The efforts of Storm Deirdre failed to deter the faithful followers of ‘Tidings of Joy’, Weymouth Choral Society’s annual Christmas concert. St John’s Church was filled with an appreciative audience and they were not disappointed. Accompanied by Weymouth Concert Brass, the concert provided all that it promised; a festive and warm offering of seasonal music delivered by the choir, the brass band and the extraordinary talent of the young soloists.
Toby Lyndley opened the programme with the traditional solo for ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and following this, the choir was in fine form for John Rutter’s ‘Candlelight Carol’. In ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ we witnessed Toby’s brother, Joe, shine in technique and diction. Both boys have sung solos with Weymouth Choral several times over the last few years and they delight the audience in how they have grown in stature and technicality.
‘We Three Kings’ was a delightful and lively arrangement sung beautifully by the choir and then Helen Brind, Musical Director of Weymouth Choral, showed her talent as she conducted Weymouth Brass Band’s rendition of Leroy Anderson’s ‘A Christmas Festival’. Indeed throughout the concert, Helen demonstrated her versatility, conducting both the Choral Society and band.
The band’s rendition of ‘The Snowman’ delivered a hauntingly beautiful performance of the classic number with an ever echoing and soaring upwards movement. This was followed by ‘Whisper of Angels’, a Faure/Amy Sky arrangement showcasing Toby’s incredible range and skill.
‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ (arr. John Rutter) proved to be a lively and somewhat comical rendition of this well-known Christmas song and ‘Wassail’ (arr. Jonathan Willcocks) showed the choir’s strong vocal control and diction.
Throughout this enjoyable evening, the performers were ably accompanied by the multi-talented Louise Dukes.
Angela Elliott
