its rightful place at the pinnacle of Classical music. Haydn’s Creation is without question the greatest oratorio written in the period following Handel’s death, until Mendelssohn’s revival of the form with his St Paul (1836) and Elijah (1846), both of which have been heard at our autumn concerts during the last three years. Our listeners can look forward to a feast of Haydn’s most joyously descriptive and innovative writing for chorus, three soloists and large ‘classical’ orchestra - including that ‘heavy beast’ the double bassoon as it rudely ‘treads the ground’! Malcolm Hinchliffe
Taken at our last performance of Creation 10th June 1995
Friends of Huddersfield Choral Society John and Liz Jenkinson are members of HCS Friends. They were the lucky winners of the draw for a VIP guest evening at the Society’s Christmas concert last December. Here are their thoughts on their evening. Six years ago, my husband was scratching his head over my Christmas present when a brainwave hit him. Combining my love of choral music and our affection for the West Riding of Yorkshire, he gave me a ‘Friends of Huddersfield Choral Society’ subscription. We were fortunate enough to be allocated seats in the ballot that year and so also became subscribers. Since then we have travelled up from Sheffield for each concert and I have sat with a smile beaming from ear to ear as the most amazing music has enveloped us. We took advantage of the offer to Friends for advance purchase of tickets for the Annual Carol Concert and have revelled in each fantastic concert. This year, we applied as usual for tickets, but received a phone call from Cynthia Pratt to tell us that our cheque was being returned because our names had been pulled out in the draw for Friends to attend the concert as guests of the President. We had the most magical evening, being greeted by Cynthia and Nigel, taken through the grandeur of Huddersfield Town Hall to a pre-concert reception and meeting current and past officers of the Choral. We sat in the Lord Mayor’s box, received complimentary programmes and a goody bag, had drinks at the interval, learned more about the Choral and then a full supper afterwards. Everyone we met was so friendly and asked why we had become Friends – and then were interested in our answer. We can only thank the officers of the Choral for such a memorable evening and recommend to anyone that becoming a Friend of the Huddersfield Choral Society gives an opportunity for someone with no innate musical talent to become a part of this very special family.
DO YOU REMEMBER... – 40? Thursday 27 March 1977 Song of Destiny – Brahms Sea Drift - Delius Belshazzar’s Feast – Walton BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra John Pritchard - Conductor Donald Bell - Baritone Writing in the Huddersfield Examiner, Malcolm Cruise stated... Last night under the baton of Sir John Pritchard the Chorus were at their best. Douglas Robinson (Chorus Master) and lately Keith Rhodes have worked hard to produce such a glowing sound. They must have worked even harder to attain the levels of perfection, the clarity and astounding precision apparent from the chorus throughout the work. (Referring to Delius…) The chorus were at one with it, though perhaps there was some holding back in readiness for the Walton to come, and because of this there were occasional lapses in the normally excellent tone. Sydney Crowther in the Yorkshire Post stated... Last night the choir was able, once again, to excite our admiration with the almost athletic quality of singing which Walton demands. In contrast with this was the gentler poetic fantasy of Delius’ Sea Drift in which John Pritchard secured from the chorus fine colour textures.
Photo: David Ward
Mr and Mrs Jenkinson (left) as the President’s guests with Friends’ Secretary, Cynthia Pratt and her husband.
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Diary
Membership News
Sunday 28 May – Monday 5 June 2017 Canada Tour – Toronto Concerts on 2 and 3 June in Roy Thompson Hall to include Belshazzar’s Feast - Walton Concert on 4 June in Yorkminster Park Baptist Church to include music from the recent CD
New Members
Tuesday 20 June 2017 – Greenhead College – 7pm. Subscribers’ Ballot Sunday 2 July 2017 – Holy Trinity Parish Church – 3.30pm. HCS Youth Choirs – Summer Concert Saturday 8 July 2017 – Gloucester Cathedral - 7pm. Cheltenham Festival – Holst : Hymn of Jesus - Vaughan Williams : A Sea Symphony
We welcome two new members into the Society: Eleanor Culley – 2nd Soprano and Pavlena Jeffs – 2nd Contralto. We wish them both great success and enjoyment with the Society and hope that their stay with us will be a long and happy one.
Sad Farewells
Former President George Firth has passed away since the date of our last edition. I remember him as a quietly spoken and kindly gentleman. We pass on our condolences to his family and friends.
Long Service
The Society is deeply grateful to all those members who give of their talents over such long periods of time. They provide a firm foundation onto which those that are able to join us for only a few years can add their valuable contributions. Just one presentation in the past six months, to Chris Arnold on the wonderful achievement of 50 years’ service as a singing member. He is pictured receiving his silver salver from the President, Margaret Atkinson. In accepting the memento Chris spoke very warmly about his time in the choir and he continues to sing in the bass section.
The Salomon Orchestra : Cond. Martyn Brabbins Friday 14 July 2017 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.30pm. HCS Annual General Meeting Thursday 26 October 2017 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.30pm. HCS Autumn Concert – Haydn : The Creation Royal Northern Sinfonia : Cond. Lawrence Cummings Sunday 26 November 2017 HCS Youth Choirs – Family Christmas Concert Friday 8 December 2017 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.30pm. Photo: David Ward
HCS and HCS Youth Choirs – Christmas Concert – Black Dyke Band Saturday 16 December 2017 HCS Youth Choirs – Christmas Concert with Musica Colne Valley Orchestra Tuesday 19 December 2017 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.15pm. HCS Concert – Handel : Messiah (Season Tickets ) – Cond. Jane Glover Wednesday 20 December 2017 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.15pm. HCS Concert – Handel : Messiah – Cond. Jane Glover For confirmation and full details of all Youths Choirs concerts please check the HCS Youth Choirs website.
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Cutting down on paper and postage The Society is trying to reduce its costs, both monetarily and environmentally, by sending out fewer paper copies of the newsletter. If you would be willing to receive the newsletter by e-mail from now on, please send your name, address and category (ie Associate Member, Subscriber, Sponsor or Friend) to our editor, Stephen Brook @ stephen.brook1@ntlworld.com NB. If you have already informed us due to reading this in a previous edition, there is no need to get in touch again.