ON Saturday, June 17, the summer concert of Wokingham Choral Society was performed as the inaugural event in the extensively refurbished interior of All Saints Church in Wiltshire Road,where the pews have been removed to create a more spacious, flexible floor plan.
The programme consisted of a generous offering of favourite opera and musical choruses performed with assurance before an appreciative capacity audience.
Each piece was skilfully introduced by the Society’s musical director, Cathal Garvey.
The choir was equally at home with the operatic repertoire, including works by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini, as with the world of the musical, including medleys from Oliver, South Pacific, Carousel and Mack the Knife.
The contribution on the piano of the Society’s accompanist, George de Voil, was truly spectacular and the rich voice and expressiveness of the soprano soloist, Anita Watson, completed an immensely satisfying evening.
For this reviewer, highlights included the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, the Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana and Summertime from Porgy and Bess.
The bar has been set high for future concerts beginning with a programme of works by Haydn and Beethoven in The Great Hall, Reading University, on Saturday, November 18.
RJE
