Plymouth Philharmonic perform perfectly

Those who attended the Plymouth Philharmonic’s concert on Saturday night felt the full blast of the drums, bells and cymbals. The tremendous force of the percussion was only exceeded by the exciting singing of the Choir in their rousing performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Plymouth Philharmonic Choir kept their promise of a thrilling and entertaining concert. It was held in St Andrew’s Minster Church in Plymouth’s city centre on Saturday, 29th November. It began with five beautiful pieces from Bob Chilcott’s Dances of Time which, together, celebrated joyfully the passage of time; songs written by people as famous as King Henry VIII. The tale of a roasting swan brightened the chilly church.

The Choir’s director, Peter Cook, then led some 100 singers in a showcase of two unaccompanied pieces, both received with delight by the audience in the packed church. And, leading them into the interval, pianist Irina Kosogova, together with her 16-year-old Diploma student, Dien Worrall, performed a piano duet from a work by Rachmaninov.

But it was the excitement of the popular and commanding Carmina Burana which held the audience in the second half. The Choir were joined by three first-class, entertaining soloists: Catherine Hamilton, soprano; Matthew Minter, tenor and Andrew Mayor, baritone. They, together with a choir from Plymouth’s Montpelier Primary School, brought this popular work to life; familiar as it is to many people from films and TV adverts.

The new year will see the Philharmonic Choir starting rehearsals for their next concert. It will be in St Andrew’s again on 28th March and will feature choral music by Mozart and Holst, under the musical direction of Dr Paul Foster. More information can be found on the Choir's website at plymouthphilchoir.org and its Facebook page.

For tickets go to wegottickets.com/event/681844