On April 3rd Chagford Singers? supporters gave their accolade to the group?s new musical director Christopher Fletcher.
The parish church was virtually full to capacity and those who had braved the storm were well rewarded.
Christopher Fletcher had taken over the Singers at the point where the choir, under his predecessor Ron Smith, had scaled new heights with their Mozart?s ?Requiem?, a very hard act to follow. Wisely this programme was a varied one, attracting a wide audience of differing tastes and preventing any complacency among the group?s members.
The new director?s conducting was a joy to watch, and one sensed the rapport he has already established with the group.
From the very start the ladies sang with lusty commitment, but his ability to whip all the voices into tightly disciplined ensemble singing was shown by the superb choral fortissimo entry in ?Zadok the Priest?.
The second half of the concert was particularly impressive. Mendelssohn?s ?Hear My Prayer? was sung in its original German. Both choir and audience came to the work afresh, without a trace of schmalz. Guest soprano soloist Dawn Felton with her rich voice showed perfect timing, pitch and control. The voices of soloist and choir rose up to dramatic high spots highlighted by the contrast of the tenderest of passages.
A moving piece by Faure was followed by the set of Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams. Guest baritone Stephen Foulkes sang with the authority of the true professional, establishing an almost conversational relationship with the audience.
The concert closed with Parry?s famous ?I Was Glad ...? but this also flowered anew because of the choir?s total conviction and the varying dynamic of Christopher Fletcher?s conducting.
Finally, one must praise the organist Jason Smart who played with a sensitive precision throughout, but especially in the Vivaldi, where Chagford?s church organ produced notes delicate as dewdrops on gossamer!