Verdi's Requiem, Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale

DRAMA, pomp, passionate supplication and piety too - all in the hall of Queen Elizabeth School. The occasion was a performance of Verdi’s Requiem, given by the Eversley Choir, with soloists Emily Robinson, Sarah Jillian Cox, Christopher Steele and Alan Fairs, plus orchestra – all conducted by the choir’s musical director, Ian Jones.

The Requiem means a lot to us in these islands. In 1950, Bernard Shaw had the Libera Me played at his funeral, and in 1997 that same piece was used to bury Princess Diana. Most of us are familiar with parts of Requiem - the spine-chilling Dies Irae, the hushed magnificence of the soprano’s pianissimo high-octave leap in the Libera Me. But we rarely have a chance to experience the whole work live. Even in our part of the country, where there are so many concerts by so many choirs and orchestras, few dare to take on such a gigantic work. For one thing, the forces they involve are so large. But in Kirkby Lonsdale (with a repeat at Capernwray Hall), someone dared. And very good it was too - excellent soloists, choir, instrumentalists; over a hundred performers altogether - all led by the ‘man who dared,’ conductor Ian Jones. The playing and singing were of high quality. But such pieces depend for impact on building up a highly-charged emotional atmosphere, and this too was achieved.

Keith Johnson