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| Saturday 19th March 2005, 7.30pm | |
| Handel (arr. Mozart) - The Messiah | St Michaels |
| Season 70, Concert 3 | |
| Reviews |
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The Watford Observer - Friday, March 25th 2005 Triumphant Oratorio Watford Philharmonic's first complete performance of Handel's Messiah in a decade proved an exhilarating experience, even in slightly cramped conditions. Easter wouldn't be Easter without attending a performance of Handel's Messiah. It is hard to believe that Watford Philharmonic has not performed this oratorio in its entirety for more than ten years; however, the society made up for this on Saturday, March 19. Interestingly, this version was arranged by Mozart for a Viennese audience. To be honest, this is no big deal, as there is no definitive version of this work and performances vary from those with a small choir and orchestra to the vast extravagant orchestrations of comparatively recent years, vide Sir Thomas Beecham. That being said, this version provided additional orchestration with enhanced parts for woodwind and brass, making enjoyable listening. The harpsichord was still used for continuo. The closure of the Colosseum has forced the "Phil" to seek other venues and St Michael's Church, although spacious, was not totally ideal as the choir was largely hidden from view and appeared to be singing in a tunnel rather than in the familiar format. Full marks to all concerned for overcoming difficulties, from conductor Stuart Dunlop to distant choristers, administrators and drivers for the minibuses ferrying people to and fro. The young, attractive soloists were Charlotte Kinder, soprano; Catrin Johnsson, mezzo-soprano; Julian Alexander Smith, tenor and Martin Robson, bass. Some of the more florid items, usually assigned to the chorus, were here given to the soloists, a reflection of musical life of the period. There was a palpable sense that the audience would have burst into applause after the movingly beautiful "For unto us a child is born", but we in the audience managed to restrain ourselves. Similarly "He shall feed his flock" and "I know that my Redeemer liveth", beautifully sung by Charlotte Kinder. The wonderful Hallelujah Chorus swept us along and I thought the audience may have reverted to tradition and stood, but this was not to be. "The Trumpet Shall Sound" was interesting as Mozart gave equal prominence to the horn. The duet "O death, where is they sting?" had a beautiful accompaniment from cello and viola. The final "Amen" lingered a while and brought the concert to an exhilarating and triumphant ending. by Wendy Keeling Taylor |
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Watford Phil moves to a new home to stage the Messiah Undaunted by the recent and, hopefully, temporary closure of the Watford Colosseum, Watford Philharmonic Society has transferred the remaining two concerts of its season to St Michael and All Angels Church, Durban Road/Mildred Avenue, Watford WD18 7DS, just a few hundred yards from the Colosseum. Here we have been most warmly welcomed, and the church, although smaller than the Colosseum – how could it not be? – is spacious and airy, with good acoustics, and thus very well suited to the performance of classical choral and orchestral music. The Society’s next concert, on Saturday, 19th March, which is the evening before Palm Sunday, will be devoted to a performance of a favourite piece, Handel’s Messiah, but with a difference, as we shall be using the version edited by Mozart, which uses a more extensive orchestra than that originally scored by Handel. The soloists are Charlotte Kinder, soprano, Catrin Johnsson, mezzo–soprano, Julian Alexander Smith, tenor, and Martin Robson, bass, and the harpsichord continuo will be provided by John Winter, all under the baton of our resident conductor, Stuart Dunlop. We hope that on this occasion our loyal audience will be supplemented by many others in the community who would like to hear this well-known work, in the less-frequently performed Mozart version, in such an appropriate setting. The concert begins at 7.30 pm. As an added encouragement to our audience, we have arranged a free Park and Ride service from the car park of Watford Grammar School for Boys, which is just 500 yards away. This service will operate from 6.45 pm to 7.30 pm, to take people to the church, and again, from 10.15 pm to 10.45 pm, to get them back to their cars. Tickets, priced at £10.50 and £12.50, with children half price, can be obtained from members of Watford Philharmonic Society, or by telephoning our Ticket Secretary. Subject to availability, tickets may also be on sale at the door on the night of the performance. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please note the venue for this concert will be St Michael's Church in West Watford. |
