Garleton Singers: Spring Concert

St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington,  29/3/26

 Garleton Singers & Orchestra; Stephen Doughty (conductor), Alison McNeill (soprano), Ruby Ginoris (mezzo-soprano), Eden Devaney (tenor), Phil Gault (baritone)

Haddington-based choral group the Garleton Singers presented the second of two performances of their 2026 Spring Concert on the night of 29th March in St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington.  Music Director Stephen Doughty conducted choir and orchestra in a programme of three pieces.  The headline work, Haydn's ‘Stabat Mater’ was after the interval.  In the first half, Brahms' ‘Schicksalslied’ (The Song of Destiny) was preceded by the world premiere of 2 songs from ‘The Never Withering Rose’ by Finnish singer, orchestra and choral conductor, composer, arranger and violinist Johanna Almark.  Attendance was very satisfactory.  The quality of the Garleton printed programmes was, as ever, excellent (with the added bonus that no lights were dimmed, so they were legible).  Stephen introduced the programme with his usual whimsical humour. 

‘The Never Withering Rose’ is a work-in-progress, drawing inspiration from holy women throughout the ages, including Hildegard von Bingen, St Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich, Caterina da Siena, Teresa de Àvila, Jeanne d’Arc and Thérèse de Lisieux, as well as modern visionaries like Greek-Egyptian mystic Vassula Rydén (who wrote in English) and Finno-Swedish poet Eva-Stina Byggmästar.  The completed piece will premiere in August in a version for chamber choir and solo cello, with choreography for two dancers.  A version scored for chamber orchestra will follow.  The two songs that we heard had their fully-worked chamber orchestra accompaniment, with strings, timpani, and very evocative use of cor anglais and horn.  The text of the first song, ‘Vassula’s Dream’, was in two parts: a Latin tercet from Hildegard bemoaning environmental decline after the initial flourishing of Eden, answered by a verse from Vassula (in English) prophesying the rebirth of Nature (perfect for a Spring Concert).  A cor anglais solo emulated Hildegard’s own 12th century plainchant, joined by vocables and then words in women’s voices.  Horn, low strings and men’s voices joined the texture.  For the Vassula text, a purposeful confident forward-moving metre was established, leading to warmly declarative, hopeful full-choir singing and vibrant string-writing evocative of running streams.  A hesitant entry of male voices did not derail the climax.  A timpani roll and cadenza bridged, via scampering pizzicato on cellos and double bass, and another cor anglais solo, attacca to the second song.  ‘Jeanne!’, verses in French addressed by 19th century nun Thérèse de Lisieux to 15th century Joan of Arc in her dungeon awaiting execution, affirmed that the Resurrection gives precious meaning to suffering and death.  In 3 with vigorous triplets, the initial mood was furtive and anxious.  After a conversation between solo viola and cor anglais (during which the choir swayed), the chorus returned in a more consolatory mood.  The pizzicato lower strings coda was finally at peace.  Whilst no awards for French diction might be mooted, the singing accorded great advocacy to Almark’s engaging music.  The two beautifully constructed songs themed on rebirth were an excellent choice of opener for a spring concert and, lest I leave it unsaid, is it not truly remarkable that an amateur choir is tackling world premieres under the baton of the Director of the RSNO Chorus?

In November 2024, I attended a performance of Brahms’ ‘Ein Deutsches Requiem’ by the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union and the Edinburgh Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, in which the ‘orchestra’ was an arrangement for chamber nonet with no brass.  The absence of a horn in ‘Denn alles Fleisch’ was sorely felt.  I was therefore nothing short of delighted to discover that the ‘orchestra’ in Haddington had every line in the score catered for, bar one each of flutes and trumpets, for the ‘Schicksalslied’.  The 3-3-2-2-1 line-up for the strings did present a challenge for achieving the full romantic string ensemble sound, but it was still very definitely Brahms, and there was enough to remind me of why the ‘Schicksalslied’ remains one of my favourite pieces of music.  And we did have a chorale of 3 trombones, for which Gott sei Dank. To my string player’s ear, the principal oboe’s instrument was not fully chambré when the orchestra tuned, and his A was not steady, which was another challenge for the strings, for the most part surmounted.  The softly idyllic orchestral introduction set the mood for the women’s voices, joined by men’s.  A beautiful picture of the charmed existence of celestial beings was painted.  The choral sound was delicious and it was evident that the choir relished the opportunity to perform the work.  A change of key and running strings introduced the contrasted stormy troubled world of human suffering and strife.  Fabulously graphic, the music raged for a bit before subsiding in benumbed acceptance of gloomy fate.  It was left to the orchestra to revisit the mood of the introduction, older and wiser, with bittersweet wistfulness.  The German diction was excellent and further evidence that the choir had taken Brahms’ masterpiece to their hearts. There is no doubt in my mind that they would make a great job of ‘Ein Deutsches Requiem’ (hint ...).

