WHEN a choir as brilliant and well-established as The Sixteen step on to the stage, it is evident we are witnessing experts at work.
Everything about this year's Christmas offering was flawless. The varied programme of Poulenc, Britten and medieval carols showcased the choir's exquisite sound, the type that draws you in, hanging on every beautifully placed syllable and warm tone.
Despite being only 20 singers, the choir filled the vast stage with clever staging, utilising every corner and at times venturing into the audience and up to the choir stalls. Harry Christopher's directing and programming continue to demonstrate how his enthusiasm for this music translates into enigmatic and unforgettable performances.
The Poulenc numbers were luxurious, with the austere, close harmonies controlled delicately by the choir. The opening set of four songs for male voices were sombre and prayerful, yet somehow brilliantly uplifting. The four Christmas motets were each given their own distinct character, with the soaring sopranos in the Magnum Mysterium, and the fluctuating harmonic movement in the second motet.
Interspersed through the Poulenc was a selection of medieval carols which were historically informed as a celebration of that period.
The songs were jubilant, and the rhythmic percussion accompaniment kept the music flowing where it could have lost momentum. Especially poignant was the lullaby for solo soprano, sung with a comforting and consoling simplicity. Britten's Ceremony of Carols was performed impeccably, capturing both the triumphant Christmas joy and the peaceful, spiritual contemplation that comes with it.
The most memorable piece was, of course, the Shepherd's Carol, which saw four singers serenading audience members, providing some light humour and comedy amidst a seriously sophisticated choral indulgence.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article