Bath Bach Choir.qxp_Layout 1 25/11/2021 12:14 Page 1
MUSIC
Choral notes
Nigel Perrin, musical director of the Bath Bach Choir, talks choral music, conducting, music venues, and appealing to a contemporary audience, ahead of the choir’s performance of Carols by Candlelight at the Pump Room
Y
ou have been musical director of the Bath Bach Choir since 1990. How do you look back on those years? When I was invited to become musical director of the City of Bath Bach Choir, as it was called then, I was relatively inexperienced as a conductor. I had been earning my living as the high voice of the King’s Singers until the early 1980s, and then I founded my chamber choir, Bath Camerata, and was teaching singing at Marlborough College and then Wells Cathedral School. Taking on the role of directing a well-established choral society was a perfect fit in my new ‘portfolio career’. I had never conducted a full orchestra, but I learnt quickly and loved it; it was more rewarding being creative with the music than being anxious about my voice holding up, and in many ways it was the start of me stepping into my true self as a musician.
“I consider myself a sculptor, creating and shaping sounds”
Has the choir changed in character over this period? Indeed it has! In my early days, the atmosphere at rehearsals was rather serious and formal. When we got to the break in my first-ever rehearsal there was total silence. The atmosphere is more sociable and relaxed nowadays – in fact the coffee break would go on until the end of the rehearsal if I let it! There are some firm friendships within the choir and a wonderful open attitude to welcoming newcomers, who always receive a round of applause when they’re first introduced. We’ve gradually raised the standard over the years, with a lot of focus on vocal technique and building performance skills. So the choir is capable of giving a fine performance across a wide range of musical styles – and it has an amazing heart when it comes to working together to achieve the best possible result. It sounds as if choral music is your world. When did you first fall in love with this type of music? I suppose you could say aged seven when my mother made me go into the cold front room and practise singing Panis Angelicus so I could audition for a chorister’s scholarship to Ely Cathedral. I loved being a chorister in that amazing Norman architecture; and besides sport, singing was my main talent. What is the challenge of the conductor’s art, when did you first conduct, and do you have an individual conducting style? I have never had a single conducting lesson! I consider myself a sculptor, creating and shaping sounds. It’s mostly about communicating what you want from your singers; what you do with your hands is obviously very important and I also communicate through my face, in fact my whole body. People say I am expressive and detailed as a conductor, and I’m also passionate about performance. There is nothing worse for an audience than looking at miserable faces or the tops of people’s heads as they stare into their music… the singers really need to be able to communicate. How big is the choir and what is the balance of voices? The choir has around 85 members. People move on for different reasons, and I regularly audition new singers. Like most choirs we have more female singers than male, but men’s voices tend to be stronger, so we can maintain an effective balance – though I might consider importing some deep basses when singing Rachmaninov! How much time do the choir members need to dedicate? We rehearse together once a week for two hours, but singers are expected to do homework and learn the notes before coming to rehearsals. We perform at least three major concerts a year, plus three or more carol concerts at Christmas time, plus we are often asked to help out within the community. It is certainly quite a commitment, but then the more you put in the more you get out. 44 TheBATHMagazine
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DeceMber 2021
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issue 226
Nigel Perrin (left) in his days singing for The King’s Singers
How does the auditioning process work? Although I do my best to make it a relaxed affair, singers are often nervous and don’t sing their best. After all, they are rarely solo-level singers. They are asked to sing something simple unaccompanied – perhaps a couple of hymn verses – so that I can get a sense of their voice, and then try a piece of sightreading. Being able to read music is essential, but I’m more interested in how quickly they pick something up. I also try to assess will their voice blend well; will they help with the myriad jobs involved in running the choir; how strong is their commitment likely to be, and so on. What process do you use to make your musical selections? Balance and variety are everything. If you do too much easy repertoire the choir can lose its edge and colour; occasionally doing really ambitious pieces stretches the singers and brings out the best in them, but it is also satisfying to go back to an old favourite knowing that you can sing it beautifully. I decide most of the programming, but our repertoire is discussed by the committee, and sometimes a particular venue can influence our choice. Unaccompanied Renaissance music sounds wonderful in somewhere like Prior Park Chapel or Malmesbury Abbey; whereas you might choose a more jazzy programme for Wiltshire Music Centre, and save your big orchestral occasions – Bach, Mozart, Dvorak – for the wondrous setting of Bath Abbey.
