REVIEW: The Renaissance Choir of Emsworth

Their programme, featuring both sacred and secular music by Dutch Renaissance masters, was varied and interesting.

They began, unexpectedly, by singing from the back of the church, producing a haunting effect as the men sang a sustained pedal note, over which sopranos and altos sang plainsong like melodies. Later there was music ‘in the round’ as the singers encircled the audience, demonstrating the choir’s keen ear for ensemble and Peter Gambie’s clear direction.

Orlando di Lasso’s eight-part ‘Missa Osculetur me’ was the concert’s most substantial work, and sung with great verve and style. Only at around ‘et incarnatus, of the Credo’, was there a brief loss of momentum. In this work, and elsewhere, the sopranos coped well with a frequently high lying vocal line, producing a consistently blended and effortless sound.

Particularly memorable were the hushed opening to Lasso’s ‘Tristis est anima’, the unexpectedly choreographed and rhythmic ‘Vecchie letrose’ by Willaert, and a solo quartet singing Arcadelt’s ‘Il bianco e dolce cigno’.

The Monington Duo, Karen Kingsley (piano) and Robert Blanken (clarinet) provided stylish instrumental interludes. I especially enjoyed Boer’s ‘Nocturne’, its melismatic clarinet line providing a well-judged segue from the preceding Renaissance polyphony.