Bude Choral Society (BCS) entertained a snow reduced audience to what is confidently stated to be the first ever recital in Cornwall of Gaetano Donizetti’s Messa di Requiem at Bude Central Methodist Church on Saturday. This complex work was sung with the usual enthusiasm and technical expertise which one now comes to expect from BCS under the baton of their renowned Director of Music, John Hobbs.

The evening concert opened with Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of many sacred scores written by the composer who is more usually known as a composer of concertos. It is written in twelve parts, contrasting in key, instrumentation, tempo, style and the vocal forces required. The choir demonstrated a clear understanding of the work and were once again augmented by the top notch soloists that are ever eager to sing with them. Tina Gladwyn (soprano) and Carolyn Harries (mezzo-soprano) showed why they are in such demand and the first half of the concert flew by leaving the audience eagerly awaiting the second.

Further soloists were added after the interval. Gordon Pike (tenor), Julian Sutton and Ben Collingwood (basses) joined in for the Requiem and they too excelled.

Donizetti was a prolific composer and in addition to some 70 operas, both serious and comic, wrote symphonies, chamber music, songs and over 100 sacred works.

The scores for his Requiem were sourced with some difficulty by the Performing Arts Library in St Austell. His religious music is virtually unknown and rarely performed in this country so to have the treat of attending the first performance of his Messa di Requiem in Cornwall was an added bonus.

Once again the choir exhibited their dedication to detail with the whole concert performed in word perfect Latin! This piece demands extreme agility as it changes styles throughout. Although the work was never completed lacking a ‘Sanctus’, ‘Benedictus’ and ‘Agnus Dei’, it has a fairly effective shape. The general mood is dark, with rich orchestration supporting a surprisingly austere vocal line, yet with flashes of almost Verdian intensity and remains far removed from operatic glitter.

Supported excellently by David Robinson (organist) this was another ebullient evening of music and was once again rounded off by a lovely buffet supper provided by the choir members.

The choir’s next concert will be on Saturday 18 March 2006 when the programme will include works written or arranged by John Rutter who gave such an inspiring singing day recently.

Hopefully the choir will be performing at the Bude Arts Festival next summer and anyone interested in finding out more about the choir can visit their website www.budechoral.org.uk or telephone Chairman John Gimson on 01288 350000.

Nick Compton