Woking Choral Society review - Salieri, Mozart, Hummel, Haydn

Woking Choral resuscitates Salieri!

Antonio Salieri, a name largely ignored by the world of music, and remembered only as “the man who poisoned Mozart”, was the opening composer in Woking Choral Society’s concert “Sounds Classical” at H.G. Wells on Saturday June 25th. His Coronation Te Deum, composed in 1791 for the Coronation of King Leopold II of Bohemia, was rapturously received by an appreciative audience. His reputation as Mozart’s nemesis is now disproven , built upon rumour and the intense rivalry between the Italian and German schools of music, and given impetus by Peter Schaffer’s play Amadeus and the Oscar-winning 1984 film based upon it. He was immensely talented and a wonderful vocal and compositional teacher, counting Beethoven and Liszt amongst his pupils. Woking’s music lovers were given a rare chance to hear for themselves the real musicality of a great classical composer.
Another rarely-performed composer, Johann Hummel was also highlighted with the choir’s performance of his Mass in B flat, which ended the concert. Again, it was highly appreciated by the audience. Paul Blagbrough commented “… it was beautifully melodic and sung with good diction”, while two young music lovers David (14) and Helen (13) were particularly effusive; “...the choir sang together as one. Everything was sung with so much enthusiasm that it was hard not to be excited. You really noticed that in the Gloria and Sanctus sections of the Hummel”. Carolina said “Thanks to Woking Choral Society. We have had a fantastic opportunity to experience a very different type of music…”.
Also in the programme, sandwiched between these two “forgotten” composers, was a lively performance of Haydn’s Symphony No.82 The Bear, by the Bartholdy Chamber Orchestra and a sensitive rendition by the choir of Mozart’s exquisite little motet Ave verum corpus; just 46 bars in length, but perhaps more than any other work, personifying the true genius of Mozart; a tiny sparkling gem of polished perfection.
This was the third concert by the choir’s young Musical Director, Ben Palmer, who brought together some of London’s finest young musicians to form the Bartholdy Chamber Orchestra, now Woking Choral Society’s regular orchestra.
December 3rd is the date for the next concert – the eagerly awaited, epic oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn, always a tremendously popular item in the choral repertoire.