Two substantial choirs took the stage at All Saints’ School, Wyke Regis, on Saturday April 8th for Weymouth Choral Society’s ‘Swing into Spring’ Concert. Musical director Helen Brind made the evening doubly engaging by inviting the much-loved and long-established Quangle Wangle Choir, directed by Juliet Harwood, to join them. The result was a popular, wide-ranging and enchantingly varied programme which enabled both choirs to display their individual styles.
Weymouth Choral was very ably accompanied at the piano by Louise Dukes, who also delighted the audience and set toes tapping as she played ‘Over the Waves’ and the ‘Sailors’ Hornpipe’ on the accordion.
Due to the illness of the advertised soloist, Helen Brind called on two talented young musicians, Jodie and Chloe Tripp. Each gave a gutsy performance of a jazz classic which brought the house down, as well as coming together as a duet in totally different mood to sing Lloyd Webber’s ‘Pie Jesu’.
Three members of Weymouth Choral Society – Soprano Judy Walbrin, Tenor Eric Groom and Bass Rod Parsons – were most effective in a rendering of the trio in ‘The Heavens are Telling’ from ‘The Creation’ by Haydn.
Quangle Wangle demonstrated what a choir can do with voice alone with Juliet Harwood’s arrangements adding great musicality to their presentations. Their programme also included an amusing and tuneful piece in praise of Dorset apples written by choir member Anna Eveleigh.
Weymouth Choral’s contribution also allowed for a taste of things to come with a soaring rendering of ‘Be Not Afraid’, from ‘Elijah’, the Mendelssohn oratorio they will perform together with the Barclays House Choir under the baton of Helen Brind at Wimborne Minster on June 3rd.
Norman Hartley
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