NYCOS 30th Anniversary Gala: Carmina Burana
Usher Hall, 13/9/26
National Youth Choir of Scotland
Children's Chorus: National Boys Choir, National Boys Training Choir, National Girls Training Choir
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Bell conductor
Emma Morwood soprano, Joseph Doody tenor, Paul Grant baritone
This Gala Concert in an Usher Hall packed with parents, siblings, alumni and an admiring public is the culmination of NYCOS's 30th anniversary celebrations. As their founder and conductor Christopher Bell explains, their origins lay in the reorganisation of local government, and the provision of European funding in the mid-1990’s. Following the demise of Regional Councils, Scotland's two large regional youth choirs were untenable; at the same time Europe was prepared to provide grants for youth musicians but only when a country had a youth orchestra and a youth choir. What happened next is documented in the programme, the website and in the memories of many in the audience – my own are of NYCOS's two 2024 EIF concerts, the opening night 'Passion of St Mark' with the RSNO and the Venezuelan Schola Cantorum and 'Fire in my Mouth' by Julia Wolfe, commemorating young women killed in a New York garment-factory fire.
Scottish premieres of two modern works open the programme. First Jay Capperauld's 'The World' an unaccompanied setting of words by Niall Campbell, responding to two lines of R L Stevenson, “The world is so full of a number of things/I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings”. I've been impressed by Capperauld's melodic and inventive word settings for singers, most recently his 'Language of Eden' for SCO Chorus and Roderick Williams. What begins as a random list of things with “a seedling or a cherry stone” grows into the list of experiences which link people together in love. The work begins simply in a four part setting, with some Scotch snap rhythms, before elaborating into more intricate parts and echoes.
Jonathan Dove also writes well for the voice – 'Uprising', his “climate change” opera for community choirs an outstanding RSNO concert. He has recently orchestrated 'The Passing of the Year' originally written as an a capella piece. Poems by Blake, Emily Dickinson, George Peele and Thomas Nashe take us from Spring to the New Year - Tennyson's 'Ring Out Wild Bells.' Emily Dickenson's characteristic short lines in 'Answer July' encourage the choir's to-and-fro of questions and answers, while the orchestra adds a trombone, cymbals, a side drum and maracas to the final verse. Choral dissonance and swooping create the spooky “black shades” in George Peele's 'Hot Sun Cool Fire'. Tennyson's bell-ringing moves on from universal tragedies to hope for the future - “Ring in Thousand Years of Peace” -as the resounding choir and orchestral brass testify.
Carl Orff chose 25 texts from a medieval manuscript in Latin, old German and old French as the basis for his hour long cantata. Though it lacks the challenges of some classical and contemporary music – polyphony and discordance, for instance, are largely lacking - it needs precision, and the ability to change rhythm, volume and mood in a split second. None of these is easy in a large group of singers but all of these well-rehearsed attributes are present throughout the performance both in the Choir and in their Children's Chorus. Christopher Bell sweeps us into 'O Fortuna'. The opening chorus is a microcosm of the work: stirring opening, insistent rhythm, restrained staccato singing, then the change to a faster and louder sections, with gong, bass drum and timpani up to the shouted conclusion. All that in under a minute!
We hear more of this style throughout the work. 'Ecce Gratum' in the next section, 'Spring' starts with slow unison choir, changing to a noisy race to the finish of each verse, with ringing percussion of all kinds. But there's quieter music too. 'Spring' also contains two mysterious plain-chant inspired songs, one for choir, one for Paul Grant the baritone soloist, an NYCOS alumnus. Both have the loose rhythm of the church music, with sparse accompaniment including pianos, violas and the high notes of a piccolo.
Paul Grant brings energy to his drinking song at the beginning of 'The Tavern' followed by the cantata's most eccentric appearance, the roasted cygnet. Tenor Joseph Doody slinks past the orchestra dressed in a cream suit like the swan he used to be. His sad air is accompanied by a solo bassoon, and the male chorus and trumpet commiserate in the refrain. Doody acts well and has a lovely high tenor (Rossini and Donizetti roles await). A nice interlude, until he's frightened off the stage. Splendid diction is supplied by the male singers in their longest number 'In Taberna Quando Sumus'. which gets faster and faster as list of the occasions for drink and alcohol's participants becomes more expansive. The orchestra meanwhile has a ball, contributing suitably rude and raucous sounds.
The mood changes in 'The Court of Love'. The Children's Chorus and soprano Emma Morwood sing about the god of love – the children taking the part of Cupid, innocent with a hint of mischief. Emma Morwood has a versatile soprano, showing her lyricism here and in the beautiful aria 'In Trutina'. Baritone Paul Grant has a harder sing in this section: he leads the male singers in rousing praise of women's beauty but finds difficulty in the tricky ‘Dies Nox' with its demands for singing in a higher register.
Choirs and soloists come together in the final big chorus 'Tempus est Iocundum'. Accompanied only by two pianos, and much percussion, including castanets and hand rung bells, baritone and Choir briskly alternate lines of joyous frivolity, and contrast with folk-like refrains for Childrens' Chorus and soprano, which begin ponderously and then speed up like Brahms' Hungarian Dances. Then Emma Morwood shows off her colaratura powers in the Dulcissime coda. Wows all round!
A standing ovation begins almost as soon as the music stops. A wonderful performance by everyone and a fitting celebration for the Choir's 30th Birthday. A quibble – the A4 programme looks terrific and is informative. But the lights were dimmed- maybe less so for 'Carmina Burana' - and the opportunity to follow three interesting librettos was lost.