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Charlotte Kinder (soprano)
Her operatic engagements have included Frasquita Carmen for Welsh National Opera, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for Diva Opera, Carolina Il matrimonio segreto for Les Azuriales Opera Festival, Gretel Hänsel und Gretel and Karolka Jenůfa for Opera North, Pamina Die Zauberflöte for Longborough Festival Opera, Suor Genovieffa Suor Angelica for the Bochum Symphony Orchestra and Adele Die Fledermaus for English Touring Opera. Her repertoire further includes Helena A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Vixen The Cunning Little Vixen and Sophie Der Rosenkavalier. Her concert performances have included the J. S. Bach Magnificat, Fauré Requiem, Handel Messiah and Samson, The Creation, Mozart Mass in C Minor, Regina coeli and Requiem and Orff Carmina Burana as well as an Opera Gala with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Her recordings include Britten The Company of Heaven, Cinema Choral Classics and The Lord of the Rings for Silva Screen Records. Current engagements include further performances as Carolina Il matrimonio segreto for Les Azuriales Opera Festival, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Project and Pamina Die Zauberflöte for Diva Opera. “Charlotte Kinder provided some gloriously tender singing, on especially impressive form and providing added piquancy to her role as Carolina.” “Charlotte Kinder and Katia Dragojevic sang very prettily in the title roles.” “…the sheepish fiancée of Karolka, Charlotte Kinder, was excellent.” “Charlotte Kinder (Susanna) has grace and feminine charm as well as a warm, round voice.” “Kinder looks scrumptious and has a lovely voice as Adele…her potential is limitless.” “…rising soprano Charlotte Kinder as a ravishingly pretty Adele sings a Laughing Song to die for.”
Catrin Johnsson (mezzo-soprano)
Her other awards have included the Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize, the Flora Nielsen Prize, the Michael Head Prize, the Katie Thomas Prize, the Major van Someren Godfrey Prize for English Song and the Minnie Hauk Prize. She has undertaken Masterclasses with Barbara Bonney, Diane Forlano, Sir Thomas Allen, Graham Johnson and Ragnar Ulfung and furthered her studies with Jacqueline Bremer, Anne Howells, Britta Sundberg and David Harper. Since graduating, her operatic engagements have included Adelberto Ottone and Idelberto Lotario at the London Handel Festival, Dorabella Così fan tutte and Nicklausse Les contes d’Hoffmann with Diva Opera and, most recently, a highly acclaimed Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro with English Touring Opera. Her repertoire further includes Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Siebel Faust, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Annio La clemenza di Tito and Dido Dido and Aeneas. Catrin Johnsson’s concert engagements have included L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with Emma Kirkby at St George’s, Hanover Square, Grieg Haugtussa at St John’s, Smith Square, with Malcolm Martineau and a Concert Tour of New Zealand with Rachel Fuller. Her concert repertoire further includes J. S. Bach Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew Passion, Duruflé, Fauré and Mozart Requiems and Ravel Schéhérazade. “For me it was the Adelberto of Catrin Johnsson who took the honours. Displaying a quite awesome stage-presence from her very first phrase, she is the type of singer who I can imagine dominating the trouser-role repertoire in a few years. A truly captivating performance that reminded me of the fabulous Emma Bell who graduated from the same stable a couple of years ago.” “The show was all but stolen by Catrin Johnsson’s delicious Cherubino, her unsettling androgyny enhanced by the beginnings of a moustache. And she sang beautifully as well.” “Catrin Johnsson is an incomparable Cherubino, dangerous, purposive, her natural unforced singing rooted in character.”
