The Barbirolli Hall at St Clement Danes School in Chorleywood was full to capacity last Saturday with an enthusiastic audience for the concert given by Chipperfield Choral Society under the baton of their Director, Delia Meehan, with soloists Emma Bell (soprano) and Michael Dewis (baritone).
Brahms great German Requiem, sung in English, was preceded by a stirring account of Sibelius renowned tone poem Finlandia, in which the well- loved hymn “Be still, my soul” received a nicely restrained performance from the chorus with suitable fireworks from an unusually large and cohesive orchestra.
The main work in the programme, the Requiem, is a very demanding piece, requiring a huge range of colour and dynamic from both the singers and the instrumentalists. Both orchestra and chorus had the critical mass needed to give the work its full potential – which they did, and more – in an outstanding performance.