Joseph Haydn's 1767 setting of the ‘Stabat Mater’ sequence, for SATB soloists, mixed choir and an orchestra of oboes, strings and continuo, was re-orchestrated (with Haydn’s approval) in 1803 by Sigismund Neukomm, adding flutes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, horns and timpani, and it was the beefed-up version we heard (bar second flute and second trumpet).  Our soloists comprised soprano (also conductor, writer and fiddler) Alison McNeill (memorable in City of Glasgow Chorus’ Bach ‘Magnificat’ and Vivaldi ‘Gloria’ two years ago), mezzo Ruby Ginoris (nice soprano solo in ‘How can I keep from singing?’ at the RSNO Chorus A Cappella programme 3 years ago), tenor Eden Devaney (RCS graduate studying for his Masters at RNCM and on contract to the Chorus of Scottish Opera), and Welsh-Irish baritone Phil Gault (Bearsden Choir ‘Carmina Burana’ in November, City of Glasgow Chorus’ Haydn’s Creation’ in June and Bach ‘Magnificat’ two years ago, not forgetting last year’s Spring Concert of the Garleton Singers).  Through 14 numbers arranged like an oratorio with arias, choruses, duets and even a quartet, starting with a description of the unbearable grief of Christ’s mother standing at the foot of the cross, the music visits empathy, willingness to share the burden of emotional and physical pain and repentance, to the radiant hope of sharing in salvation delivered by the Resurrection.  It is all top-drawer Haydn and, despite the tragic subject matter, by no means all doom-and-gloom, with some beautiful Haydn melodies in major keys.  A case in point is the empathetic second number in E-flat major, a delicate alto solo from Ruby ‘O quam tristis et afflicta’ with what I was certain were comments from an oboe d’amore (but on reflection was probably a cor anglais higher in its register).  Whatever, it was gorgeous.  We were back to the same warm radiant key in the 10th number, ‘Virgo virginum praeclara’, all 4 soloists and choir deliciously and ingeniously contrapuntal in the guise of a symphonic minuet movement.  Alison’s first solo was the 4th number, in F major, ‘Quis non posset contristari?’, quite operatic with super coloratura, subtle ornamentation and a rather special cadenza.  Phil was entrusted with some melodrama with trumpet and timpani in the contrite ‘Pro peccatis suae gentis’ (No. 5 in F major) and the stormy fearful ‘Flammis orci ne succendar’ (No. 11 in C minor), and he repaid that trust with interest – scrumptious.  The 8th number, a measured but resolute marching duet for soprano and tenor with walking bass, ‘Sancta Mater, istud agas’, was in B-flat major, offering to share the burden and the pain, and featured exquisite ornamentation from Alison and a sweet cadenza with the two in harmony.  No. 12, the tenor solo ‘Fac me cruce custodiri’, exuded confident faithfulness in a march-like tread in C major.  Most of the choruses muse contrapuntally in minor keys about the tragic context, but when the sun comes out for the choir, in the final number ‘Paradisi gloria’ with the soloists joining in, it bursts through the skies with supreme joy in G major.  What a super piece Haydn’s ‘Stabat Mater’ is.  It deserves to regain a securer place in the repertoire.  Kudos to the Garleton Singers, their Music Director and guest soloists for a sterling job of advocacy.  Full marks from me.