Julian Alexander Smith (tenor)
Julian Alexander Smith began his career at Glyndebourne since when his operatic engagements have further included Ted Flint in the world première of Diana Burrell’s The Albatross and The Judge in the UK première of Berthold Goldschmidt’s Beatrice Cenci at the Spitalfields Festival, Liancourt Le Roi Malgré Lui for Grange Park Opera, title-role in Samson and Arcas Cadmus et Hermione at Dartington Hall and Famigliari di Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Megaron, Athens, under the direction of Paul Goodwin. As a concert artist, Julian Alexander Smith’s engagements have taken him throughout the UK, recent performances including J.S. Bach Cantata No. 93 with the Sweelinck Ensemble, Christmas Oratorio for Kendal South Choir, Evangelist St John Passion with Collegium Laureatum at the Cambridge Guildhall and the London Ripieno Society, L’Enfance du Christ for Felsted Choral Society, Brigg Fair for Cheltenham Bach Choir, Haydn Nelson Mass for Eltham Choral Society and Stabat Mater for Ulverston Bach Choir, Tenor soloist in Janáček Řikadla with the Britten Sinfonia at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (broadcast on Radio 3), Mozart Coronation Mass at Barrow Town Hall, Saint-Saëns Requiem in Cardiff and Tavener Celtic Requiem at St John’s, Smith Square. Current engagements include the Christmas Oratorio in Douai Abbey, Dvorak Stabat Mater for the Isle of Wight Cantata Choir, Israel in Egypt in Wells Cathedral, Messiah with the London Festival Orchestra, The Creation at the Surrey Festival, The Seasons at the Petersfield Festival, Mozart Vesperae solemnes de confessore for Stratford-upon-Avon Choral Society and Vaughan Williams Hodie for the University of Warwick Chorus. '...Julian Alexander Smith's natural ease of tenor voice was at its " Julian Alexander Smith showed great promise as the Fisherman, Ted Flint..." “The interplay between Julian Alexander Smith and the choir in the
Martin Robson (bass)
His operatic engagements have included First Workman Wozzeck, Cardinal of Lorraine Palestrina, Horatio Hamlet, Flemish Deputy Don Carlos and Noble Lohengrin for the Royal Opera, London, Abbott Curlew River for VARA Radio at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Leader of the Pilgrims Curlew River and Azarias The Burning Fiery Furnace for the Opéra National du Rhin, Quince Peter Grimes for the Rome Opera, Gloucester in the UK première of Toshio Hosokawa’s Vision of Lear at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Pluto L’Orfeo for the New London Consort, Time / Neptune Il ritorno d’Ulisse at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Fenicio Ermione for Chelsea Opera Group, Wyke Thwaite for Almeida Opera and Xuthus Ion for Music Theatre Wales. He has also worked with English National Opera, English Touring, Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Operas and Scottish Opera, his repertoire including Rocco Fidelio, Claudio Agrippina, Garibaldo Rodelinda, Masetto / Commendatore Don Giovanni, Sarastro Die Zauberflöte, Colline La bohème and Pistol Falstaff. Concert work has taken him to America, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and Switzerland in addition to performances for choirs and festivals in Britain. He has appeared with many leading orchestras and ensembles including the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, the London Mozart Players, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Virtuosi. Amongst the conductors he has worked with are Stephen Barlow, Ivor Bolton, William Christie, Mark Elder, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Reinhard Goebel, Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Spivakov and Christian Thielemann. Martin Robson has recorded for BBC Radio 3, Dutch Radio, Radio France and Westdeutscher Rundfunk a, BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Dutch Radio. His CD credits include Father Trulove on the award-winning CD of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress for Deutsche Grammophon with Ian Bostridge, Bryn Terfel, Deborah York, Anne Sofie von Otter and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, and Stravinsky’s Threni with the London Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Robert Craft. “…a terrific cast with Martin Robson a noble Gloucester.” “La belle voix basse de Martin Robson.” “…the voice I will watch for belongs to the bass Martin Robson, who reached the lowest notes of Sarastro’s arias without apparent strain. His dignified intensity gripped the audience.” “…the singing from Martin Robson as Xuthus was heroic.” |
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Charlotte Kinder begin her studies at Chetham’s School of Music before attending the Royal Northern College of Music, the National Opera Studio, London (where she was supported by the Friends of Covent Garden, the Goldsmiths Company and the Sybil Tutton Trust) and the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, Rome. Currently, she is working with Jeffrey Neilson Taylor and Philip Thomas.
Winner of the Christina Nilsson Award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Catrin Johnsson studied at the Sköndal Institute, the Royal University College of Music, Stockholm, and the Royal Academy of Music, London.
Born in Sheffield, Julian Alexander Smith began his musical education as a chorister at St Chad’s Cathedral Birmingham and was then a music scholar at Solihull School. At the age of 18 he won a Choral Scholarship to Bristol University reading Biochemistry. He furthered his studies at both Trinity College of Music, where he sang the title-role in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo directed by Julia Hollander, and the Royal College Music, gaining a 1st Class Honours degree in Music and awards including the Wilfred Greenhouse Alt Prize for oratorio, a Beverly Creed Scholarship and a bursary from the Welton Foundation. He has also undertaken Masterclasses with Sarah Walker and Roger Vignoles.
Martin Robson read music at Leeds University before studying singing at the Royal Northern College of Music with Nicholas Powell and April Cantelo. He has also studied with Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge and currently works with Jennifer Caron.