Requiem, Ulverston Parish Church
Furness Bach Choir deserves the highest praise for its performance of the Requiems by Victoria and Duruflé. That they can sing so well in two very different works says much for the training they receive from their conductor Anthony Milledge. The calm beauty of the six-part Victoria work was sheer delight for the listener. In contrast, the 1945 composition by Duruflé was full of drama, with sudden outbursts by the choir at full power interspersed with periods of quiet reflection. The Pie Jesu was beautifully sung by Cathy Styles, with the cello obbligato played by Catriona Moore, and Ron Eadington sang the very demanding baritone solos with conviction. Duruflé was a brilliant organist, and the organ accompaniment in the Requiem is notoriously difficult, but Colin Dean played it superbly.
The tranquil beauty of the Victoria and the emotional intensity of the Duruflé made this a memorable concert. It was remarkable that the choir could adjust so readily to the different styles of music, even changing the pronunciation of the Latin words to suit the two compositions.
Congratulations to the choir and its conductor.
Alan Bolt
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